At the republican celebrations in her hometown of Bridgetown, Barbados named hit artist Rihanna a national hero.
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley revealed that Rihanna would get the award of the title of National Hero of Barbados. The 33-year-old was brought up in front of the audience to be congratulated by Mottley.
“May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation by your works, by your actions,” Mottley told Rihanna. It is a reference to her 2012 chart-topping single “Diamonds“.
The republican celebrations in the island nation ended its oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II. For the first time in history, the country shed another relic of its colonial past and became a republic.
The “Pride of Nationhood” celebration shut down to the general public. However, Rihanna, Barbados’ most famous citizen, attended alongside top officials for the event. It likewise included military parades, a mounted guard of honor, and gun salutes.
To the sound of celebratory gun salutes, fireworks lit up the sky over Barbados on Tuesday. The Caribbean island nation declared itself the world’s newest republic. Thereby, lowering Queen Elizabeth’s flag and also severing colonial-era connections to the British throne.
“Republic Barbados has set sail on her maiden voyage,” Dame Sandra Mason remarked in her inaugural address as the country’s first president. Also, acknowledging the country’s “complex, fractured, and turbulent world”, it would need to navigate.