Annual Review 2007-2008 - The Royal Commonwealth Society
Annual Review 2007-2008 - The Royal Commonwealth Society
Annual Review 2007-2008 - The Royal Commonwealth Society
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Creating ideas, building with vision<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> founded 1868<br />
Patron<br />
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II<br />
<strong>The</strong> President<br />
Chief Emeka Anyaoku GCVO CFR<br />
Vice-Presidents<br />
HH <strong>The</strong> Aga Khan<br />
Mr David Alexander<br />
Mr Colin Ball<br />
Richard Bourne OBE<br />
Miss Margaret Brayton MBE<br />
Mr Roger Davidson<br />
Mr John Dove<br />
Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH<br />
Miss Myra Green OBE<br />
Mr Derek Ingram OBE<br />
Maj. Gen. B J Legge<br />
Lady Lewis<br />
Dr Peter H Lyon OBE<br />
Sir Peter Marshall KCMG CVO<br />
Sir Michael McWilliam KCMG<br />
Sir Michael Parsons<br />
Dr K E Robinson CBE<br />
Mrs Prunella Scarlett LVO<br />
Sir Patrick Sheehy<br />
Mr Peter M Smith<br />
Mrs Joan Tonkin MBE JP<br />
Miss Susan Wilcox<br />
His Excellency, the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General, Rt Hon<br />
Don McKinnon<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir Excellencies the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> High Commissioners in<br />
London.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister, <strong>The</strong> Secretary of State for Foreign &<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Affairs, <strong>The</strong> Leader of the Opposition in the<br />
United Kingdom, <strong>The</strong> Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the<br />
United Kingdom, <strong>The</strong> Lt-Governor of Guernsey, <strong>The</strong> Lt-Governor<br />
of Jersey, <strong>The</strong> Bailiff of Guernsey, <strong>The</strong> Bailiff of Jersey, <strong>The</strong><br />
President of the Australian National Council, <strong>The</strong> Chairman of<br />
the Canadian National Council.<br />
Council<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>'s affairs are governed by an<br />
elected Council. <strong>The</strong> following constitute the <strong>Society</strong>'s trustees:<br />
Chairman<br />
Baroness Prashar CBE<br />
Deputy Chairman<br />
Ms Claire Whitaker<br />
Hon Treasurer<br />
Mr Michael Bostelmann<br />
Councillors<br />
Ms Floella Benjamin OBE<br />
Ms Cheryl Dorall<br />
Sir David Green KCMG<br />
Ms Heather Honour<br />
Mr David Ives<br />
Ms Alexandra Jones<br />
Mr Peter Kellner<br />
Ms Pat Kelsey<br />
Dr Chris Nonis<br />
Princess Boma Ozobia<br />
Mr Andrew Richardson<br />
Mr Patrick Wintour OBE<br />
Vice-President representatives<br />
Sir Peter Marshall KCMG CVO<br />
Sir Michael McWilliam KCMG<br />
Branch representatives<br />
(In attendance but not trustees)<br />
Mr David Dent-Young CBE (Bath & District)<br />
Mr William Kirkman (Cambridge)<br />
Dr Joe Selkon (Oxford)<br />
Mr Keith Painter (Bristol)<br />
Management and administrative staff<br />
Stuart Mole OBE Director-General<br />
Bernadette Maguire Administrative Officer<br />
Chi Kavindele Special Assistant to the<br />
Director-General<br />
John Garnham Interim Director of Finance<br />
Gwendolyn White Senior Project Manager (Social &<br />
Cultural Affairs)<br />
Alice Kawoya Project Manager (<strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Day & <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision<br />
Awards) & Secretary, Council of<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Societies<br />
Zoé Wilson Project Manager (<strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Essay Competition)<br />
Jamie Gould Membership Officer<br />
Nigel McCollum Head of Public Affairs<br />
Claire Anholt Public Affairs Officer<br />
Joanna Stephenson Information and Publications Officer<br />
John Sutherland Branches and Special Projects<br />
Volunteer<br />
Althea Gee Social and Cultural Affairs Volunteer<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
Shaun Whitehouse Club Manager<br />
Hans Schrader Operations Manager<br />
Marcin Goralczyk Assistant Operations Manager<br />
Rob Jordan Business Development Manager<br />
David Purcell Accounts Controller<br />
Ulrike Frauscher Events Manager<br />
Anastasiya Reshetnikova Events Administrator<br />
Kaliopi Carras Events Co-ordinator<br />
Richard Smith Events Assistant<br />
Mark Page Head Chef<br />
Richard Jennings Sous Chef<br />
Mohammed Khassal Maintenance Engineer<br />
Jarek Izdebski Maintenance Assistant<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club Ltd<br />
Board of Directors<br />
Michael Bostelmann (Chairman)<br />
Baroness Prashar CBE<br />
Stuart Mole OBE<br />
Shaun Whitehouse
Contents<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
25 Northumberland Ave<br />
London, WC2N 5AP<br />
United Kingdom<br />
Tel: 020 7930 6733<br />
Fax: 020 7930 9705<br />
Email: info@rcsint.org<br />
Chairman’s <strong>Review</strong>............................................................................. 2<br />
