Barbuda, the island where the land is not privately owned (and why a hurricane could change that)

Hurricane Irma hit the island of Barbuda in 2017, leaving a trail of destruction that has also sparked old conflicts, particularly with respect to land ownership.

Hurricane Irma pbaded through Barbuda in September 2017, leaving a trail of catastrophic destruction. And when the island government decided to introduce a private land ownership system to deal with the devastation, the old tensions were resurrected.

Asha Frank hosts intrepid tourists in a wooden cabin built in the east of Barbuda.

You live in nature: there is a fresh water well, there are no toilets and all you hear are the birds that plunge into the sea and the waves of the sea. 39 Atlantic that break behind the sand dunes

And to get here, you need a solid vehicle because
there is no paved road: just a path that is traced on stony ground.

"Our visitors like to walk along the beach, at night we light fires and grills, and many images from our website come from guests who fish and then clean, cook and eat what they come to. to fish, "says Frank.

Fifty years ago, many virgin places like this one were in the Caribbean.

But it was before tourism became the main engine of the economies of the region, thus enhancing the attractiveness of real estate
the base of many lucrative businesses.

However, compared to its neighbors – and especially to its sister island Antigua – Barbuda, it has not evolved.

And it's mainly because in modern times
private land ownership does not exist on this island, it is only 23 km long and 12 km wide.

Indeed, since the population of slaves was emancipated in the nineteenth century, land remained a common good. that is to say that the inhabitants of Barbuda do not own, but rent it to build their houses, to cultivate them and for different economic activities.

"The land is part of our culture, we talk about some
300 years of history"said Frank.

Not having to buy his land, he was able to create his ecotourism business without having to invest large sums of money.

But attempts to dismantle
the communal land tenure of Barbuda They started right after Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

Compared to its neighbors – and in particular to its sister island Antigua – Barbuda remained undeveloped

And this is mainly due to the fact that, in modern times, private land ownership did not exist on this island, being only 23 km long and 12 km wide.

Nearly 95 percent of Barbuda's infrastructure was affected by the storm and much of it was completely destroyed.

And although there are now new bright roofs in the town of Codrington, where most Barbudians live, there is also ample evidence of the destructive powers of the hurricane: broken masonry stacks, tarpaulins covering uprooted holes and palms.

Less than a week after the storm, Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,
declared his intention to privatize the land Barbuda to allow islanders to mortgage their properties and thus obtain funds for reconstruction.

One of his suggestions was that all Barbudians receive land titles that they already occupy
nominal payment of one eastern caribbean dollar.

But the proposal caused a lot of anger.

To better understand why, we must remember the history of antipathy between the island of Antigua, larger and more developed, and the city of Barbuda.

Before independence, in 1981, and partly to protect their land rights, the Barbudians put pressure on the British to gain autonomy. But their efforts failed and the twin islands of Antigua and Barbuda formed a single state.

And after the horror of Irma, the government ordered the evacuation of the population of Barbuda – about 1,800 inhabitants – to Antigua, as another hurricane was approaching.

Hurricane José did not hit Barbuda, but the government did not allow its residents to return immediately. And people complain about much bigger losses because their property has broken down by spending days outside. Very few had insurance.

John Mussington, director of Barbuda High School High School, returned home as soon as he was able to do so in October 2017. However, something intrigued him in those early days.

"At night, Barbuda was in the dark, because there was no electricity, but in a specific area, the sky was lit. And from where I live, to miles away, I heard the sound of heavy equipment and bulldozer blades against the stones … then I wondered: "What's going on?" here? "

He went to investigate and discovered that they were working in a new airport. And that at a time when there were almost no services in Barbuda, because of the damage caused by the hurricane. Even today, the island hospital remains unserviceable.

The new airport has also affected the already tense relations between the Barbudians and their national government. Mussington has turned to the courts. Prime Minister Browne was irritated by the opposition at the airport and said on Facebook.

"These morons resorted to their destructive methods out of ignorance, trying to undermine an infrastructure project needed to improve Barbuda's economic prospects," he wrote.

For the government, improving the economic prospects of the island means more tourism.

In Barbuda, there are a handful of small hotels and guest houses, as well as eco-tourism companies such as that of Asha Frank.

And before Irma, with the support of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, two first clbad tourist complexes had already begun to be built on the island's gorgeous sandy beaches.

But what some see as modernization, others see it as a step backwards.

"I have a problem with the number of wealthy homes coming in and the fact that the only way to make money will be to work for other people," says Jacklyn Beazer Desouza.

