KIGALI, Rwanda – As leaders of the Commonwealth of Nations wrapped up a week of caucuses, board discussions and a formal dinner on Saturday in Rwanda, this “family of nations” remained at the crossroads. three lines, with questions remaining about its usefulness and whether it can reinvent itself for the 21st century.
The Commonwealth, consisting of 56 countries across five continents and representing about 2.5 billion people, was born after the breakup of the British Empire, in the hope of promoting shared values of democracy. and peace. But the Commonwealth is struggling to confront the legacy of colonialism, at a time when the peoples of several member states, catalyzed by Black Lives Matter protests, are pushing or cut ties with the monarchy or demand an apology or compensation.
The summit in the Rwandan capital Kigali came as many countries forged deeper relationships not with each other, with Britain, but with other distant powers such as China, RussiaTurkey and United Arab Emirates.
Philip Murphy, Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at University College London, said: “Commonwealth meetings are either failures or disasters.
Postponed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic, the summit comes at a time when many member states are suffering the severe effects of climate change and war in Ukraine. In a time of changing economic circumstances and growing threats to peace, observers this week doubt that leaders here can pave a new path for the Commonwealth. commonwealth.
“There is no shortage of hope and aspiration to invest in the Commonwealth,” Mr Murphy said, adding, “the trick is to make it achieve anything, and I don’t see any aspect of that real. happening even this year.”
Many delegates gathered at this week’s congress agree that the Commonwealth, at least on paper, has clear principles. Putting them into practice, however, has been elusive, especially as many of its member states have experienced democratic failure and some have outright repressed press freedom.
This is especially true of the host country, Rwanda, where human rights groups argue that journalists and Government critics have faced prison sentences, disappearances or mysterious deaths. In 2009, when Rwanda applied to join the association, the independent Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative argued in a detailed report that the country does not meet the criteria for participation. But it’s admittedly nonetheless – one of only two countries, along with Mozambique, that have no direct links to Britain.
Sneh Aurora, director of the human rights group’s London office, who was at the summit this week, said that if the Commonwealth wants to be a better and forward-looking institution, it “has come”. when the Commonwealth does the talking.”
Experts say that some of the former British colonies have sought to belong to the Commonwealth, despite loyalty to the Crown, as it provides them with a measure of global legitimacy and prohibition for human rights violations. except when their actions are extreme.
Even so, Sithembile Mbete, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pretoria, said it was bewildering that Britain was backing Commonwealth cooperation when it cut aid to the Commonwealth. Africa and plans to deport asylum seekers to the continent.
“The commonwealth is about maintaining colonial supremacy as a democratic union of equal purpose, when it is clearly not the case in practice,” she said. After parting ways with the European Union – its biggest trading partner – Britain is looking to expand its influence, she said. She said: “The Commonwealth is not an equal association but a terrain or period in which Britain can have greater influence.
That influence has waned in recent years, as many countries in the Global South are pursuing new economic and political partnerships elsewhere.
This is especially true in Africa, where China rose as one financiers and infrastructure builders and is the main source of import and export. In the century, decrease Cobus van Staden, co-host of the “China in Africa” podcast, said Britain’s share of China’s imports “has resulted in the UK having less influence on the continent”.
In a move aimed at combating that, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week appoint a special envoy to the Horn of Africa, just days after China’s special envoy to the region convened a seven-nation meeting to help resolve broader instability in the region.
In the Caribbean, former British colonies either cut ties with the monarchy, such as Barbadosor have expressed a wish to become a republic, such as Jamaica. But the miss at the Commonwealth summit is any examination of Britain’s colonial past and how that will affect the future of the association.
Mr. Murphy said that imperial heritage is the thread that unifies the nations of the Commonwealth, so it would make sense to deal with it. However, the Commonwealth was “never particularly interested” in doing so, he said, in part because the British government was always “very reluctant” to see such issues raised.
“The last thing it wants to talk about is compensation, providing an apology or compensation,” he said. So “that special potential of the Commonwealth remains untapped.”
The only exception came during the time of Prince Charles speech at the opening ceremony, when he acknowledged what he called the Commonwealth’s “painful” roots.
“If we want to build a shared future that benefits all our citizens, we must also find new ways to acknowledge our past,” he said. “Very simply, this is a conversation where the time has come.”
The Prince of Wales, who also talked about recent trip to Canadawhere he meets with indigenous communities in a number of reconciliation events, saying that keeping the queen as head of state is “entirely a matter for each member state to decide”.
However, despite its shortcomings, the Commonwealth is attracting new members. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda announced the applications of Togo and Gabon, two former French colonies, had been approved on Saturday.
On Friday, countries also voted for re-appointment Patricia Scotland, a British Dominican lawyer and diplomat, serves as secretary general. Mr Kagame will take over as Mr Johnson’s chairman over the next two years. The next meeting of heads of government will be held in Samoa in 2024.
Some of the younger delegates at the conference said that despite everything, African countries could find ways to leverage the association to their advantage.
Babala Hassan Atiku, a Ugandan participated in Commonwealth Youth Forum. “We just need to know what we want and go after it.”
