Barbados People – Bajan Culture, Heritage and Lifestlyles- Rogues in Paradise is a study of how Bajans are different and why.
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The book studies the unique history of Barbados its people and culture. Tracing how it became the wealthiest and most strategic of the British colonies. How it was the First Slave Society in the new world and why its history and people are unlike any other Caribbean island.
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Barbadians are highly spiritual and religiously conscious. They are open, thoughtful, and generous. They love a party but will make time for quiet and shy people and draw them out with disarming innocence and charm. All Caribbean people share similar traits, but Barbadians differ in subtle ways.
Time magazine noted this by voting for Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, one of the top influencers in the world, in 2022. Her agenda included outstanding and persuasive speeches at COP, launching of the Bridgtown Initiative, and being a leader in the world stage for inclusion and human rights for all people.
Get The Book Rogues in Paradise for more. A true fun, and insightful piercing story of amazing people, place, and history. The book playfully interweaves factual narrative with imaginative storytelling and verse.
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Set in modern-day Barbados, the fun-loving ensemble cast of Rogues in Paradise ranges from street vendors to knights of the realm: Like Woolly, an artist who transforms a famous TV host’s visit into a springboard for his success, and Ace, a Jack of all trades who uses agile wit to skirt the law.
The stories flow with a Caribbean cadence: African drums and Soca-reggae beat a rhythm on the street, while charming Ace confesses plotting the break-in, but only to pay the magistrate:
As he says, “Plenty time and money here. Movie cameras, laptops, fancy cars, and stereos fetch some dollars on the street. Ain’t gonna steal, just gonna take, a little for the magistrate.” Charming and lovable, Ace is a free spirit who does not like to work.
The pages pulse with the rhythm of the islands and the indomitable spirit of a truly remarkable people. My observations and admiration led me to examine Barbados’ colonial past to its peaceful transition to the world’s newest democratic republic. The text is relentlessly researched and documented with hundreds of sources. It features the first slave ever to write his memoirs.
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In his memoir, Olaudah Equiano explains how, at age 11, he was kidnapped and enslaved in Africa. He says he was treated kindly as a house slave in Africa and became part of the family. That soon changed as the British herded him and other captured Africans into a big-belly British galleon bound for Barbados, where all were to be sold as slaves to the colonial landlords. Luckily, no one in Barbados wanted him, and he was transferred to America to work on trading ships. His life as a slave on ships was much less arduous than working on a plantation, where he saw all manner of cruelty. Still, he has some kind words for Barbados despite the cruelty of the planters everywhere. See more about his name here
The book gives a balanced account of social etiquette and philosophy. It is both profound and playful insight into the heritage of a people who were never defeated. With the inhuman slave trade and generation of systemic discrimination, the Bajan People have always been resilient. They strive to be the best they can be under any circumstance. They strive and achieve excellence, as you will see.
Also check our story of Barbados and Africa naming conventions
Barbados African Roots
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Today, the tiny Island is a thriving democratic republic, a regional financial center, and a vibrant tourism destination with a rich culture and identity. From fun and witty folk, the book examines people, place, and history to understand and illustrate the exceptional character and historical significance of a tiny island and a people set apart.
Read on to see how the people of Barbados are teaming with life and optimism, striving for excellence against a troubled past.
Click on the chapters below to find out more:
1 Pompasettin’ 19
2 Coconut Runner 23
3 Two Weeks to Judgment Day 29
4 Banana Bust 33
5 Vendors – Debro 37
6 Rain Man 41
7 Dina & Donna 43
8 Diamonds in the Rough 47
9 Hastings Farmers Market 51
10 Woolly, World Famous Artist 55
11 Business Professionals 61
12 The Queen Bee 65
13 Chilly Moo’s Aviation Kid 69
14 Muriel 73
15 Pebbles, Horses, & Other Stories 77
16 Rex and the Chalky Mount Caper 83
17 The Knights 91
18 Matriarch, Dames & Heroes 97
19 Bathsheba 107
20 Gullies & Caves 115
21 Rum Shops – A Lifestyle 123
22 Chattel Houses–Icons of Freedom 127
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Rogues’ anecdotal stories pulse with the rhythm of the Caribbean and the spirit of a remarkable people.
23 The British Take Barbados 133
24 Civil War & Barbados Charter 137
25 Yeamans & Berringer 141
26 Mrs. Pringle & The Prince 147
27 Emancipation 151
28 Sam Lord-An Ingenious Pirate 159
29 The Age of Rail 163
30 Independence 169
31 The White Jellyfish 177
32 Post-Emancipation 181
33 Postcolonialism 189
34 Settlers 197
35 Inspiring Communities Far Away 201
36 Sand, Sea, and Sky Wind Hunters 205
37 Travellers 209
38 Character Shaped by History 215
About the Author 230
Back Cover 232
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