Director-General’s Report ................................................................. 3<br />
Club and Membership ..................................................................... 4<br />
140th Anniversary of the RCS .......................................................... 7<br />
Public Affairs: A Platform for Change.............................................. 8<br />
<strong>2007</strong> Kampala CHOGM .................................................................... 10<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Action for Zimbabwe ........................................... 12<br />
Inter-faith dialogue ............................................................................ 13<br />
Holding Human Rights Hostage ...................................................... 14<br />
Migration / Finding peace in Kenya ............................................... 15<br />
Climate Change: Rising to the Challenge ..................................... 16<br />
Lobbying Parliament ......................................................................... 17<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day <strong>2008</strong>................................................................. 18<br />
<strong>2007</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards .............................................. 20<br />
Art at the RCS: from India to Glastonbury ..................................... 22<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Carol Service: Opportunity for all........................ 24<br />
<strong>The</strong> Voice of Youth ............................................................................ 25<br />
Re-connecting with the Past............................................................. 26<br />
International Meeting and Nkabom ................................................ 28<br />
Write around the World .................................................................... 29<br />
An International Network.................................................................. 33<br />
Supporters and Sponsors of the RCS.............................................. 37<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE: People on the Move....................................... 38<br />
Ladi Darlya: Gender Rights and Education..................................... 40<br />
Dr David Suzuki: Setting the Real Bottom Line.............................. 42<br />
Financial Reports ............................................................................... 44<br />
A World Organisation ....................................................................... 46<br />
With thanks to those who have<br />
given kind permission for their<br />
photos to be featured:<br />
Carlos M. Bastos/RCS<br />
Lucy Baker<br />
PicturePartnership<br />
Imogen Mathers/RCS<br />
Miles Giljam/RCS<br />
Devapriyo Das/RCS<br />
Claire Anholt/RCS<br />
Chi Kavindele/RCS<br />
Joanna Stephenson/RCS<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08 has been<br />
designed and published by Nexus Strategic Partnerships Ltd.<br />
St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0WS, UK<br />
Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication, and<br />
the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, the<br />
publishers and promoters will not accept responsibility for<br />
inaccuracies. Reproduction of any part of this publication without<br />
permission is strictly forbidden.<br />
© Nexus Strategic Partnerships Ltd <strong>2008</strong>. <strong>The</strong> RCS and the publishers<br />
make no recommendation in respect of any of the advertisers, and no<br />
recommendation may be implied by the way of the presence of their<br />
advertisements.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
1
<strong>The</strong> Chairman’s <strong>Review</strong><br />
T he RCS carries its years well. I doubt if anybody passing through our doors to debate issues<br />
of migration in our modern auditorium, or to use the internet in the new business area with<br />
a link to the RCS library collections in Cambridge, or to participate in a myriad of cultural and<br />
social functions designed to promote understanding of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>, would guess that<br />
they are entering the oldest and most venerable of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> organisations.<br />
‘‘<br />
We have no intention<br />
of living in the past or<br />
dwelling nostalgically on<br />
former glories …<br />
… we are continuing to<br />
provide a lively forum for<br />
debate, research and<br />
advocacy<br />
‘‘<br />
We are very proud that we have been<br />
shaped by our past, and, in our one<br />
hundred and fortieth year, we celebrate<br />
our achievements, pay tribute to the<br />
people who have contributed to our<br />
success, and reflect on the events that<br />
have shaped our journey to the present.<br />
But, equally, it is abundantly clear that<br />
we have no intention of living in the past<br />
or dwelling nostalgically on former<br />
glories. A glance at our range of activities<br />
