The cultural legacy of the Barbados Landship Association (BLA), the island’s oldest indigenous institution, is set to receive international validation through its inscription on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This prestigious acknowledgment will be formally conferred next week during an official ceremony in New Delhi, India, where Barbadian cultural representatives led by Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight will accept the Certificate of Inscription.
The Minister, who holds responsibility for Culture within the Prime Minister’s Office, characterized this achievement as a monumental milestone for Barbados. She emphasized that this UNESCO recognition elevates the Landship’s profile on the global stage, celebrating an organization renowned for its captivating marching displays and intricate manoeuvres during national celebrations, including the annual Independence Parade.
This successful nomination culminated from a rigorous three-year multidisciplinary effort orchestrated by the Division of Culture. The comprehensive process involved extensive historical research, collaborative sessions with various landship docks, and stakeholder engagements to build a compelling case for the institution’s cultural significance. Dr. Munro-Knight highlighted the rarity of such inscriptions among Caribbean nations, making this accomplishment particularly noteworthy for Barbadian heritage preservation.
Concurrently, Barbados has submitted an additional nomination for road tennis to be included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, demonstrating the nation’s ongoing commitment to cultural conservation. The Minister expressed optimism regarding this separate application’s success.
Reflecting on the historical context, Dr. Munro-Knight noted that the Landship tradition emerged from Barbados’ complex colonial past, representing community resilience through indigenous practices like the ‘su su’ cooperative saving system. Despite originating under challenging circumstances, the institution has endured through generations as a testament to Barbadian cultural innovation and collective identity formation.