All Aboard! Amistad coming to Barbados April 4th to 20th

The arrival of the Amistad in Barbados this week should be of great interest to many Barbadians, given the history and culture of our island which has much to do with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Once it arrives the crews of Bajan Free Press, De Standpipe Crew, Cat Piss and Pepper and Barbados Free Press Exposed will all be reporting for duty and stepping aboard the decks to experience this replica of the famous ship, which is now due in Barbados from April 4th to 20th.

See you there!

Bajan Free Press.

http://www.amistadamerica.org/content/blogcategory/33/62/

2007-2008 Amistad America’s Atlantic Freedom Tour

BARBADOS Apr. 4-20, 2008

One of the centers of the African slave trade in the Caribbean to support its vast sugar plantations.  While the slave trade ceased in 1804, the continuation of slavery caused, in 1816, the largest major slave rebellion in the isle’s history.

UPDATED: Amistad’s Barbados Visit Program     E-mail

Written by Christal P. McIntosh

Saturday, 29 March 2008

Here is the latest on the events:

April 4 – Official welcome ceremony @ 7:00 a.m. at Fort Willoughby

April 4 – Invitation only cultural event @ 7:00 p.m. at the Museum for crew

April 4, 5, 11 & 12 – Bridgetown Walking Tours @ 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. by Morris Greenidge and Kevin Farmer, both extremely knowledgable on the areas in the city connected to the slave trade

April 10 – Lecture @ 7:00 p.m. at Sir Hugh Springer Auditorium at the BWU featuring Captain Bill Pinkney, speaker extraordinaire

April 17 & 18 – Freedom Concerts @ midday at Carlisle House car park including student tours

April 20 – Farewell event @ Fort Willoughby and all of Barbados is invited so bring your Bajan flag and come!

*Olympus Screening of the movie, Amistad, the Spielberg version – canceled because you movie goers apparently don’ t like old films more than new ones (please protest against this on our event wall; you might just have a small victory on your hands!)

**Daily Tours for the general public – still to be announced! I know but we really are depending on the crew’s itinerary so bear with us. They do need to take in some tourist activities, as well as engage in some community activities as a part of their commitment to the destinations they visit, all of which we are working earnestly to set in place.

Reply to Budget 2007

Budget Reply 2007 by David Thompson

http://www.nationnews.com/www/budget/budgreply07.pdf

Page 58

• To stop the drain of human resources through recruitment by other countries, we will seek to make the quality of life better for our police force, teachers and nurses. We will provide in addition to the above stated policies:

• Duty free access to motor cars for personal use for these three categories of public servants.

Bajan Free Press

Out of 153 passengers only 30 Ghanaians want to return to Africa

How come only 30 of these 153 people are supposed to be going back to Africa?

According to media reports, about 40 of them who got off the plane went on to other Caribbean countries, which would leave 113 remaining in Barbados. If only 30 of them are going back to Ghana then there must be at least 83 of them who are unaccounted for in Barbados.

The Barbados government’s handling of this apparent immigration scam leaves a lot to be desired. Funny enough that these people arrived here shortly after the January elections when the new government came to power.

Bajan Free Press

Efforts Being Made To Bring Home Stranded Ghanaians

Seasons Travel and Tours (STT), the tour operator responsible for the 153 stranded passengers in Barbados, is liaising with Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get them transit visas to return home via Europe.

The Manager of the company, Mr Eric Bannerman, said last Friday that the passengers included Nigerians, Jamaicans, Ghanaians and Canadians who were returning to their destinations and that the actual passengers who would return to Ghana were about 30.

He said the company was paying for their accommodation, in decent guest houses, while it awaited the arrangements with the Foreign Ministry.

Mr Bannerman was responding to questions on arrangements to bring back the passengers, especially when Ghana International Airlines Limited (GIA) had denied that the passengers were its passengers.

According to the airline, it did not have any contractual relationship with the passengers because the passengers bought their tickets from STT.

“GIA did not either directly or indirectly sell tickets to the passengers,” it said in reaction by its acting CEO, Ms Gifty Annan-Myers, to protest about the headline of the story which portrayed the GIA as being responsible for the passengers.

The GIA said STT contracted the airline to transport its passengers to and from Barbados upon the payment of an agreed consideration fare (charter price) at seven days before each flight. The GIA under the agreement was to undertake two return flights to Barbados.

The first flight, according to GIA, left Accra on January 31, 2008 with 151 passengers and returned with no passengers to Accra on February 1, 2008 and STT paid the fixed portion of the charter price for that while the reimbursable expenses were yet to be paid by STT.

It said the second flight from Accra to Bridgetown was scheduled for February 15, 2008. However, STT had so far not been able to pay GIA the charter price.

