Barbados / Special Interests / Culture & Heritage

It would be easy to write off Barbados purely as the “Little England” of the Caribbean, famous for the quaint customs inherited from its mother country during more than 330 years of British rule, but that would ignore the African roots of its people and the West Indian customs which combine to give this island a rich cultural mix. Not surprisingly, carnival celebrations at its annual Crop Over festivities every summer are the highlight of the year, and there are also some excellent calypsonians and bands to be heard in lively clubs. But Barbados also offers a broad spectrum of musical genres from opera to jazz, showcased at events that attract an international following.

The island is known for its sophisticated ambience with glitzy hotels on the so-called Platinum Coast that rub shoulders with upscale restaurants whose high standards have helped to give Barbados a gourmet reputation.  But there is a depth of other sorts too. The gardens in Barbados, hotel gardens included, are probably the best in the Caribbean and the island is known for its excellent golf courses and other sports such as polo, cricket, horse-racing and its annual motor rally.

Barbados has an extraordinary history, much of which is still visible in the plantation houses that once ruled the island’s sugar estates, and the story of rum. While the island’s first inhabitants, the Amerindians, can be traced back around 3,500 years, it was the arrival of the British in 1625 that had the most impact, with the establishment of the first Parliament in 1639, making the Barbados Parliament the third-oldest in the Commonwealth after the UK and Bermuda. The rise of the sugar industry led to the massive importation of slaves from Africa, and of today’s inhabitants, 80 per cent are descended from them.