Afro–Antiguans and Barbudans

Distribution of Afro-Antiguans and Barbudans
Total population
Approx. 82,041
Regions with significant populations
Antigua and Barbuda (Approx. 82,041)[1]
Languages
Antiguan and Barbudan Creole,English
Religion
Christianity (primarilyProtestantism)

Afro–Antiguans and Barbudans areAntiguans and Barbudans of entirely or predominantly African (notablyWest African) ancestry.

According to the 2011 census, 87% of Antigua and Barbuda's population is Black and 4.4% ismultiracial.^[1]

Most of the enslaved Africans brought to Antigua and Barbuda disembarked from theBight of Biafra (22,000 Africans) and theGold Coast (16,000 Africans). Other African slaves came from theWindward Coast (11,000 Africans), theWest Central Africa (9,000 Africans), theBight of Benin (6,000 Africans),Senegambia (5,000 Africans),Guinea andSierra Leone (4,000 Africans).^[2]

Settlers raisedtobacco,indigo,ginger, andsugarcane as cash crops.Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar estate in Antigua in 1674, and leasedBarbuda to raise provisions for his plantations. In the fifty years after Codrington established his initial plantation, thesugar industry became so profitable that many farmers replaced other crops with sugar, making it the economic backbone of the islands. Codrington and others brought slaves from Africa's western coast to work the plantations. Africans started arriving in Antigua and Barbuda in large numbers during the 1670s; they soon became the largest racial group of Antigua and Barbuda.^[3]

With all others in theBritish Empire, Antiguan and Barbudan slaves wereemancipated in 1834, but remained economically dependent upon the plantation owners. Economic opportunities for the new freedmen were limited by a lack of surplus farming land, no access to credit, and an economy built on agriculture rather than manufacturing. Poor labour conditions persisted until 1939, when a member of a royal commission urged the formation of a trade union movement.^[4]

In the 20th-century was redefined the role of Afro–Antiguans and Barbudans. The colonial social structure gradually started to be phased out with the introduction of universal education and better economic opportunities.^[5]

• African diaspora in the Caribbean
• Antigua and Barbuda people of African descent
• Ethnic groups in Antigua and Barbuda
• People of African descent

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• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters