ancestral memorial to the enslaved

The Ancestral Memorial to the Enslaved will attest to the resilience of hundreds of enslaved Africans interred in the neighboring Newton Burial Ground, providing the emotional, intellectual and spiritual framework for the scholarly research and public programs that will be generated at the Barbados Heritage District. The memorial will demarcate a site of tragedy and trauma and transform it into a charged place of commemoration, remembrance, and connection.

The remains of 570 West African slaves were uncovered in the Newton Enslaved Burial Ground through LIDAR and GPR studies. Designed by Adjaye Associates, the Memorial demarcates a site of tragedy and trauma and transforms it into a charged place of commemoration, remembrance, and connection. From the roadside entry point to the site, the visitor’s journey will begin within a monolithic dome pavilion where historical information about the burial ground and slave trade will be presented. In commemoration of the enslaved interred in the adjoining Burial Ground, the field is punctuated by 570 individual timber poles harvested in and imported from Ghana, the place of origin for many of the enslaved. Each pole is capped with a circular brass plate to reflect the sun’s rays upward.

Opening May 2025