Bussa was born a free man in Africa, but was captured and brought to Barbados in the late 17th Century as a slave.Not much is know about him and there are no records of him prior to this date. The rebellion he led is often refered to as the "Bussa Rebellion" which began on Sunday, April 14, 1816.It was the first slave uprising in Barbados for 124 years; the previous taking place in 1692. "Bussa's Rebellion" was planned by such collabarators as Washington Franklin and Nanny Grigg a senior domestic slave on Simmons' estate as well as other slaves, drivers and artisans. The planning was undertaken at a number of sugar estates, including Bayley's Plantation where it began. Preparation for the rebellion began soon after the House of Assembly discussed and rejected the Imperial Registry Bill in November 1815. By February 1816, the decision had been taken that the revolt should take place in April, at Easter. Bussa led the slaves into battle at Bayley's on Tuesday, April 16. He commanded some 400 freedom fighters and was killed in battle. His troops continued the fight until they were defeated by superior fire power. The rebellion failed but its impact was significant to the future of Barbados. In 1985, a full 169 years after that rebellion, when the Emancipation Statue was unveiled, many Barbadians identified it with Bussa in the 1816 revolt.
That rebellion has been known to generations of Barbadians as Bussa's Rebellion, a testimony to the perceived transcendent importance of Bussa himself as the major militant leader of the rebel slaves in the actual fighting, and as one of the major planners and organisers of the slave revolt.
Historians further claim that he was not a young man since the Slave Trade was abolished in 1807, and in general, it took at least ten years for Africans to acquire the language and managerial skills, in addition to their masters' confidence, in order to become a member of the elite slave personnel on estates.
It is to their credit and because of Bussa's supreme example, even to the point of self-sacrifice, that the Barbadian slaves continued their resistance.
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