The Seven Wonders of Barbados: A Journey Begins in Christ Church

In 2016, I started what I called The Seven Wonders of Barbados — a personal project to rediscover the island through my lens.
Now, nine years later, those memories have grown into something deeper.

Over the years, I’ve mapped out places across Barbados that are not only beautiful but meaningful — places where the light hits differently, where the sea tells its own story, where timing and weather can transform an ordinary view into something almost spiritual.

Each of these seven wonders has been carefully chosen, revisited, and stored in memory. For years, I’ve wanted to bring this project to life — not just to show scenic spots, but to share emotional landscapes that shaped my creative journey.

Now that The Silent Monologue exists, I finally have the space to do just that.
In my spare time — or every other month — I’ll be dropping a “key gem”: a story, a photograph, a reflection from one of these special places.

After photographing across Barbados for so many years, you start to run out of the usual places to shoot. That’s when your adventurous side kicks in — you start looking closer, venturing deeper, and suddenly, ordinary corners become sacred landmarks.

So today, I want to share one of those wonders with you — one of three points that make up the first of The Seven Wonders of Barbados.
And since We Gatherin’ this month in Christ Church, it feels only right to start here in CC— on the south coast, where I’m from.

But before revealing the first wonder itself, let me take you behind the scenes of how it all came together — a story of timing, synchronicity, and one fated encounter with a local creative whose philosophy reminded me why The Rock is truly a Gem.

That’s where Rhaj Paul comes in.

A Meeting of Minds: Conversations with Rhaj Paul.

A few days ago , I ran into Barbadian designer Rhaj Paul at PriceSmart. (Funny how things happen — life has a way of syncing paths right when they need to.) “Don’t I still owe you a T?”

I’d completely forgotten — I had bought one of his tees before a trip afew years ago but never collected it. He told me, “Come through to the studio later and cop one.” That small encounter opened the door to a whole new reasoning.

Reasoning at the Studio

A few hours later I pulled up to his home studio — walls lined with color, prints, and fabric that told stories of the island and his creative work. Our conversation stretched wide: art, purpose, technology, and what it really means to stay in Barbados and create from here.

Rhaj spoke with conviction about not migrating just to “make it big.” He believes in building from home — in proving that world-class work can be born right here on Bajan soil.

“The talent is here,” he said. “We just have to nurture it.”

We talked about the tension every Caribbean creative feels — that pull between staying and leaving. His view was balanced: travel to refresh your perspective, yes, but don’t lose your heart to foreign soil. Go, see, learn — but come back and pour it into home.

That message hit deep. Because for many of us, the search for success can pull us so far out that when we finally return, our connection to home — and even to community — begins to fade.

As a filmmaker, I’ve wrestled with that same truth — the need to explore new spaces while staying rooted in my own. Leaving broadens your vision, but staying teaches you resilience. The challenge is to hold both — to move outward without losing your sense of place.

The AI Talk

Somewhere between laughter and reflection, we drifted into a conversation about AI.

I mentioned how, in a sense, we all trained it. Every search, every post, every shared idea — all of it became part of a collective consciousness that feeds into AI’s learning. “How do you think ChatGPT is so good and wrong at the same time?” I joked. We both laughed.

Rhaj compared it to past revolutions — the printing press, the internet — and said something I won’t forget:

“The real challenge won’t be learning AI. It’ll be learning to discern truth when everything sounds and looks real & confident.”

That line hit differently. In an age where technology learns from us, our humanity — our intuition — becomes the one thing we can’t afford to lose.

We both agreed that in this era, man has to lean deeper into spirituality — to nurture a real connection with God, or with whatever higher power one believes in, beyond the realm of machines. We can’t afford to drift out of tune with what’s real. Because what’s real isn’t the code or the data — it’s the energy behind our own energy, the source that drives us.

Chats On Barbados Becoming a Republic

At one point, our talk turned to Barbados becoming a Republic — November 30th, 2021 — the world’s newest at the time.
Yes, Rihanna became our National Hero, but beyond the celebration, what does being a republic truly mean for us as Bajans?

Rhaj said it best:

“We’re at the point of finding our own meaning.”

