The Tribune

BY the time The Tribune’s next edition hits the streets, the celebrations will be done.

The 50th anniversary cakes will have been cut. Clifford Park will have filled and emptied.

In this golden year, however, the reverberations of the anniversary will continue to ring throughout the year.

There continue to be events beyond the anniversary day itself – and that is a good thing. For example, it lets us continue to shine a light on our culture, with plays being performed, musical events held and more.

In today’s Tribune, you will find our Independence supplement – in which a host of voices offer different views on where we are, who we are and where we are going. Those voices stretch back to the arrival of Independence itself, with the former Editor and Publisher of The Tribune, Sir Etienne Dupuch, having his say in a reprint of an article from the very first Independence supplement we published – in the year itself.

Other voices – such as Rupert Hayward in Grand Bahama – look to what the future will bring.

Still others consider issues such as education, social media, discrimination, equality, and more.

It is important to look back, to the reality of how Independence came to pass, because it is too easy to consider that history was easy. There were disagreements. There were rivalries. There was exploitation.

When we consider where we are going, knowing the history of how we got here can help us chart our course in the future.

It also shows how hard it was to achieve change – such as ending discrimination in The Bahamas.

Sir Etienne Dupuch fought hard – at great personal cost – to bring legislation to stop discrimination in The Bahamas. The Tribune found itself subject to all manner of threats, victimisation and more.

Change does not come easily. For those who wish to bring change in the future, knowing how hard it can be allows one to be prepared.

Sir Etienne is described as the editor who dared to walk alone. There are others now who walk alone to bring change. The first person to seek change is always alone – until their voice sways others. A lone voice becomes a chorus. A chorus becomes a rally. A rally becomes a wave of change.

What will the changes be in the next 50 years? We are still grappling with issues of equality – not least of all for citizenship and equality for women.

Once the celebrations are done, that must be the challenge we take up in this 50th year. We must take up the mantle of those who have gone before us and renew our efforts to improve our nation.

There are many whose names are known in The Bahamas as nation builders. It is up to the next generation of nation builders to take the next step.

We hope this time of celebration will also be a time of inspiration.

The Bahamas is 50 years old. The flags are flying. It’s time to dream.