Proud To Be Bahamian!

The emotion of 50 years of independence and sovereignty across the generations

By Shavaughn Moss

Advantages to being an independent nation means a country can control its economy, manage its natural resources, protect its culture, pick its own government, make its own international relations, and that a people will not be a minority within a larger nation.

On July 10, 2023, The Bahamas officially celebrates 50 years of this freedom and independence, albeit the pomp, circumstance and celebrations take place over the course of the year.

In attaining this milestone, it’s good to look back at the road travelled to get to this juncture of sovereignty – from Christopher Columbus sailing into this archipelagic island-nation chain in the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 – in an expedition backed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain which consequently meant the islands were subject to the rule of the Spanish government.

As history shows, America ruled the Bahamian islands for a brief period after which The Bahamas became an outpost of Great Britain.

After decades of debate and legal transactions, through a series of constitutional and political steps, the islands of The Bahamas were granted self-government by Great Britain in 1964 – and full independence within the Commonwealth on July 10, 1973 – becoming the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

After 300-plus years of being a colony, The Bahamas made the peaceful transition to nationhood – an independent nation from the United Kingdom but an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Bahamas has a parliamentary democracy with political and legal traditions that closely follow those of the United Kingdom.

The Bahamas recognizes the British monarch as its formal head of state. An appointed governor general serves as the king’s representative in The Bahamas.

Since independence, celebrations on the eve of July 10 are traditionally held at Clifford Park, the site where the flag of The Bahamas was officially hoisted on that historic day in 1973.

It must be noted that the colours embodied in the design of the Bahamian flag symbolize the image and aspirations of the people of The Bahamas. The design reflects aspects of the natural environment – sun, sand, and sea – and the economic and social development.

The symbolism of the flag is Black – a strong colour that represents the vigour and force of a united people; the triangle pointing towards the body of the flag represents the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and possess the rich resources of sun and sea, symbolized by gold and aquamarine, respectively.

Significant dates on the road to independence in the annals show The Bahamas gaining internal self-rule in 1964, a revision of the Bahamian Constitution in 1969 with The Colony of the Bahama Islands becoming the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the premier became the prime minister.

On December 20, 1972, an independence agreement was signed – and on June 26, 1973, the British Parliament enacted the Bahamas Independence Order. The Bahamian flag was raised for the first time on July 10, 1973, as The Bahamas became a sovereign nation, ending 325 years of British rule.

As The Bahamas marks a half-century year of independence, and the pomp and circumstances that are taking place over the course of 2023, being independent means something different across generations from the Bahamian who were born before July 10, 1973, to a Bahamian born in a post-independent era and knows nothing else but the black, aquamarine and gold.

Bahamians have their say on what independence looks and feels like – in their own words…

Andy Knowles Boomers II

At the time of our independence in 1973, when The Bahamas became an independent sovereign nation, I was 21 and training as a swimmer to represent my new country at the 1976 Olympic Games, our first Olympics under our new Bahamian flag. It was an honour to represent The Bahamas then, as it is now. Having been born in the 1950s, I didn’t realize the importance of being able to govern ourselves and make decisions for the betterment of our people, but 50 years later, I see very clearly the significance of us becoming a sovereign country under God. I am so proud that our forefathers laid the foundation on which we should build The Bahamas when they put into the Preamble to our Constitution that “the people of this Family of Islands recognizing that the preservation of their freedoms will be guaranteed by a national commitment to Self-discipline, Loyalty, Unity and an abiding respect for Christian values and the Rule of Law”.

God has so richly blessed us and kept us.

We are the most beautiful country in the world, and with our Family of Islands so widely spread out, we know what it means to be family and be community to one another. The Word of God tells us that “righteousness exalts a nation”. May we as a nation continue to allow God to exalt us as we abide together with Christian values.

Jerlea R.L. Adderley Generation Z

To me, independence looks like a celebration of all things Bahamian – black, gold, and aquamarine. It looks like a celebration of people who are proud of life in the 242. Independence looks like flags blowing in the wind with the image of a beautiful golden sun as the backdrop. From the airplanes looking down, it looks like crystal clear blue waters where you can see right through to the bottom of the ocean.

Bahamian independence looks like people dancing to rake ‘n’ scrape music at regattas and at Fish Fry or whenever the music hits them. It looks like the sparkling colours of gigantic costumes and the rhythmic sounds of Junkanoo music parading down Bay Street on Boxing Day morning. It looks like people enjoying the tastes of mouth-watering conch salad, fried fish, and conch fritters with a glass of ice cold Switcha (lemonade).

