Featured in the September 2021 issue of British Vogue, photographed by Barbadian photographer Kyle Babb at Ilaro Court, the island’s first female prime minister was centre stage as she spoke about leading Barbados towards republicanism and the generational push to break away from colonialism.

She said that the transition to republicanism was not a rejection of the British Crown but rather, “an assertion of identity”.

“It is an assertion of that it must be available to every Barbadian boy and girl to aspire to be the head of station of this nation….It’s also symbolic as to who or what we can become globally,” she told Vogue’s Gary Younge.

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In the four-page spread, Prime Minister Mottley spoke about being born into a political affluent family – her grandfather was mayor of Bridgetown and her father the consul general for New York. She also mentioned she is the sole Prime Minister to have known every Barbadian Prime Minister since country became independent in 1966.

“I am probably the last prime minister who will have known every prime minister from the first one to take us into independence, right down to myself, the seven that went before me. The generational divide is real. It’s not speculative,” Mottley told British Vogue.

As captain and craftswoman of her fate, Mottley continues to write her name in history’s page. She divulged that her administration seeks to amend the immigration bill whereby citizenship is extended to members of the diaspora. And she expanded about the burgeoning relationship between Barbados and several African states making for a hearty and intriguing read.

“Our ultimate objective is to produce global citizens with Bajan roots,” she said.