“LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN!”: CAN THE MONARCHY SURVIVE?

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November 3, 2022

“The Queen is dead. Long live the King!” a phrase last declared in 1901 upon the passing of Queen Victoria, has been reverberating again in September 2022 as another Charles succeeds Queen Elizabeth II. Weeks after the Queen’s death, debate continues on the British Monarchy’s relevance to the region. 

While some voices are shouting, “The monarchy should be dead!” others are maintaining their “Long Live the monarchy!” mantra.

And this tension is amplified by the selection of the first person of color as a British Prime Minister, which, despite its significance, may well be a “fleeting illusion” of change.

Within this crucible of life, death, and debt, different choruses throughout the Caribbean ponder how best to fashion autonomy free of the debilitating and bitter aftertaste of servitude and domination. Yet, the usual suspects continue to show reverence to an antiquated order and a family tradition that bears so much responsibility for the centuries-long suffering of black, brown, and working-class people worldwide.

BDN and the contributors to this Special Issue are not interested in appeasing our historic tormentor. Instead, we open this space for critical reflection on the impact of the unequal relationship that existed with the colonial and, more importantly, for consideration of how best to ensure that we assert our sovereign rights as authors and creators of our destiny, free of an overseer or restraints.

Britain began its colonization project in Barbados and the Leeward Islands¹ in the early decades of the 17th century and continues up to the present with six territories² still tied directly to Britain. Today, most former British Caribbean colonies, though independent, are members of the Commonwealth, which prompts questions: Is this merely “flag independence”? And, is this the state that awaits the remaining six colonies? Will the remaining six accept the status quo, or will they be more inspired to challenge the monarchy?

In this Issue, Horace Campbell traces the deep roots of the Windsor crime family, its global reach, and the legacy of resistance it has engendered in “Queen Elizabeth II and the Weight of History.” And in “The Queen and The George Floyd Racial Reckoning,” Kanene Holder contests the excessive adoration for such an individual, an institution, and a country that inflicted so much pain worldwide. In “The Eyes of The Nation: Melody’s Glimpse,” Duff Mitchell outlines how calypso resisted British attempts to inflict psychological damage through miseducation. Carlyle Leach’s “Queen Elizabeth II: Hiding in a Fairytale” exposes the British monarchy’s failure despite the favorable ratings about her 70-year reign. Finally, Winthrop Holder, in “dat woman, elizabeth: Governance as Absurdity?” samples popular culture and indigenous knowledge as countervailing narratives to the brutishness of British rule.

– Big Drum Nation editors

#reparations #Caribbean #London Bridge #Big Drum Nation #Caribbean indigenous knowledge #Caribbean colonies #Caribbean republics #Not My Queen #Not My King

1. The first English Caribbean colonies were imposed on St Kitts from 1623, Barbados in 1627, and Nevis in 1628 [↩]
2. These territories are Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Bermuda can also be included here in the broader regional context [↩]