“Rihanna syndrome” raises ugly head again in Barbados as former Prime Minister cautions against whites.

UPDATED: July 6, 2011

A chap in Australia of all places linked to this story and wrote a very good piece on racism. We’ll leave this at the top for a day because his piece is worth a few minutes of your time and it will make you think…

Bishoz: Racism. I don’t get it.

BFP’s original story as published September 1, 2010…

Is Rihanna’s skin dark enough for former PM Owen Arthur? Are her features “African” enough?

Light-skinned, Indian and Chinese Barbadians cringe at the return of institutionalized racial politics. Will tourists and foreign investors get nervous too?

It’s been almost three years since Rihanna told the world that she was bullied in school for being “white”. That virulent racism that Rihanna spoke about is not only alive and well – it’s thriving in Barbados thanks in part to former Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

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“Rumours abound” about Hartley Henry – but are they mischief put out by the Opposition BLP?

Prime Minister David Thompson & Henry Hartley

We received the following as an anonymous submission and we’ll publish it because we’ve also overheard the similar things being said on the streets of B’town and Grape Hall.

No matter what context the rumours come in, the real questions are…

1/ Does DLP backroom operator and strategist Hartley Henry have political ambitions to attain elected office in Barbados?

2/ If so, what does he personally stand to lose – and to gain – by becoming a Member of Parliament?

Here’s just one of the rumours and emails that we’ve come across lately…