BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Terrence Drew will address the annual celebrations marking the 1935 Buckley’s Uprising on Saturday as the government here announced it had approved the construction of the Buckley’s Uprising Monument Park.
On the eve of the 88th anniversary of Buckley’s uprising, Cabinet said that 1.57 acres of land had been earmarked for the monument to pay homage to the heroes whose lives were sacrificed during the rebellion.
On 28th January 1935, the first day of the sugar cane crop in St. Kitts, cane cutters at the 918-acre Buckley’s Estate on the western outskirts of Basseterre demanded from the estate manager a return to the cane cutting rate of one shilling per ton, which had been the going rate until 1932.
Historians said that there were events before that setting the protest in motion. In December 1934, some estates on the island offered bonuses to their workers, while some did not.
The Nyabinghi Theocracy Order commemorates Buckley’s Uprising annually. This year’s observance at Buckley’s Estate will be held under the theme “Recognizing, Embracing, Restoring and Preserving the Legacy of Martyrs in the Buckleys’s Uprising.”
Apart from Prime Minister Drew, other addresses at the ceremony will come from the Minister of Konris Maynard. Drumming, chanting, poetry, and wreath laying will also be included on the event’s agenda.
The Nyabinghi Theocracy Order has long been championing the cause to have a Buckley’s Uprising monument built. Religious organization members have repeatedly expressed that “people have been very lackadaisical” in recognizing the momentous occasion.
The group has also expressed disappointment that the Buckley’s Uprising situation has not been taught in the schools and suggests that the riot’s story be documented and passed on to future generations.
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