and projects – ranging from vigorous and<br />
timely debates on issues facing the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> to working with young<br />
people and in education – confirm that<br />
we are continuing to provide a lively<br />
forum for debate, research and advocacy.<br />
We remain a strong protagonist for<br />
change and renewal within the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
It is now increasingly recognised that<br />
the modern <strong>Commonwealth</strong> is ideally<br />
2 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
suited to meet some of the challenges of<br />
the twenty-first century. <strong>The</strong> upcoming<br />
sixtieth Anniversary in 2009 of the London<br />
Declaration and the arrival in office of a<br />
new <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General<br />
provide an excellent opportunity for the<br />
RCS to help raise the profile of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> and contribute to<br />
redefining its role in the modern world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS, therefore, has an enormous<br />
task ahead and I am confident that we are<br />
in a strong position to make that<br />
contribution.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS itself will also experience<br />
changes in leadership. In June, I will step<br />
down as Chairman, with Sir David Green<br />
KCMG, former Director-General of the<br />
British Council, nominated as my<br />
successor. Chief Emeka Anyaoku will<br />
conclude his second and final term as<br />
President. We are extremely grateful to<br />
him for his wise advice and practical<br />
assistance which he has generously given<br />
to the <strong>Society</strong> over the years.<br />
At the end of <strong>2008</strong>, Stuart Mole will be<br />
completing his eight years with the <strong>Society</strong><br />
and retiring as its Director-General. Stuart<br />
will be sorely missed. He has made a<br />
significant and lasting contribution to the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>, not least guiding the RCS through<br />
major changes, including the extension<br />
project in 2005/2006.<br />
This is my last <strong>Review</strong> and I want to<br />
take this opportunity to thank all the<br />
Trustees, Council members, Stuart, staff<br />
and members for their help and support.<br />
It has been a real privilege to serve the<br />
RCS and I leave with the confidence that<br />
the organisation is well poised to continue<br />
to make a significant impact over the<br />
coming years. I wish the new leadership<br />
team all the best for the future.<br />
Usha Prashar
Director-General’s Report<br />
My eight years, to date, as the <strong>Society</strong>’s chief officer are very little compared to the rich<br />
history that has unfolded since its foundation in 1868. In those 140 years, the RCS has had<br />
its triumphs and disasters and, on rare occasions, its very existence has been in doubt. Today,<br />
longevity and an eminent reputation are not sufficient, in themselves, to guarantee our future.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mission and relevance of the <strong>Society</strong><br />
must be sound and compelling, its voice<br />
respected and its projects admired; the<br />
service, food and drink provided in the<br />
clubhouse need to be of the highest<br />
quality; the facilities, furnishings and<br />
ambience of the Club must continue to<br />
attract members and clients alike; and our<br />
finances, governance and administration<br />
– the underpinning of it all – must be<br />
soundly constructed and efficiently run.<br />
Of course, the RCS has always been<br />
both a meeting place and a cause; an<br />
attractive and comfortable venue for its<br />
members, but also a forum for the<br />
exchange of ideas and the living out of its<br />
international ideals. That is equally true<br />
today – even if there is an apparent<br />
separation between the RCS and its<br />
commercial subsidiary, <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Club Ltd. In practice, Club and charity are<br />
one, and need to remain so.<br />
As I see it, there are four immediate<br />
challenges for the RCS and the Club in<br />
the coming year.<br />
First, we need to communicate<br />
effectively with our members, listen to<br />
what they say and respond positively.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a time when membership of a<br />
London club was seen as a lifelong badge<br />
of identity, rather than a more specific<br />
and limited contract for the delivery of<br />
certain facilities and services. But times<br />
have changed, and rightly so. <strong>The</strong> costs<br />
of membership are rising (given that<br />
operating in central London is an<br />
expensive undertaking) and members<br />
nowadays need to be able to justify the<br />
costs of club membership against the<br />
services and facilities provided, and for it<br />
to fit with their work and lifestyle choices.<br />
With a new, more interactive website due<br />
