The Emancipation Statue, by Barbados’ best known sculptor Karl Broodhagen, symbolizes the breaking of the chains of slavery at emancipation. It was unveiled on March 28, 1985
Slavery, abolished in 1834, was followed by a 4-year “apprenticeship” period where free men continued to work a 45-hour week without pay in exchange for living in the tiny huts provided by the plantation owners. Full freedom from slavery was celebrated in 1838 with over 70,000 Barbadians of African descent taking to the streets to celebrate. Today, Emancipation Day is celebrated as a national holiday on August 1st.
Many Barbadians refer to the statue as Bussa, the name of a slave who helped inspire a revolt against slavery in Barbados in 1816. Bussa was born a free man in west Africa but was captured and transported to Barbados to work as a slave. He is one of Barbados’ National Heroes.
The statue includes two inscriptions.
The first inscription:
“Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh Jin-Jin [Queen Victoria]
De Queen come from England to set we free
Now Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh Jin-Jin”
The second inscription, an excerpt from the Abolition Act of 1833:
“’…Be therefore enacted…that from and after the first day of August one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four all persons who in conformity with the laws now in forces in the said colonies respectively shall on or before (August 1, 1834) have been duly registered as slaves in and such colony and who on (August 1, 1834) shall be actually within any such colony and who shall by such registries appear to be (August 1, 1834) of the full age of six years and upwards shall by force and virtue of this act…become and be apprenticed laborers…’ The Abolition Slavery Act (1883)