The GIA said the problem had arisen because the Barbados Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport was demanding that STT repatriate the passengers who landed on February 1, 2008 before it would be allowed to bring in any more passengers.

It said STT insisted that it would run into huge financial loss if it did not put passengers on the aircraft that would fly from Accra to that country to bring the first group to Accra.

In view of the development, GIA said it offered to carry the passengers at an agreed fare on its schedule flight from London Gatwick to Accra if STT transported them from Bridgetown to London.

The GIA said that it was informed by STT that 19 of the 151 passengers were willing and ready to return to Accra and in pursuance of that GIA, upon a request from STT, wrote to the British High Commission in Bridgetown on February 22, 2008 confirming that seats had been reserved for all the 19 passengers on GIA flight from London to Accra on February 23, 2008.

But the visas were not issued because the British consulate needed additional documentation.
After two postponements of the return flight on February 15 and February 29, 2008, the passengers were reported to have run out of money and many of them have resorted to working illegally as labourers.

Barbados government officials said some of the passengers had officially requested for work permits to allow them to support themselves while in that country.

The Barbados Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport has stated that it is doing everything to ensure that the stranded passengers return home successfully.

“The first indication received by the Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport of any intention to operate a direct charter service from Ghana to Barbados was an e-mail application dated January 17, 2008 from the GIA, in association with Seasons Travel and Tours, to permit a charter tour operation into Barbados on January 20, 2008 and depart the next day,” a government statement said.

Having received the application, the ministry said it queried the actual period of the tour, since no return date had been given, but on January 28, 2008, a revised application was received from the GIA, stating in part that the revised dates were now January 31, 2008, with a subsequent service on February 15 to return passengers.

It said on January 29, 2008, the GIA advised the ministry that it should expect 160 passengers in Barbados on January 31, 2008, out of which 40 would be proceeding to other Caribbean countries via alternative arrangements.
The remaining 120 were to return to Ghana on the flight on February 15, 2008.

Based on the arrangement and exchanges, a permit for the charter was issued to the GIA and, according to immigration documents, 153 passengers were landed in Barbados from the GIA flight, including those going to other Caribbean countries.

The Barbados government said the local ground handling agency for Seasons Travel and Tours had been very proactive in efforts to repatriate the passengers, while it was taking urgent steps, through Ghana’s High Commission, towards the speedy repatriation of the stranded passengers.

Story by Stephen Sah

Back to Africa! Barbados Government to send home Ghanaians.

Over the past few days it has become quite obvious that these Africans came here under false pretenses. Considering the circumstances, the Barbados government is doing the right thing in getting them out of Barbados. The Ghanaians and the Ghanaian government only have themselves to blame.

It is right for Barbados to have ties with Africa, and especially with Ghana and West Africa, but we must have clean and wholesome ties. We cannot allow anyone to use Barbados as a transit route for illegal immigrants trying to escape from their own countries and get to the USA. Barbadian and Ghanaian relations, if we are to have any at all, must be on the basis of mutual co-operation and mutual benefit. Do not come here trying to scam, defraud or deceive us.

Bajan Free Press

http://www.nationnews.com/story/303809734678703.php

BACK TO AFRICA

Published on: 3/10/08.

MORE THAN 50 GHANAIANS stranded in Barbados for almost a month should be back in their West African homeland this time next week.

An informed Government source revealed yesterday that a decision has been made to pay for a flight to get the stranded West Africans back home, possibly via Brazil or Britain.

“All airlines are required to pay a bond for each passenger that arrives in Barbados, so if Government has to foot the bill, then that money will have to be recovered,” the source indicated.

Sixty-six Ghanaians and 30 Nigerians came to Barbados on the direct inaugural flight last month, but the Ghana Airways charter flight was unable to return to Barbados.

Some of the visitors on that inaugural flight went on to Trinidad and St Lucia.

After the failure of the return flight, some of the West Africans started working on a construction site in Christ Church to earn money for their keep. Since then, a number of kind Samaritans have offered money and personal items to help the stranded group.

The Government source informed the DAILY NATION yesterday that it would reclaim monies via the bond Ghana International Airways, like other airlines, would have had to put up before touching down at Grantley Adams International Airport.

When contacted, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and International Business, Donville Inniss, said the matter was “under active consideration”, but could not make a more definitive statement at this time regarding the Africans’ future.

He added that the ministry was in contact with the Ghanaian Embassy in Havana, Cuba, and hoped to have “further discussions with them early this week with a view of resolving this matter quickly”.

Inniss also said the ministry had contacted the Ghanaian government and was awaiting a response from it, which it hoped to get early this week, before taking the next step.