for completion in the next few months,<br />
better electronic communications, and<br />
our other initiatives to get to know our<br />
members better, I hope we can improve<br />
our service and tailor it more effectively to<br />
what members want. That way,<br />
membership will grow.<br />
Second, despite having spent £4.5<br />
million on the extension and<br />
refurbishment of the clubhouse, there are<br />
RCS has always<br />
been both a meeting<br />
place and a forum<br />
for the exchange<br />
of ideas<br />
‘‘‘‘<br />
clearly improvements we can make, as<br />
funds allow. <strong>The</strong> new Business Area on<br />
the mezzanine is well used and much<br />
appreciated, and the electronic gadgets<br />
on every table, allowing a member to<br />
summon a variety of services at the touch<br />
of a button, are a welcome improvement.<br />
But not everything has worked out as we<br />
might have wished and the drive for<br />
improvements will continue. This will<br />
include changing the heavy and rather<br />
unwelcoming front doors (planning<br />
consent is currently being denied on<br />
aesthetic grounds) and doing more to<br />
create a more intimate Members’ Lounge,<br />
untroubled by intrusive business<br />
meetings.<br />
Third, we must maintain and extend<br />
the <strong>Society</strong>’s capacity to generate new<br />
ideas; to bring together proven experts<br />
from the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>, and<br />
internationally; to influence governments;<br />
and to be a neutral and safe meeting<br />
ground for civil society organisations or<br />
for those who otherwise feel that they are<br />
marginalised and their voices unheard.<br />
Recently, this was epitomised by an<br />
overflowing meeting in the new<br />
auditorium on the current crisis in Kenya.<br />
Fourth, the RCS must be unafraid to<br />
campaign and to speak out on issues of<br />
concern and principle. More is being<br />
done to lobby the UK parliament on<br />
international and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> issues.<br />
But we also take our case directly to<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> governments – as we did<br />
on Zimbabwe, at the time of the <strong>2007</strong><br />
Kampala summit – and campaign with our<br />
international network of societies and<br />
branches, some of whom – in Pakistan<br />
and Fiji, for example – are in the frontline<br />
of upholding our values.<br />
None of this is, or will be, possible<br />
without the dedication, skill and hard<br />
work of our staff and the support of<br />
trustees, members and volunteers. This is<br />
perhaps exemplified by Mark Page, the<br />
Head Chef, and Chris Cloke whose ten<br />
years service, as part of Shaun<br />
Whitehouse’s team, are a crucial<br />
ingredient in what makes the Club<br />
special. This is as true of their staff<br />
colleagues, in both Club and charity.<br />
Similarly, the officers and trustees give<br />
their skills and their time freely and<br />
generously, and none have served the<br />
<strong>Society</strong> more than Sir Michael McWilliam<br />
and Sir Peter Marshall, who retire from<br />
Council this year.<br />
As my own retirement as Director-<br />
General beckons at the end of the year, I<br />
look back with immense pride at our<br />
achievements and feel honoured and<br />
privileged to have been able to make a<br />
contribution to our growth and<br />
development since the turn of the new<br />
millennium.<br />
Stuart Mole<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
3
A flourishing <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
During <strong>2007</strong>, the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club has gone from strength to strength. Members have<br />
been able to enjoy the benefits of the Club’s first-class facilities and to reap the rewards of an<br />
enhanced service and member-benefit package. <strong>The</strong> RCS now has a membership of<br />
astonishing diversity, enabling the Club to flourish in its role as an international meeting place<br />
for the exchange of ideas.<br />
Member facilities and fine dining<br />
More members and guests than ever<br />
before are regularly making use of the<br />
Club’s exceptional dining facilities. Head<br />
Chef, Mark Page, and his team have<br />
expanded their already impressive<br />
repertoire and continue to produce<br />
consistently high-quality cooking at<br />
extremely competitive member rates. Hans<br />
Schrader, the Club’s Operations Manager,<br />
continues to provide attentive, individual<br />
care to members front-of-house with the<br />
able assistance of Marcin Goralczyk. With<br />
his encyclopaedic knowledge of members’<br />
preferences, Hans remains the popular and<br />
familiar face of the Club.<br />
December <strong>2007</strong> saw the long awaited<br />
official opening of the Members’ Business<br />
Area on the mezzanine level of the Club,<br />
where Sir Patrick Sheehy unveiled a<br />
commemorative plaque. This MoreySmith<br />
design-led area now provides members<br />
