The Africa-Barbados Heritage Initiative (TABHI) has launched a new website, aimed at preserving the shared history between Barbados and Liberia while deepening cultural, historical, and diplomatic ties between the two nations.
The website, Back2Barbados, was officially launched on Africa Day 2026 and is expected to serve as a digital hub for descendants, researchers, institutions, and supporters interested in the historic migration of Barbadians to Liberia and the growing relationship between the two countries.
TABHI was founded by Ambassador Lorenzo Llewellyn Witherspoon, a direct descendant of Barbadian settler John Prince Porte, whose family traces its roots to the 1865 migration of 347 Barbadians to Liberia aboard the brig Cora. The initiative emerged from Ambassador Witherspoon's 2019 genealogical research into the Porte family and the broader Barbadian-Liberian connection.
That research later resulted in the publication of Portes Find a New Home in Liberia, a work credited with renewing public awareness about the longstanding historical relationship between Barbados and Liberia.
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According to TABHI, momentum behind the initiative expanded in 2021 following meetings in Bridgetown between Ambassador Witherspoon and Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley focused on ancestry, archival preservation, and strengthening engagement between the two countries.
The relationship gained further visibility during the 2024 Sankofa Back2Barbados Pilgrimage, which brought more than 500 descendants of Barbadian emigrants from around the world to Barbados for ancestral tracing, cultural exchange, and family reconnection. Organizers described the pilgrimage as a symbolic reversal of the 1865 migration to Liberia.
Recent diplomatic developments have also reinforced ties between the two countries. In 2024, following the inauguration of Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Liberia's Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti signed a Joint Communique at the Barbados High Commission in Accra, Ghana, paving the way for formal diplomatic relations between Barbados and Liberia.
In 2025, Barbados' ambassador presented Letters of Credence to President Boakai in Monrovia. Shortly afterward, Barbadian President Sandra Mason visited Liberia to participate in celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of Crozierville, a settlement founded by Barbadian migrants.
The growing relationship culminated in March 2026 when Barbados and Liberia signed a visa waiver agreement and a framework for political consultations intended to facilitate travel, cultural exchange, and broader cooperation.
Speaking during the website launch, Ambassador Witherspoon described the platform as "a space for remembrance, reconnection, and renewal."
"It reflects a shared history and points to a shared future built on exchange, partnership, and opportunity," he said.
TABHI Board Member Caree A. Banton said the descendants of the original Barbadian settlers are now reconnecting the same transatlantic ties established more than 160 years ago.
"In 1865, a courageous voyage linked Barbados to Liberia," Banton said. "Today, their descendants are bridging that same ocean through cooperation, commerce, and community."
Meanwhile, Barbados' Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, David Comissiong, linked the launch to broader efforts to strengthen Barbados' engagement with Africa.
Comissiong pointed to the recent launch of a direct Air Peace flight between Lagos, Nigeria, and Barbados, as well as the ongoing construction of the Caribbean headquarters of the African Export-Import Bank in Bridgetown, as evidence of deepening Africa-Caribbean relations.
"Without a doubt, it is fair to assert that a profound deepening and extension of the relationship between the Republic of Barbados and its 'mother continent' of Africa is well and truly underway," he said.
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He added that the foundation for these modern developments was laid in 1865 when Barbadian settlers journeyed to Liberia "in search of greater freedom and opportunities."
Through the new platform, TABHI says it plans to share historical archives, project updates, and opportunities for collaboration while exploring future initiatives in heritage preservation, education, skills development, and cross-border partnerships.
As part of preparations for the 160th anniversary commemorations in 2025, TABHI financed the erection of headstones honoring Liberia's three presidents of Barbadian ancestry at the Crozierville Monument and contributed toward the renovation of Christ Episcopal Church, a historic church established in 1865 under the leadership of John Prince Porte.
The church later became closely associated with the Porte family, including Conrad Coslet Porte, father of renowned Liberian intellectuals Albert Porte and Lillian Porte Best.
