BARBADIANS CANNOT ALLOW influences from places such as Jamaica and the United States to corrupt Barbados' national self-image.

Speaking yesterday at the media launch of the Community Independence Celebrations Secretariat's 2007 Parish Ambassadors, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley, advised the 22 ambassadors to guard against outside cultures detracting from the positives within the local community.

"The communities in the old days contributed to the charm of Barbados in the eyes of the region and the world, but gone, to a certain extent, are the days when teachers and public servants performed their duties for the sake of service instead of reward," he said.

He also said life in Barbados had become too impersonal and challenged people living in "certain" areas of Barbados to name six of their neighbours, especially in the more affluent districts.

"Today we do have a sense of self, but it is debatable whether it is what we should have. People could speak to things such as crime and drugs detracting from our traditions but they cannot as easily point to other negatives in modern communities like the unfamiliarity of neighbours," he said.

Atherley praised the secretariat for its efforts to counter some of those negatives.

New focus

National co-ordinator of the secretariat, Curtis Gibbons, said the parish ambassadors programme would this year focus on "getting back to the . . . community level instead of on a national level".

The theme this year is A Healthy Nation, and each parish committee would be dealing with a different aspect such as diabetes, hypertension and holistic medicine.

Gibbons said this followed a very successful programme last year which focused on disaster preparedness.

The official launch of the Community Independence Celebrations will be on August 26, followed by the Sagicor Inc. lighting ceremony and Bajan folk groove November 1 and the Spirit Of The Nation Show November 17. (CA)