There is much discussion about the speech given by Prince Charles at the formal handover ceremony to mark the new republic of Barbados (compare with the ceremony for Hong Kong in 1997) that addressed the subject of slavery pointing to recognition of the past but also signalling a bright future for the new republic. As Lord Woolley, the only black Barbadian member of the House of Lords in the UK, described it, “Yesterday marked the rebirth of a new nation”. [“Praise for Prince Charles after ‘historic’ slavery condemnation” by Caroline Davies, The Guardian online, 1 December 2021]. Barbados, a haven for cryptocurrencies, is also set to become the first sovereign nation to have an embassy in the metaverse – see www.coindesk.com/business 15 November 2021.
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
