Barbadian boundaries

WHILE ON my morning walk today, I crossed a major racial divide in Barbados.

A Jamaican residing overseas, I live fairly near the beach along Carlisle Bay and try to get in as much beach time as possible. Along the shore is a wall separating the yacht club from the rest of Barbados. There are no laws or security personnel preventing walkers from using the section of beach before the yacht club; just that wall.

The yacht club is now actually encouraging the public to use its facilities and an open gateway was recently punched in the wall. But you seldom see anyone go around that wall or through the gateway.

Built by the British army over a century ago, the wall is one of the most telling symbols of the divisions within this island. Barbados is split along racial lines in a manner that Jamaicans find shocking. Blacks and whites lead quite separate lives in this small island.

There are distinctly white clubs, distinctly white residential areas, even distinctly white sports. Carnival has distinctly white bands and I have seen float parades with distinctly white floats.

The yacht club is seen as one of these white institutions and its wall remains an insurmountable obstacle in the minds of most. I waded into the sea around the wall this morning and strolled onto the hallowed beach. There was no feeling of either fear or triumph. I just wondered why it had taken me three years to cross a very ordinary looking stretch of shoreline.

I am etc.,

ANDREW GREEN

E-mail:ochiboy@hotmail.com

17 Pine Road, Belleville,

St. Michael,Barbados

Via Go-Jamaica