On Monday, the final day of the Sankofa Pilgrimage to Barbados, Liberian Cultural Ambassador, Juli Endee, and journalist and newspaper editor of Front Page Africa, Rodney Sieh, paid a courtesy call to Minister with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, and her management team at the Division of Culture, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael.
During the visit, the Cultural Ambassador shared experiences while in Barbados and highlighted potential opportunities between the two countries.
Cultural Ambassador Endee and Mr. Sieh expressed their deep appreciation for the Barbadian people’s warm hospitality and enthusiasm for knowledge, following the successful staging of the Sankofa Pilgrimage week of activities.
Minister Munro Knight acknowledged the need for Barbadians to visit Liberia to complete the work that has already started in Barbados through the Sankofa Pilgrimage.
She lauded early plans to create a museum in Liberia and noted that Barbados could add to this initiative, while completing its own research, creating a full portrait of those 346 persons who left the country in 1865 and emigrated to Liberia.
Program Advisor for Reparations and Economic Enfranchisement, Rodney Grant, emphasized the importance of reclaiming African identity and culture, debunking the myth that reparations solely entail monetary demands.
He underscored ongoing projects to build memorialization, sensitivity, and consciousness within the country, including symbolic gestures like renaming monuments and locations to reflect post-slavery narratives and honour critical figures in Barbadian history.
Director of the Barbados Library Service, Jennifer Yarde, highlighted an upcoming initiative on May 24, Africa Day celebrations, where 10 schools will engage in a virtual cultural exchange with students from Liberia, Nigeria, and Gambia.
During the meeting, Mr. Sieh offered to leverage his connections with radio stations to amplify the outreach of this initiative and discussed his plans to document the process from an alternative perspective, fostering broader understanding and engagement.
The cultural ambassador proposed ideas for cultural amalgamation through dance and song, suggesting the establishment of a mini museum to commemorate the Sankofa Pilgrimage. The meeting concluded with Ambassador Endee graciously presenting traditional Liberian handcrafted pieces to Minister Munro-Knight.
As discussions concluded, there was a palpable excitement about the potential for deepened cultural ties and mutual benefit between Liberia and Barbados. Both parties expressed eagerness to continue these conversations and embark on collaborative projects in the near future.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation, Carol Roberts-Reifer; Chief Archivist, Ingrid Thompson; and Director of Culture, Policy and Research, Dr. Donna Greene-Rusnighi, also attended the meeting.