with a dedicated space for conducting<br />
business meetings, internet research and<br />
private study. It holds eight individual<br />
work stations, all equipped with internet<br />
access and links to the RCS Library<br />
collections now housed at Cambridge<br />
University (for more information on the<br />
Cambridge University Library Link, please<br />
see page 26). Importantly, there are no<br />
additional charges for the use of this area,<br />
or for the WiFi system which now serves<br />
4 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
the entire club. Use of the new Business<br />
Area has surpassed all expectations and it<br />
has quickly become the most popular<br />
spot in the Club for business meetings,<br />
thereby relieving some of the pressure<br />
from the Members’ Lounge.<br />
In <strong>2007</strong>, the Club invested in a new<br />
Service Alert system as a direct result of<br />
member feedback. <strong>The</strong> rugby ball-shaped<br />
pods which have appeared on tables<br />
throughout the Club enable members to<br />
Jazz Night at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
in October <strong>2007</strong><br />
request catering services or IT assistance<br />
at the push of a button. When a member<br />
activates one of the pods, the system<br />
pages the appropriate staff member,<br />
alerting them to the member’s location<br />
and to the nature of the assistance<br />
required. A message is simultaneously<br />
sent to a central monitoring screen,<br />
allowing management to track how many<br />
members are waiting for service, their<br />
location and how long they have been<br />
waiting. This system has already proved<br />
to be a valuable asset in improving the<br />
efficiency of service to members.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Members’ Lounge
Events, Conferences and<br />
Banqueting<br />
Events business at the Club has<br />
continued to increase steadily during<br />
<strong>2007</strong>. This business is of particular<br />
importance, since it enables the RCS to<br />
maintain competitive membership rates<br />
and the Club to adopt preferential pricing<br />
policies for the members’ restaurant.<br />
Members are also offered highly<br />
preferential rates for events-hire and<br />
catering. <strong>The</strong> events hosted by the Club<br />
now extend far beyond only business<br />
meetings and conferences to include<br />
weddings, drinks receptions and birthday<br />
parties for members.<br />
People<br />
In recognition of its extensive training<br />
and development policies, the Club has<br />
recently retained its ‘Investors in People’<br />
award for a further three years. <strong>The</strong> focus<br />
of this training in <strong>2007</strong> was customer<br />
<strong>The</strong> stylish Members’ Lounge bar<br />
Award-winning food at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
care, its benefits now being enjoyed by<br />
both staff and members alike.<br />
<strong>The</strong> big success story of <strong>2007</strong> was<br />
the triumph of Josh Duncan, the Club’s<br />
Chef de Partie, in winning best-in-class in<br />
the finals of the ‘Academy of Culinary Arts<br />
Awards of Excellence’. Early <strong>2008</strong> saw<br />
Head Chef, Mark Page, and Sous-Chef,<br />
Chris Cloke, complete ten years of service<br />
at the Club. In recognition of this<br />
milestone, both were presented with a<br />
‘Red Letter Day’ voucher. <strong>The</strong>y intend to<br />
use this gift, given in good faith, to jump<br />
out of an aeroplane with only a piece of<br />
cloth to slow their descent – something<br />
for which the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
cannot be held responsible!<br />
In <strong>2007</strong>, the Club said its sad farewells to<br />
several long-serving staff members: Jason<br />
Barlass, Joe Ogden, Wasilatu Busari and<br />
Renata Wardle. Despite these departures,<br />
the average length of staff service at the<br />
Club remains over three years.<br />
Membership Profile<br />
During <strong>2007</strong>, the RCS welcomed 587 new<br />
individual and corporate members. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> new Business Area, housing the link<br />
to the RCS Collections at Cambridge<br />
University Library<br />
total membership now stands at 5789.<br />
Since its refurbishment in January 2006,<br />
the RCS has not only maintained its high<br />
retention levels, but with its stylish new<br />
interiors, has also attracted members<br />
from increasingly diverse professional and<br />
cultural backgrounds. <strong>The</strong> outstanding<br />
Club facilities, which reflect our vision of a<br />
young and modern <strong>Commonwealth</strong>, now<br />
welcome an exciting mix of young<br />
professionals and students. <strong>The</strong> steady<br />
growth in young members (those under<br />
the age of 26) has led to the formation of<br />
an RCS Youth Committee and youth<br />
representation on the RCS Council.<br />
Feedback from the <strong>2007</strong> members’<br />
