Proud Bahamian employees at Ports International celebrated the Bahamas’ 40th Independence. This year’s Independence Day theme, “The Bridge to the Future…The Journey Continues,” emphasizes a connection to the past while also highlighting a commitment “to pressing onward, marching together to a common loftier goal,” as expressed in the Bahamian National Anthem.
Bahamians achieved self-government in 1964 and full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on July 10, 1973. The country’s first prime minister was Lynden O. Pindling, leader of the Progressive Liberal Party. Pindling presided for nearly 20 years, during which the Bahamas benefited from tourism and foreign investment.