tedkassabi

Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet The Sweet Economy: Barbados Sugar Economy. Barbados, often called the "Gem of the Caribbean," owes much of its historical prominence to one commodity: sugar. This golden crop changed the island from a little colonial station into a powerhouse of the worldwide economy during the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet, the sweet success of sugar was built on a foundation of shackled labour, a reality that casts a shadow over its tradition. The Boiling Process: A Grueling Job Making sugar in the days of colonial slavery was  a highly dangerous process. After gathering and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles till it turned into sugar. These pots, often organized in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that workers needed to stoke continuously. The heat was extreme, the flames unforgiving and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers withstood long hours, often standing close...