GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - JULY 2016

DRINK BAJAN RUM
It’s the BEST in the world (yes, I said BEST).
Listen, don’t you come all the way to Barbados
to ask for the same alcohol you buy
at the liquor store near your house or request
the same cocktail you get at the frowsy
lounge you frequent. Barbados makes
the best rum on Earth (fight me!), which
means you better get yourself an expertly
made Cockspur Rum Punch or any Mount
Gay mix you can find.
EAT BAJAN FOOD
As much as I love KFC and Chefette (our
local fast food spot), do not fly all the way
to the gorgeous island to live off of a fried
chicken and fries diet, which you can obviously
get back home. Make sure you have
some bakes, fish cakes and flying fish. In
fact, make sure you head down Oistins in
Christ Church on a Friday night and enjoy
the fish fry. It’s Bajan food at its finest. Also,
make sure you get up bright and early on a
Saturday morning and find yourself a good
spot to eat some black pudding and souse.
PLAN YOUR PARTY SCHEDULE
WELL IN ADVANCE
In the words of Aubrey Graham, if you’re
reading this it’s too late. Ok, it’s not completely
too late, but some really great parties
have already sold out, so if you’re interested
in enjoying all that the party scene
has to offer, hop online and purchase tickets
asap. There are dockside boat parties,
there are boat cruises, there are nightclub
parties, there are day parties, and there
are even breakfast parties. Don’t plan on
sleeping - you can do that in your cubicle
when you get back home.
LEARN THE HISTORY
This is not me saying that you must bury
your head in books and cram like you’re
trying to pass your SATs. It’s just about being
able to acknowledge the context behind
everything that you’re seeing. Learn about
the bands, the artists and the people. Think
about it like this: you can watch and enjoy
Hamilton without knowing anything about
American history, but if you have some
clue about it, you will enjoy the production
a lot more.
MIND YOURSELF
The worst mistake you can make is confusing
Crop Over for Spring Break, and Barbados
for a raucous South Beach mansion
for drunk, unmannerly college kids. Bajans
know how to have an awesome time, but
we’re also a tiny but strong, prideful, and
God-fearing nation. If you’ve never experienced
an authentic island carnival, that
might seem oxymoronic to you. But don’t
let the way people are dressed and the way
people are dancing confuse you into thinking
you’re on a Hedonism resort. This is not
the place for musty behaviour and slackness,
but it’s the best venue in the world
to completely lose yourself in great music,
great food and great people.
The only warning I will give you is this: you
will have such an amazing time; it’s gonna
be hard to enjoy your local festival the
same way. In fact, you may come down with
a condition called ‘carnival tablanca’ which
is essentially festival withdrawal symptom,
making you pine for the next big carnival
to occur so you can wukk-up yourself. And
if you’re on a budget like I am, get used to
uttering this phrase while you wait for next
year’s Crop Over:
“See, the way my bank account is set up...”
When Lincoln Anthony Blades is not writing
for his controversial and critically acclaimed
blog ThisIsYourConscience.com, he can
be found contributing articles for many
different publications on topics such as race,
politics, social reform and relationships.
Lincoln is an author who wrote the hilariously
insightful book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re
A Volunteer.” He is also the host of the
upcoming news show, All Things Being
Equal.