Barbados becomes a republic. After almost 400 years of reign, from midnight Elizabeth II is no longer head of state of the Caribbean island, which will continue to be part of the Commonwealth. And, in the ceremony that marked the end of British rule over the tiny Caribbean state, pop star Rihanna was named “national hero”. It is the rank attributed to her by her native country.
The island’s number one celebrity was named by Prime Minister Mia Mottley: “May you continue to shine like a diamond,” Mottley said, quoting Diamond’s text, “and honor the nation with word and deed.”
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Bridgetown, where she grew up before being discovered and brought to the United States. She has always maintained a strong bond with the island, of which she has been an ambassador for three years (the precise title is “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary”).
On that occasion, the prime minister had praised the singer for “her deep love for this country” and for “philanthropy in the health and education sectors, a sign of her patriotism for the island that she continues to consider home.”
Already independent since 1966, but always with Queen Elizabeth as head of state, Barbados is now a republic within the Commonwealth. The new president, Sandra Mason, was elected last October by direct universal suffrage.