survey made it clear that members<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
5
wanted the opportunity to get to know<br />
their fellow members and to develop a<br />
community atmosphere and network. As<br />
a direct result of this, <strong>2008</strong> will see the<br />
launch of a new identity for the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club as a ‘centre for the<br />
exchange of ideas’. This recalls one of the<br />
original reasons for the establishment of<br />
the <strong>Society</strong> as a ‘meeting place’ for<br />
people from all backgrounds and walks of<br />
life. Several new benefits and events for<br />
the year are being planned beneath this<br />
banner which we hope will facilitate<br />
exchange, creating a community<br />
atmosphere with greater interaction<br />
amongst the membership.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mackwoods Room (right)<br />
and the Members’ Lounge (below)<br />
in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
Membership Services and Benefits<br />
As the RCS has expanded, so too has its<br />
list of member benefits which now include:<br />
• Reduced rates on room hire and Day<br />
Delegate Rate<br />
• Wireless broadband throughout the<br />
Club<br />
• A new business area with internet<br />
facilities, which have a direct link to the<br />
RCS Library Collections at Cambridge<br />
University<br />
• Access to over 90 private members’<br />
clubs worldwide<br />
• Special offers from T.M Lewin, the<br />
exclusive shirt maker of Jermyn Street<br />
• Platinum membership of Wexas Travel<br />
Club at a nominal fee<br />
• Special price on Champagne<br />
Beaumet, not available on retail in the<br />
6 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
UK, with home delivery option<br />
• Preferential rates on accommodation<br />
at Citadines Europe<br />
• Access to accommodation at the<br />
newly renovated members’ hotel, Club<br />
Quarters<br />
• Special rates on accommodation at<br />
Hostellerie de la Briqueterie in France<br />
• Invitations to exclusive events,<br />
including public affairs meetings, art<br />
exhibitions, as well as social and<br />
cultural evenings<br />
Member Events<br />
Over the past year, the RCS has organised<br />
an exciting and lively social calendar for its<br />
members, including tickets to the annual<br />
Chelsea Flower Show, the Colonel’s<br />
<strong>Review</strong> (the dress rehearsal for Trooping<br />
the Colour), and complimentary access to<br />
the Grosvenor Arts &<br />
Antiques Fair.<br />
Once again, the ever<br />
popular afternoon of<br />
strawberries, cream and<br />
politics on the terrace of<br />
the House of Lords was<br />
hosted by RCS Chairman,<br />
Baroness Usha Prashar<br />
CBE. Special Guest of<br />
Honour, Rt. Hon. Peter<br />
Hain MP, who once<br />
referred to the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club as<br />
“the best club in<br />
London”, spoke of his<br />
continuing support for the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> and its<br />
core values.<br />
<strong>The</strong> autumn calendar<br />
began with an evening<br />
with winemaker, Matt<br />
Dicey, a fourth generation<br />
vigneron, and one of New<br />
Zealand’s most respected winemakers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> spectacular event included a tutored<br />
tasting of four wines over dinner followed<br />
by an opportunity for members and<br />
guests to ask questions and learn more.<br />
<strong>The</strong>atre was also on offer to RCS<br />
members during <strong>2007</strong>. ‘<strong>The</strong> Country<br />
Wife’, by William Whycherly, had the<br />
audience in fits of laughter. Such was the<br />
positive response from members who<br />
attended the play, the RCS is now<br />
planning a significant expansion of its<br />
theatrical programme.<br />
Jazz evenings at the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Club continue to ride a wave of<br />
popularity. In October, and more recently<br />
in February <strong>2008</strong>, guests were treated to<br />
the Branco Stoysin Trio’s unique blend of<br />
jazz and bossa nova.<br />
<strong>The</strong> annual Members’ Christmas Lunch<br />
was a sell-out once again and formed a<br />
perfect ending to <strong>2007</strong>. Never one to<br />
disguise his own memorable past, Guest<br />
of Honour, Barry Norman, delighted<br />
attendees with his light-hearted,<br />
anecdotal speech. Special recognition<br />
must go to Head Chef, Mark Page, who<br />
created a unique seasonal three-course<br />
menu for the event.<br />
Opera-goers have continued to enjoy<br />
an assortment of productions at the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
Opera House and the English National<br />
Opera. Over the past year these have<br />
included ‘Carmen’, ‘Swan Lake’, and most<br />
recently, Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’.<br />
<strong>The</strong> events team at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club look forward to<br />
welcoming old and new faces alike over<br />
the course of the coming year.
