Funeral of Sir Garfield Sobers showed the cultural erasure of Black Africa at a Black Man’s funeral in Barbados. A sad spectacle.
Posted on August 9th, 2026
Senaka Weeraratna
The funeral of Sir Garfield Sobers deserved also a Black African cultural send off. Blacks ( Garfield Sobers was not white) should move away from Eurocentric, colonial-era military and Western religious traditions. Incorporating explicit African drumming, rituals, or folklore would better honor the ancestral roots of the Afro-Barbadians and celebrate a figure who symbolized Black liberation and excellence on the global stage. It was sad to see the cultural erasure of the Black man at the funeral of a Black Man who brought glory and honour to the entire black community worldwide by his stupendous achievements on the playing field.
You have made a valid point. We Afro-Barbadians and Caribbean people and the Diaspora more broadly still have a ways to go. Greater interaction with Africa may help to reduce the heavy European influence on our state funeral ceremonies. As it currently stands, state funerals in Barbados reflect a strong European influence, largely as a result of our colonial past.
Thank you for your response.