When her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II said ‘’The Commonwealth is a family of nations that share a common bond, forged by shared history, culture, and values, yet celebrated for its rich diversity.’’ I don’t believe many people recognised how important that sentiment was to the children of these nations and the instilled sense of pride and significance it put into many. Now, by virtue of being British, I am of course a member of that family of nations. However, in a story not too dissimilar to many across this nation, I was born in one of these commonwealth countries. Ghana to be exact.
I came here with my family when I was 7 years old and I vividly remember that sense of shared kinship with the UK back in my school days in Ghana. From the hymns we sang at assemblies and the structure of our lessons, I could see glaring parallels between Ghana and the UK. As an adult and having studied the law to some degree since my arrival at Gatwick in 2006, the similarities are even more glaring. From the similarities with our common law systems to the emphasis on family, nation and faith there is so much that unites commonwealth countries than separates them- now of course the reasons and the histories behind that are various- but it is undeniable that within that great family of nations, there flows a common thread, and those principles of family, nation and faith bind us together.
There’s so much potential in our commonwealth and it’s about time we focus on how best to tap into that for the betterment of everyone.
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