Bussa was a barbadian who led the biggest slave revolt in 1816 known as the bussa rebellion. Bussa was born in West Africa, and he is said to be either Igbo or Akan. It was captured, sold to the British and then brought to Barbados towards the end of the 16th century. There aren't many records left about him, as the masters didn't bother to keep details of their slaves. Records show that he worked as a warden on the plantation owned by a certain Bayley in Saint Philip shortly before the rebellion. His position as a plantation warden would have given him certain privileges, more freedom from other slaves, and made it easy for him to plan rebellion. The Bussa Rebellion began on April 12, 1816. It was among the three major slave revolts that had an impact on the public in the British West Indies as such in the years leading up to emancipation. The Bussa rebellion was followed by the Demerara rebellion in Guyana and a larger rebellion in Jamaica of 1831-1832.
The slave rebellions in the British West Indies were divided into two categories, depending on their purposes, their scope and the people who were revolting, there were those which were organized at the very beginning by slaves from Africa who s 'organized according to their ethnic groups and their traditions, and the second rebellions which were organized by the Creoles (peoples born in the colonies) and very few Africans. So since Bussa was born in Africa but the majority of these followers were Creoles, his rebellion was classified in the second category.
Bussa's rebellion was planned by himself, and several of his collaborators including Washington Franklin, Nanny Grigg, and several artisans and servants. The rebellion was planned in some sugar plantations including the Bayley plantation where it began. Around February 1816, it was decided that the rebellion would take place in April of the same year. Bussa led all freedom fighters on Tuesday April 16. He commanded over four hundred fighters and lost his life in battle. His troops continued the war until they were defeated by the British armed forces. The rebellion did not have the desired impact but had a huge effect on the future of Barbados.
Bussa remains popular and an iconic figure in Barbadian history. In 1985, 169 years after his rebellion, the Statue of Bussa, also known as the Statue of Emancipation, was unveiled to the general public at Haggat Hall in Saint Michael (pictured). By a law passed in Parliament, Bussa was named among the ten national heroes of Barbados, being, in chronological order, the very first.
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