Hurricane Irma swept the three Jacklyn businesses: a restaurant, a beauty salon and a family bakery.

His house also lost its roof during the storm. He was replaced in the following months by the United Nations Development Program, but his commercial properties are still in shambles.

And while saving to rebuild, prepare burgers on an improvised support in your garden.

"I suppose some of these rich people could come and see what the locals eat, our lobster and venison burgers, but I do not think we get a lot of the cake," he says.

And she is worried for the future.

Last year, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda took an important step in its efforts to introduce private property by repealing the 2007 Barbuda Land Law, which guaranteed the property rights of municipalities over l & # 39; island.

"They want to surround the entire island along the coast with hotels, big houses and other things, so we'll be locked up in the village," Desouza explains.

"And I have a problem with the people of Antigua telling me where I should and where I should not live, that's not how we live here."

At present, privatization of land in Barbuda has had no effect. An appeal of unconstitutionality against the actions of the government paralyzed them in court.

"No one of any kind whatsoever should be expropriated by anyone.Our argument is that repealing the 2007 Barbuda Land Law amounts to expropriation by the government," says Justin's lawyer. Simon.

"What this government wants to do is develop Barbuda with foreign investment, but not all Caribbean islands can be a Mecca for development," he added.

But the government of Antigua and Barbuda has always denied accusations of involvement in some kind of "land grabbing".

"Who keeps the land?" Asks Dean Jonas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foreign Affairs of Barbuda.

"The land is being sold to Barbudians, the government is setting up a land register for Barbuda, we have a land register in Antigua, so we need to create one to inspect all the land in Barbuda and register it properly. The process has begun, the entire territory of Barbuda belongs to the government, it is important that you understand it, "he adds.

And there are also barbudiens who would appreciate the change.

Hasketh Daniel examines the remains of his bar: homeless and open on the blue sky. Before Irma, it was a popular community meeting center.

"It was the action from Thursday to Saturday. Everyone was there," he says wistfully.

"If it had been done by a man, I should probably kill someone, but it was the work of the Almighty, so I just have to accept it," he adds. observing the damage.

Now, Daniel is holding his bar outside what was once a warehouse. He is another of the many Barbudians without insurance. And after almost two years, he is eager to continue the reconstruction.

"We have the right to occupy this land, but we do not have
Nothing to prove that we have. If we had securities, we could go to the banks and borrow against what we have. But after Irma, we could not help ourselves, we had to rely on donors and the government to help us rebuild, "he laments.

Daniel also thinks that the privatization will put an end to the frequent conflicts between Barbudians on the question of where begins the land of one and where ends the other. And he is impatient with those who fear that their children will be expelled from the island because they can not afford to buy a land.

"If we try to protect the future, we have to establish laws, so if you come from Barbuda and you pay $ 5 for the land, then if you come from another place, you pay $ 50,000 for that, we could do it more or less
impossible for someone else to buy here. And if they buy, well, we agree with that! "

But Dikela George, who opposes privatization, does not want to take risks.

With 20 years old, she is a high school teacher whose Mussington is the principal and has her own plot ready to start building the foundations of a house.

"If we have to pay thousands of dollars for the land, some of us
we can not own a house in Barbuda. So it's very important that we all have our own land right now, and I think young people need to understand that, "he said.

Other Barbudians, however, have more pressing concerns.

Tenesha Beazer is one of them. Since returning from Antigua, after the hurricane, he lives in a tent.

He shares it with his partner and two children: there is barely room for a double bed and a single bed.

"I try to put my children and myself at ease, but it's not easy.And when there is wind, the sound of the canvas is heard a lot", he said.

The family has a place to shower, but it does not have a toilet. Before the hurricane struck, Beazer was living in a house owned by his extended family. Now, it's just a pile of dusty rubble.

He has a land on which he hopes to build, but
she does not know what the change of law will mean for her, if implemented and when. In the long run, he fears that the cost of ownership will increase and that the local population will pay the price.

"It's annoying, really annoying: the poor will not be able to do it if they have to buy the land," he warns.

Beazer and his family are still living with the consequences of this terrible night of September 2017, when the sky opened and the winds reached
speeds of over 280 kilometers per hour.

Hurricane Irma has traumatized many people. With so much reconstruction to do, life is uncertain for many.

And if government surveyors can begin to demarcate the land, not everyone will receive them with open arms.

Linda Pressly – © BBC News