Building on the past,<br />
creating the future<br />
RCS 1868–<strong>2008</strong>: Celebrating the 140th anniversary<br />
great want has often been felt by gentleman connected with our several colonies for<br />
‘A some meeting place, some centre of attraction where they might resort on their arrival,<br />
and where they might obtain the latest intelligence from their own part of the world, and place<br />
themselves in communication with other gentlemen connected with their own and other<br />
colonies, and with them concert such measures as should tend to the interest of all.’<br />
So declared Viscount Bury upon the formal creation of a colonial society in 1868. 1<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea of a colonial institution had<br />
been pitched a year earlier, over dinner in<br />
London, by the prominent Australian, Sir<br />
Charles Nicholson. However, the<br />
proposal was not formally taken up until<br />
the following year when A R Roche,<br />
Hugh E Montgomerie and Viscount<br />
Bury called a meeting by public<br />
advertisement to consider the<br />
formation of a colonial society. At the<br />
meeting, held on Friday 26 June 1868<br />
at Willis’s Rooms in King Street, St<br />
James, Bury was voted into the chair<br />
and the meeting’s motion<br />
unanimously approved.<br />
In June 1869, with the approval<br />
of the Queen, the <strong>Society</strong> received<br />
its first Charter and became known<br />
as the <strong>Royal</strong> Colonial <strong>Society</strong>. This<br />
title was altered to the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
Colonial Institute in 1870<br />
following complaints that the<br />
initials could be confused with those of<br />
the <strong>Royal</strong> College of Surgeons. 2<br />
An astonishing evolution<br />
In 1968, the organisation celebrated its<br />
centenary. RCS records show that 1,181<br />
people who were members in 1968<br />
remain members today. This remarkable<br />
figure evidences the continuing<br />
attachment to the RCS felt by many. It is a<br />
loyalty which has remained throughout a<br />
truly astonishing evolution from the<br />
founding of the Colonial <strong>Society</strong> of 1868<br />
to the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
today.<br />
<strong>2008</strong> marks the one hundred and<br />
fortieth anniversary of the RCS. This<br />
significant milestone will be celebrated by<br />
a range of events and projects to be held<br />
Doctoral Student Ruth Craggs writes:<br />
1 Reese, T.R. (1968) <strong>The</strong> History of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Oxford University Press, London. (p. 14)<br />
2 Reese, T.R. (1968) <strong>The</strong> History of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Oxford University Press, London.<br />
over the course of the<br />
year, under the theme<br />
‘Building on the past,<br />
creating the future’.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y will include the<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> General<br />
Meeting which will, this<br />
year, be held on the<br />
anniversary of the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s formation, 26<br />
June, and will be followed<br />
by a champagne reception<br />
and ‘birthday’ cake. 16–30<br />
June will also see an<br />
exciting photographic<br />
exhibition in the gallery<br />
space of the Club which will<br />
display images spanning the<br />
evolution of the RCS.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong> Library (1928)<br />
My research (Geography Department, University of Nottingham) is concerned with the<br />
evolution, in the three decades following World War II, of ideas about the modern<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>. My research uses the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> as a site through<br />
which to understand the debates over what the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> could and should be<br />
in the future. By looking at the lectures and events held at the <strong>Society</strong>, as well as the<br />
travels of members of staff, I follow the evolution from imperial visions to those<br />
embracing diversity and difference, although my work also reveals some continuity<br />
between past and present visions, often in unexpected places. My work has involved<br />
extensive use of the RCS archives in Cambridge University Library, alongside oral<br />
history interviews. I have drawn both on material published by the <strong>Society</strong> (for<br />
example United Empire and the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Journal) and unpublished papers.<br />
Records of committee meetings, accounts of trips abroad and photographs of events<br />
at the headquarters provide a rich record of the <strong>Society</strong>’s history, and, through that, of<br />
the evolution of ideas of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> itself. Though it has often been dusty, dirty,<br />
and painstaking work it has also been intriguing and compelling, revealing the myriad<br />
of characters, ideas and spaces involved in imagining a modern <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
7
A platform for change<br />
Over the course of the past year, the Public Affairs programme has flourished, attracting a wide<br />
range of high-profile and influential speakers. <strong>The</strong> RCS has provided a platform for the<br />
