Newton Burial Ground Crisis

January 9, 2025

Put the Heritage District Project on Pause – Culture In Crisis article by Dr. John Hunte

I join with concerned national, regional and global citizens regarding the development project around the Newton Enslaved Burial Ground. The government aims to transform the space surrounding it into a Heritage District. I speak to the importance of this moment and why we need to make noise.

I am reminded by Empress Zingha Simmons of the prophesy of SOUNDS OF RESISTANCE: ECHOES OF CHANGE, a National Cultural Foundation production conceptualized by Alison Sealy-Smith and myself, and co-written by Sealy-Smith, Simmons and Matthew Murrell. It was presented at Crop Over Folk Concert in July 2015 and at CARIFESTA XII in Haiti August 2015. The plot centred around a group of young people looking for a place at Newton to hold a fete and came across the spirit of Old Doll.

Then, in 2019, I was part of a team, the Barbados Dagara Village (BDV). They brought a proposal to the Barbados Museum & Historical Society (BMHS) to erect a shrine at Newton Plantation. This moment was unrelated to the transportation of soil from Newton enslaved burial ground in Barbados was taken to Ghana in a symbolic ceremony to reconnect ancestors.

In August 2020, I was asked to join the Newton Burial Ground Development Committee to advise the BMHS on these matters. By September, with no progress from the BMHS, the BDV asked for its documents to be returned, citing that:

The Museum’s actions suggest a failure to understand that this is not merely an historical endeavour or a project designed to enhance the island’s tourism package, but a spiritual undertaking which must be conducted following certain rites intended to correctly recognise and honour those interred at Newton and, indeed, all over this island. … This memorial will re-establish long lost spiritual links between this rock and the Motherland, specifically Burkina Faso. Without the group’s involvement the structure will lack that significant spiritual connecting. (Bokara Ikaivla Kambire, Sep 8, 2020)

BMHS Deputy Director notes that while there may have been previous attempts to set up such memorials (citing Baba Elombe Mottley) this was the first one he is aware of in this period. Between March to July 2021, there were furtive attempts to reach out to stakeholder afrocentric and indigenous spiritual communities to discuss their ongoing interest and outreach to this sacred place of contemplation. Later that year, faith leaders got together to bless the space. Other recent plans to create a physical building to commemorate the space include that of Ashanti Trotman asked in 2021 by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Intangible Cultural Heritage Division to design a memorial space. All plans were eclipsed in December 2021 with the announcement of the government’s plans to build a memorial designed by master architect, Sir David Adjaye.

Phase One includes a memorial:

I provide this context to demonstrate that, there has been a frequent, ongoing, sustained engagement with Newton indicating how valuable it is to our communities. While previous proposals were disregarded, the sentiment that there should be some formal and physical representation of Barbadian’s sense of reverence for the space remains of importance. Certainly, I felt my presence on the advisory committee attempted to fulfil that purpose. From 2020 until now, the committee continued to advise the Museum.

Then, on Oct 4, 2024, a BTII consultant met with the committee. As BTIIs plans were laid out, the committee raised their concerns and followed through with letters proposing an negotiated term of co-engagement with the space. The alarm on Saturday December 14, 2024 precipitated a series of events that has led to this petition.

Please find videos taken in the site since development has begun:

The construction done to the property.

Ceramic shards found among the soil scraped.

As outlined in this petition, we believe this project is developing without due acknowledgement of the memories of the ones interred there, consideration for those who revere the space, and in preserving the integrity of an important site of significance, and transformation from trauma to healing on many levels. While we understand the government’s intent, we respectfully request that there is a pause to correct and include key stakeholders to ensure the execution follows the guidelines consistent with an aware, emerging and elevated republic that acknowledges and recognizes all faiths and sensibilities. We believe in a more balanced approach that allows us to be publicly informed, strategies that are more courteous, decolonized, inclusive will offer many benefits as we create a national nurturing and enriching environment.

As citizens, residents and visitors who revere this space, we claim the right to have access to this space as we desire. This right can be provided for officially through our National Parks Policy with specific provisions. Further, we believe our legislation needs to be corrected to include this space as sacred consecrated land, as other spaces are categorized. The notion that only Abrahamic faiths can legally consecrate land reflects rhetoric that contradicts our standing as a multifaith republic. Certainly, redressing the injustices of racism and anti-blackness and affirming the spiritual practices of our ancestors and our citizens must be central to this project. We hope this petition receives overwhelming support, demonstrating the glocal community’s strong feelings on this issue. We hope to engage in an ongoing constructive dialogue to explore, implement and execute alternatives that better address the concerns of all stakeholders.