Article first appeared in Barbados Today
Anesta Henry Published on
June 23, 2021

One year after photojournalist Christoff Griffith lost his life while on the job his hurting relatives, friends and media colleagues gathered at his burial site at Coral Ridge to reflect on his life.

During the memorial service, wreaths were also laid at the burial site for the 25-year-old Nation newspaper photojournalist who died following a vicious attack as he responded to a potential news assignment.

Griffith was one of two men killed on Monday June 22 on the grounds of the heavily-wooded Bishop’s Court on Collymore Rock, St Michael. Fifty-one-year-old Glenroy James also lost his life in the attack.

Delivering brief remarks, Griffith’s father Christopher Griffith thanked the Barbados Association of Journalist and Media Workers (BARJAM) for organising today’s memorial, while also extending gratitude to the officers stationed at the District “A” Police Station for giving him the time to spend the day with his family members.

The grieving father said: “It has been very tough for the family and myself. But, one songwriter says that ‘He will take the pain away’. It is very hard. So I just want to say thank you to all those persons who would have sent their wishes and those persons who would love to be here but sometimes they can’t express that pain and that suffering that they are going through now. God is good and we will continue to remember him because he is a part of us and he will always be a part of us.”

Meanwhile, BARJAM President Keith Goddard said the young, bright, and talented photographer had a lot more to give to the profession but died doing what was his pursuit and love. He said while it is not for others to judge how Griffith executed his job, many know he did it with professionalism and passion.

According to Goddard, colleagues in other countries are exposed to war and other dangers, and though Barbados may be small, media workers who often take for granted the dangers that come with the job must come to the realization that each day they take to the streets, they place their lives on the line as frontline workers.

“I want us to bear in mind that our job is to report, but we must do so and excel, but be ever conscious that the threats that face us daily are very real risks. We will not allow Christoff’s passing to be one in vain. And we will always remember him for his right attitude and talent.

“For this reason, the Barbados Association of Journalist and Media Workers intend to keep his memory alive through a number of initiatives including the media award in his name which started last year as part of the 2020 Media Awards ceremony at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Conference Centre (LESC).”

Goddard also indicated that the association will also be meeting with media houses to look at having Memoranda of Understanding to promote occupational health and safety and the overall safety of media workers especially those on the frontline.

“I feel compelled to say this morning that the profession needs unity and respect from those stakeholders with whom we interact every day,” he noted. “This can only happen in the profession if we come together and stand with each other. Yes, we all work for various competing interests but we remain as one as media workers.

“Let this occasion, celebrating one of us, be also used as an occasion to ask ourselves, how can I, how can you come together, not only during these times but all the time.” (anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)