Dr Julius Garvey, son of Jamaican National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey, joined Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley in rededicating the Marcus Garvey Amphitheatre at Queen’s Park, nearly nine decades after his father addressed Barbadians at the historic location.
The August 20 ceremony formed part of Barbados’ 2026 Season of Emancipation celebrations and featured the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by Mottley and Dr Garvey. The event also served as a reflection on Garvey’s enduring influence on Pan-Africanism, self-determination and Black empowerment across the Caribbean and beyond.
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Marcus Garvey visited Barbados in 1937, during a period of significant social and political unrest throughout the Caribbean. He addressed Barbadians at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed, delivering a message centred on Black unity, self-reliance and collective advancement.
The presence of his son at the site decades later added a personal and historic dimension to the rededication. Rodney Grant, Programme Advisor in Barbados’ Office of Pan African Affairs and Heritage and the Division of Youth and Culture, said the occasion was especially meaningful because Dr Garvey could participate in honouring the location where his father once spoke.
Grant also highlighted the role of generations of Rastafarians who preserved Garvey’s teachings despite persecution. He said Barbados was now seeking to give greater academic recognition to Garveyism and to examine its intellectual contribution to Pan-African thought.
The wider celebrations have also expanded under the Mottley administration. What was previously observed as a single day of activities has grown into an entire week dedicated to examining Garvey’s life, ideas and continuing influence.
For members of the Rastafarian community, Garvey remains a foundational figure whose philosophy helped shape movements centred on African identity, liberation and self-determination. Jecoliah Small, representing the Theocracy Reign Order of the Nyahbinghi at Mount Carmel, described his influence as continuing to resonate with contemporary Pan-African and emancipation movements.
Garvey’s legacy extends well beyond his speeches. Through organisations such as the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), the Black Star Line and the Negro World newspaper, he promoted Black economic independence and international solidarity among people of African descent.
His ideas have continued to influence political movements, cultural institutions and generations of activists throughout the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The amphitheatre itself had originally been dedicated in November 2024, when Mottley unveiled a plaque marking its opening. The inscription reflects one of the central themes associated with Garvey’s philosophy — that genuine emancipation must involve liberation of the mind as well as the body.
Following the rededication ceremony, Dr Garvey participated in a Marcus Garvey Legacy Conversation at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed, the same historic venue where his father addressed Barbadians in 1937. The discussion provided an opportunity to consider the continued relevance of Garvey’s ideas and the responsibility of younger generations to carry aspects of that legacy forward.
The events also formed part of a broader programme marking Marcus Garvey’s contribution to Caribbean history and the global Pan-African movement.
For Barbados, the rededication represents an effort to connect a significant chapter of its history with contemporary discussions about emancipation, reparations, identity and the importance of preserving Caribbean intellectual and cultural heritage.
With Marcus Garvey’s son standing alongside Barbados’ prime minister at a site where his father once addressed the island, the ceremony offered a powerful link between Garvey’s historic message and its continuing relevance nearly 90 years later.