Independence looks like our Olympians Stevie Gardiner and Shaunae Miller blazing down the track and our NBA stars Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton hitting three-pointers on the basketball court. And not to leave out our talented artists, independence looks a lot like children like me dancing and singing along to “Loose Me” by Nishie L.S. and mashin’ da roach (a local dance).

It’s a group of people who can have a whole conversation by only looking a certain way, moving our mouths a certain way without one word ever leaving our lips. It’s the way we say bui (boy) or vell muddasick (my goodness).

Independence is the freedom for people to worship at the church of their choice any day of the week. It is people who can stand up for their rights, and the rights of others, and to speak out against injustices. It is the right for all children to receive an education to continue to make The Bahamas the best little country on Earth.

The celebration of the 50th independence of The Bahamas is a great accomplishment. The work and contributions of great leaders of our country of generations past and present will continue to push us upward, onward together as one people, united in love and service.

Simply put, independence is all things 242, all things truly Bahamian.

Leandra L. Kelly Millennials

In the grand scheme of things, and as a whole, independence can be a bold and ambitious idea. When I looked at our country’s history, I realized that becoming an independent state was a brave move and especially justified, in part because of how and why it was evidently necessary. An independent nation, state, or country is one in which its inhabitants or a portion of them exercise self-government and, typically, sovereignty over its territory. Therefore, in essence, independence is a straightforward concept – having complete control over one’s life or circumstances. In 1973, our transition as a people from a dependent nation to one that desired to be self-sufficient and self-governing was largely influenced by a collaborative dream for the betterment of a people.

To me, independence looks like creativity, resilience, determination, passion, drive, purpose, and love of country and fellow man. It means to be brave, to rely on self, to take responsibility for your actions, and to be aware of the consequences. Having the option to control your own life is power, however, it is also a shortcoming. Independence is not the key to happiness, but rather the holder of the key. I believe that being self-sufficient necessitates learning to be adaptable and content with one’s circumstances.

Freedom or independence of any kind is the device that you use to find and keep bliss, yet it isn’t joy itself. The Bahamas as a free and independent nation is a jewel envied by many small island nations. As I listen the stories of old, told by previous generations, I cannot help but feel an immense sense of pride to be a Bahamian. The struggles of our past have paved the way for a glorious future. The tears shed by those who have gone before us make way to the sound of laughter and the feeling of joy and happiness for generations to come. In the words of the late Timothy Gibson, “As we continue to lift our heads to the rising sun, press onward, we march together to a common loftier goal.”

Independence, what a glorious feeling! May God continue to bless the beautiful islands of this archipelago which we call home, our Bahamaland.

Lededra Marche Gen X

Independence to me, 50 years later, looks like prosperity. I am proud to be born of the Bahamian soil and the fact that we’ve etched our name into countless annals throughout the world over five decades — from education to the arts, sports and even in space — this little country of ours has done pretty well for itself in such a short period.

We have been given the independence to go after those things that we believe in, without fear or favour, and look good doing it – no matter the consequences, no matter the hurdles, no matter the criticisms – and prove that it is possible. The icing on the cake, too, was having the Bahamian flag on our backs and the Bahamian people, the 242 pride, waiting in the wings, cheering in the stands, marching on the front lines, and posted at the finish lines, beaming with pride to celebrate our successes.

And those times when we fell short, we still have the liberty to try again. It’s that level of pride one feels after 50 years that while some things could have been done differently, we did it, and have left a legacy of trailblazers for our children to emulate or take pages from their books and carry the baton with them for the next 50 years and beyond.

Val Maura Boomers I

On that particular night, of course there was grandeur and great expectation. We felt so exhilarated that the Union Jack, the sign of authority by the United Kingdom, was slowly coming down and would disappear and that it would open avenues for prosperity – and for those that did not have, to get. We got independence from Great Britain and had glorious ideas about how we would benefit and prosper.

Independence, though, came at a price.

We went from that surrounding atmosphere and aura of happiness and great expectation of prosperity, but we didn’t realize the amount of hard work that was required. All this anticipated freedom, and self-control required hard work. For the most part, we missed the labour that was an integral part of the independent.

Just like all the other Commonwealth countries that disappeared from the United Kingdom, independence became interdependence, so we’re still struggling, even though we have a different flag.

At 50 years, as we celebrate, we cannot lose sight of the fact that even now, we probably have a lot more to do. I’m looking forward to the next 50 years – and showing the world that we can do it, and we will be an even more successful nation and there will be interdependence and not so much focusing on independence. UA