Unveiled at the end of 2023, the impressive stone Monument to the Barbadian Family is laden with symbolism, as family figures push skywards through the giant broken shackles of slavery. The location, at the end of Broad St in front of Parliament, is poignant, as it’s close to the site of The Cage, where recaptured escaped enslaved workers were held until reclaimed by their owners.

The monument also features eleven giant tablets (pictured below) bearing portraits of the country’s national heroes. The most recent addition (in 2021) is Rihanna, as much for her philanthropic work as her status as global pop icon and promoter of Barbados.

National Heroes Day is a national public holiday on April 28.

Adjacent, the rather tatty Fountain Gardens host a discreet war memorial to Barbadians who lost their lives in both World Wars, serving in the British armed forces.