That’s the essence of Self-Determination — the philosophy behind his brand, RPBLK21.
Maybe being a republic isn’t just political. Maybe it’s spiritual — a call to define ourselves on our own terms.

I told him I still remember when the announcement came — it felt surreal, like we were living through history.
For the first time, we weren’t following someone else’s map.
We were drawing our own.

It felt like a quiet awakening — an invitation to artists, storytellers, and citizens alike to build upon the foundation that carried us here.
Now is the time to push — through and hopfully find purpose.
The same willpower and collective resilience that earned us independence must carry us into this next stage — these uncharted waters — where meaning is something we forge, not inherit.

Doing the Least We Can Do.

Another thing Rhaj said stayed with me:

“It’s not about doing the most. It’s about doing the least we can do.”

At first, it sounded small — but he meant it in the biggest way.
If you see trash on the beach, pick it up. If you can lend a hand, lend it.
Sometimes the least we can do is exactly what the moment needs.

He told me about finding a discarded woman’s weave tangled in the sand one morning — a haunting image, a reminder of how easily we forget the sacredness of our island. For Rhaj, the message was simple: Barbados is home. The Rock is a Gem. Treat it like one.

That’s the heartbeat of RPBLK21 — Self-Determination.
His designs turn everyday island moments into wearable pride.
Things that seem common — a bus stop, a bajan word, a location — become beautiful when you look deeper into his work.

If you want to see more of Rhaj’s work, you can find him on Instagram at @r_h_a_j and if you haven’t yet, check out his work at rpblk21.com

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Each piece celebrates Barbados not just as a place, but as a living rhythm.

Through the Lens: Shooting with KR Visuals

A day later, I reached out to my long-time friend KR Visuals — a promising creative with an incredible eye for photography.
He came straight from work — tired, but ready. That’s the kind of dedication that fuels great art.

We had planned to collaborate on some photography for a while and reason some more on the Seven Wonders of Barbados, and since I had just picked up the shirt from Rhaj, everything seemed to be aligning perfectly. The timing, the vibe, the flow — it all came together naturally.

It turned into one of those afternoons where creativity just happens.

And it was there, almost by chance, that we ended up shooting naturally at one of the Seven Wonders — Sunset Jetty. The light, the water, and the lively interactions of people at the fish market all came together effortlessly, making it one of the most organic and natural shoots I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve always loved this spot — it’s been the backdrop for some of my films, including my short Mermaid

and for my upcoming feature VOTO (Voice of the Ocean), which also has a scene shot here. Sunset Jetty isn’t just a location; it’s a living part of the stories I tell.

Sunset Jetty — One of The Seven Wonders

The Oistins Jetty is one of three points that make up this particular wonder.
It’s easy to miss, tucked behind the fish market — it almost looks closed off. But if you’ve got an adventurous heart, it’s wide open.

On any given afternoon, you can sit by the edge, feed turtles, and watch schools of fish dart between the boats. Fishermen haul their catch, kids dive off the dock, and sometimes, you’ll hear laughter or music carried across the sea breeze.

I’ve seen everything happen here — proposals, celebrations, quiet moments of reflection. This jetty isn’t just a spot on the map; it’s the heartbeat of Oistins.

If you visit between 4:30 and 6:30 PM, you’ll understand why i call it Sunset Jetty.
When the weather’s right, the sky transforms — the colors melt into one another: gold, red, yellow, purple. It’s a breathtaking sight, one that reminds you how simple moments can feel profound when you slow down long enough to notice them.

Some people come to fish, others to think, and some just to breathe.
Whatever brings you here, the sea has a way of quieting the noise and returning you to yourself.

As we stood there, waves whispering against the pier, I felt a kind of homecoming. The Rock really is a gem.

Closing Reflection

The Oistins Sunset Jetty has always been more than a landmark to me — it’s a place that reminds you of balance, of rhythm, of why slowing down matters.
It’s where ordinary life meets something quietly sacred: the sound of the tide, the scent of salt, the glow of sunset over still water.

As I continue sharing the Seven Wonders of Barbados, I hope these spaces remind you — as they remind me — that home still has stories left to tell.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few random encounters and a little adventure. Come Barbados and experience it for yourself.

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