It is understood several Government agencies and organisations are involved and have met more than once to review the matter. The source said Government was “very concerned” about the issue and was taking all steps necessary to resolve it by returning the people to their countries.

Efforts yesterday to reach Ghana’s Honorary Counsel in Barbados, Dr Erskine Simmons, for a comment were futile. (BA/DS)

A Massive African Immigration Scam worth up to US $1.2 Million?

The comments made below were spotted on a Ghanaian web site and were made by a Ghanaian posting from the USA.

149 passengers. (Some reports say 153.)

Paying between US $6,000 to $8,000 each.

That’s a massive immigration scam worth anywhere between US $894,000 to US $1,224,000.

These Africans who are “stranded” in Barbados receiving handouts and sympathy from Bajans may not be the “poor victims” that they are purporting to be.

Bajans BEWARE! 

Bajan Free Press
http://sil.ghanaweb.com/r.php?id=3591685&thread=3579891

Subject: SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!
Author: Ga all day (68.198.34.75)
Date:   03-09-2008 00:15

I can’t believe am reading this story… I happened to be in Ghana to watch the African Cup of Nation when i friend in Tema told me one of our classmate is leaving for Barbados. To make a long story short, the plan was when they get to Barbados, someone is suppose to arrange for them to go to America and if all else fails end up in Canada.
We discuss this in lengh and i told him it might be very difficult trying to get all the passenger to the U.S.
This people payed between 6000.00-8000.00 dollars for this trip.
He told me he was interested in going too. i told him to be careful becausem it might end up being a scam run by Ghanaians and Nigerian nationals.
my point is the organizers should all be jailed for stealing peoples HARD EARNED money and selling them false hope. Am just upset that someone that i know is a victim of the scam…. SHAME SHAME SHAAAAAAAME!!!!! SHAME ON YOU.

While Ghanaians remain stranded in Barbados… Ghana buys $20 million Chinese fighter jets

While 96 of its citizens remain stranded in Barbados, the government of Ghana, which has been strangely silent and unable to send a plane back to collect its people, has been busy buying Chinese fighter jets at an estimated cost of over US $20 million each.

What started off as a much-heralded diasporan link seems to be looking more and more like another AFRICAN SCAM by people looking to escape poverty and hardship in a corrupt African country with greatly misplaced priorities.

While we welcome improved link between Africa and the Caribbean, it cannot be by way of the Caribbean becoming a dumping ground from African immigrants. Caribbean people and African people should rather be working together to develop the African continent for our mutual benefit.

Bajan Free Press

http://www.nationnews.com/story/302332442261311.php 

Ghanaians want to stay
Published on: 3/7/08.

by Maria Bradshaw

SOME of the Ghanaians who arrived in Barbados almost four weeks ago on an inaugural direct flight from the African nation do not want to leave Barbados.

They want Government to give them work permits so that they can stay on and work.

“We will prefer if they give us work permits so that we can stay and find better work,” a spokesman for a group
of ten of the stranded men told the WEEKEND NATION yesterday.

The men have been working on a construction site since they ran out of money, but yesterday their employment status also became uncertain.

A supervisor at the site said they would not be able to continue to hire the men because of all of the publicity.

“We wanted to help them out because we have been having difficulties getting workers. We put several advertisements in the paper but people would only come and work a few days or a few hours. These men are willing to work but if immigration discovers that we hired them, we would be fined $10 000 per person. My boss does not want to take that chance,” he said.

Four of the men have already left the construction site.

“They left and are looking for work elsewhere and a place to stay because their landlord saw the story and told them he did not want any problems with immigration,” the spokesman added.

He said their relatives in Ghana had also been reading about them on the Internet and were beginning to get concerned.

Asked if the plane were to return for them if they would leave, the man said “no”.

Meanwhile, Government issued a statement last week saying efforts were under way to get the stranded Africans back home.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=140305

General News of Wednesday, 5 March 2008

Ghana Gets Chinese Fighter Jets

The Ghana Armed Forces has taken delivery of two fighter jets to augment its flight of fighter jets of the Ghana Air Force.

The Minister of Defence, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah said the jets were particularly necessary in the wake of the discovery of oil.

He said the government was committed to equip the Armed Forces to adequately protect the country from external aggression.

The delivery is in line with the “government’s intention to enhance the operational capabilities of the Ghana Air force to optimum levels”, he added.

The aircrafts were built by the Chinese National Aero-Technology Corporation.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Yu Wang Ze said the planes were a demonstration of the giant strides made in Aviation in that country.

He said many first class aviation products had been manufactured by the corporation destined for the international market.

The delivery of the fighter jets forms part of a trade-in for the Golf Stream 3 Presidential jet.

