Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Monday honored Robert ‘Bobby’ Clarke, for standing out in Barbadian society as a “fiery and fearless fighter” for the underground.
A leading figure in the local pan-Africanist movement during the 1970s and 80s, the lawyer and social activist died aged 90 after a recent illness.
Prime Minister Mottley said: “Once Bobby took on a noble cause there was no doubt he was prepared for a battle, his aim was always to improve the lives of ordinary people. In fact, it would not be inaccurate to describe his life as one of constant struggle. He fought the establishment as a noted Pan-Africanist; he fought big business and government as a staunch trade unionist; he also took on almost everyone as a politician.
“However, without a doubt, anyone who had the honor of spending time with him soon realized that he was filled with a commitment and passion for justice and fairness, with the defense of the dignity of the working class at his core.”
Also paying tribute, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Álvaro Sanchez Cordero, called Clarke a ‘revolutionary man’.
“Bobby was always there to teach us valuable lessons about Caribbean history, politics, economics, culture and society. His extensive experience in Grenada, Barbados and many other Caribbean countries was paramount, especially in relation to the Cuban Revolution and in the context of the Cold War. Indeed, above all, as a revolutionary man, as a progressive thinker of the left, as a true socialist, Bob was an internationalist who kept in mind the human integrity of all oppressed people first and foremost.”
Clarke, who has led many of the social movements on the island, was described by the President of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, David Denny, as one of the greatest defenders of rights for the working class, especially in the field of education where he was integral in establishing a scholarship program between Cuba and the rest of the region.
“Bobby was the person who would have created the conditions for Caribbean people to study in Cuba. To me that’s a big part of his legacy, because right after the Cuban Revolution, Boddy traveled from England to Cuba while studying and was the person who started discussing with the Ministry of Education in Cuba the whole question of the academic scholarship program. for Caribbean countries.
“Under his watch, the academic fellowship program would have trained over 100 doctors in Barbados,” Denny added.
“Bobby has left a serious mark on my life. I have a lot of respect for Bobby Clarke and I know he has done a lot to help the progressive movement in Barbados,” said Denny.
(SB)
Read our email. Quickly. Factual. Free.
Sign up and stay up to date with Barbados’ free latest news.
