by Trevor Yearwood

Minister of the Environment Elizabeth Thompson has complained about the "architectural uglification" of Bridgetown.

"In the redevelopment of Bridgetown, there has been an unwarranted influx of new designs, which reeks of 'architectural uglification'," she said.

"Traditional design which allowed for good ventilation, light, the natural cross-flow of breeze, heat retardation and hurricane-resistant roofs are being ignored in preference of cubes of glass and steel."

Thompson made the observation against the backdrop of one of the island's biggest building booms and a multi-million dollar programme involving Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. to beautify the City of Bridgetown.

She was addressing the annual general meeting of the Barbados National Trust at its Wildey House headquarters in Wildey, St Michael, on Wednesday evening.

In a well-received speech, she lamented the movement away from Barbados' rich language, culinary, architectural, furniture and historical heritage.

She spoke about a conflict in Barbados between tradition, culture and custom "and the mimicry and adoption of cultural expression, building practices, language and behaviour which are more reflective of developed countries".

She said Barbados had lost much of its cultural heritage "by the elimination of many true icons".

She added: "We have, especially amongst younger generations, relegated cou-cou, flying fish and pone to the back-burner in preference of foreign fast food."

Traditional proverbs "grounded in the philosophy of our forefathers' struggles
and wisdom" have been surrendered for the language of the North American "hood", while the chattel house had been replaced by the bungalow "with far less character", Thompson told the gathering.

She also said that Barbadians, "failing to recognise the heritage value of our local furnishings", had replaced antiques with wrought iron and modern "mass-produced" or Asian furniture now to be found in almost every local store.

Antiques which have not been thrown away were generally sold to foreign interests who better appreciate their value, she said.

"Today it is [hard] to see demilune [half-moon] and kidney tables, circular single-pedestal dining tables or double-ended couches," she commented.

She pointed out that Barbados had many sites worthy of preservation or highlighting – including the places where slaves had been auctioned.

"Now that the locations [of the auction blocks] are believed to have been identified, work needs to be urgently done to mark these areas and their historical role in the shaping of Barbadian society and economy," Thompson suggested.