Under the agreement, Ghana will receive four fighter jets and a flight simulator.

The additional cost incurred by Ghana in the deal has not been disclosed but Zimbabwe two years ago acquired 12 less sophisticated jets at the cost of $20 million each.

Whither the Stranded Africans?

It started so well but has descended into a big disgrace. A crying shame for black history month.

Clearly the blame is with Ghana. Barbados has done more than its part in this matter.

Bajan Free Press

http://www.nationnews.com/editorial/299556974971540.php 

Whither the stranded Africans
Published on: 3/1/08.

WE READ with much interest a story last Sunday about Africans stranded in Barbados.

Just three weeks ago we saw a flight from Ghana land here with much pomp and ceremony. Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy pledged Government’s support and praised the involvement of the private sector in the initiative.

“People think of Africa as a far-off continent . . . but this bridges the gap. It keeps with the thrust for heritage tourism and the uniqueness of our product,” he said.

Director of the Pan African Commission, Dr Ikael Tafari, said the flight was a way to “reconnect the umbilical cord after thousands were ripped from the womb of Africa”.

Passengers on the flight included some from Accra, Ghana, and Lagos, Nigeria.

In addition to the Minister of Tourism, others attending a Press conference to welcome the Africans were president of the Barbados Tourism Authority, Stuart Layne; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Andrew Cox, and chief executive officer of Remac, Reynold McClean.

But what has happened since then?

For one thing, the flight that was due to return to pick up the Africans on February 15, never returned. We understand from a report last Sunday that at least some [out of 149 passengers who arrived, it is still unsure how many have remained here in Barbados] have had to find jobs in order to survive.

A spokesperson for the group said that they had been put out of the place where they were originally staying and were working so that they could get something to eat and pay for another place to stay.

Ironically, they were working at a site where Government houses were being built and they were being paid, according to the supervisor on the site, $60 a day like the other workers. What was also interesting was that these people had no training in construction work.

There are still Barbadians out of work, yet these stranded Africans managed to get jobs in a jiffy, apparently using their own initiative.

What is mysterious is that there has not been much word from Government about this issue. Doesn’t some agency have a duty to help these people? What about the Pan African Commission whose mission it is to establish links with Africa and African brothers?

Even if the Ghana flight did not return, why should these passengers be left to fend for themselves?

They did not come to Barbados illegally. They have been left stranded in a situation not of their own making.

Isn’t it embarrassing that after the trouble to get the flight here, some of its passengers have been treated so shabbily – being thrown out of their lodgings, according to them, and not having any money?

“We went to the airport and the flight never came and no one could tell us when it will. We went to the immigration department to ask for an extension and work permits and they refused us. We decided to find work because we did not have any money,” said one of the Ghanians.

What of the two agencies which arranged the flight? This is certainly a travesty.

http://www.nationnews.com/story/300023142274779.php 

Home to Ghana soon
Published on: 3/2/08.

GOVERNMENT HAS MOVED full steam ahead in an effort to get 96 Ghanians who are stranded in Barbados, back to
their African homeland.

The Africans, who arrived on February 1 for a two-week stay, had even started working on a construction site in an effort to make money for purchasing basic amenities, after their Ghana Airlines return flight never came back to Barbados on February 15 as scheduled.

In a Press release issued yesterday, the Ministry of International Transport said it continued to actively seek ways for ensuring the Ghanians’ repatriation.

“The ministry is in touch with Ghana Airlines and has tried to prompt urgent action from the Ghana Tourist Board on this matter,” the release said. “The local ground handling agency for Seasons’ Travel & Tours has also been proactive
in these efforts,” it added.

“Government, recognising the plight of these people stranded due to unfortunate circumstances, is taking urgent steps through diplomatic channels to bring this consular emergency to the attention of the High Commission of Ghana and will work with that Government towards speedy repatriation of its stranded nationals,” the ministry stated.

The ministry also explained that the Ghana Airline charter flight was allowed to come to Barbados, as a way of improving ties between Barbados and the West African nation.

“In an effort to open new lines of opportunity for Barbadians, Government has always sought to foster and enhance direct transportation links with other parts of the world, including links with mainland Africa,” the release stated.

“Based on the exchanges with Ghana Airlines and the involvement of a tour operator certified by the Ghana Tourist Board, there was every confidence that the charter would return to Barbados for the passengers February 15, as indicated. A permit for the charter was therefore issued to Ghana International Airlines Ltd. The charter service, for whatever reasons, has not returned.”

The visit was organised through private sector arrangements by a Ghana tour company using a Barbadian counterpart as ground handler, and was not initiated by any Government entity. (BA)