exploration of such diverse topics as migration, faith and education, gender, human rights,<br />
conflict and development, energy and the environment and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> leadership.<br />
Apart from themed debates, the RCS<br />
has also reacted to emerging<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> issues. Meetings were<br />
held on Kenya and the violence which<br />
erupted following the elections; on Cuba<br />
and its emerging role in the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Caribbean; and on the<br />
role of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> in protecting<br />
human rights, particularly in relation to<br />
Guantánamo Bay. Other series in <strong>2008</strong><br />
include a focus on the South Asia region<br />
and a series examining key issues<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> leadership: a new Secretary-General<br />
In the run-up to the Kampala CHOGM, the<br />
RCS turned its attention to <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
leadership, particularly the race to appoint<br />
the next <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-<br />
General. Around 120 young people<br />
gathered to discuss ‘Leadership for<br />
Change in Africa’ and to formulate<br />
practical suggestions for young people to<br />
influence international organisations and<br />
governments on African policy. Summaries<br />
were then presented to the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Forum in<br />
Kampala. On separate occasions, Dr<br />
Mohan Kaul, CEO of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Business Council and Dr Michael Frendo,<br />
Foreign Minister of Malta, both spoke<br />
8 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
surrounding energy and the environment.<br />
Meetings were also held in preparation<br />
for the <strong>2007</strong> CHOGM, with debates on UK<br />
government priorities and the place of<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> civil society organisations<br />
within the wider governmental agenda.<br />
This highlighted the widely held belief<br />
that the greatest challenge of the<br />
CHOGM must be to negotiate an<br />
agreement to mitigate climate change<br />
and to formulate a shared <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
vision on climate security, a challenge<br />
persuasively on the necessity of good<br />
governance in the pursuit of development.<br />
<strong>The</strong> series culminated with an address<br />
to the RCS by HE Kamalesh Sharma, then<br />
High Commissioner of India in London, and<br />
shortly before his formal appointment as<br />
the next <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-<br />
General. Mr Sharma spoke on the<br />
emerging role of India in a globalising<br />
world and <strong>Commonwealth</strong>. India, the<br />
world’s largest democracy and fourthlargest<br />
economy is now a key player in<br />
global politics and has an important<br />
influence on <strong>Commonwealth</strong> memberstates.<br />
<strong>The</strong> country is enjoying rapid<br />
economic growth and investment rates,<br />
which was, at least to some extent,<br />
addressed in Kampala. Preparation for the<br />
CHOGM also included the building of an<br />
RCS campaign on Zimbabwe, under the<br />
banner ‘<strong>Commonwealth</strong> action for<br />
Zimbabwe’. For details of the Zimbabwe<br />
campaign, see page 12.<br />
For a full write-up of the Migration<br />
series and Kenya event, see page 15; for<br />
the Faith series and Human Rights events,<br />
see pages 13 and 14; for events on the<br />
environment, see page 16.<br />
yet Kamalesh Sharma suggested that a<br />
forecast based solely upon these factors<br />
would not take into account a number of<br />
“intangible human indicators”. Growth, he<br />
claimed, was not, in itself, sufficient: the<br />
nature and coherence of society that is<br />
engendering the growth was also of vital<br />
importance. “Democracy can be defined as<br />
the sustainable navigation of disturbance,”<br />
he remarked. Mr Sharma commented on<br />
the disempowerment of many Indians and<br />
urged the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>, and India itself,<br />
to work towards a mutually supportive<br />
international community, a human family<br />
and a unity which no form of difference<br />
could destroy.
Speakers at the RCS during <strong>2007</strong>–<strong>2008</strong> have included:<br />
• John Githongo, one of Africa’s most<br />
distinguished advocates for<br />
transparency and good governance;<br />
formerly Permanent Secretary in the<br />
Office of the President of the<br />
Republic of Kenya in charge of<br />
Governance and Ethics<br />
• His Excellency Maumoon Abdul<br />
Gayoom, President of the Maldives<br />
• Wangui wa Goro, academic, social<br />
critic, researcher, translator and writer<br />
and a campaigner for human rights<br />
in Africa and Europe<br />
• Trevor Phillips OBE, Chairman of<br />
the Commission for Equality and<br />
Human Rights<br />
• HE Mr Kamalesh Sharma, High<br />
Commissioner of India<br />
• Lord Watson of Richmond CBE,<br />
Chairman of CTN Communications<br />
• Dr Ali A Mazrui, Professor of<br />
Political Science, African Studies and<br />
Philosophy, Interpretation and<br />
Culture and Director, Institute of<br />
Global Cultural Studies, State<br />
University of New York<br />
• Guy Arnold, author of Africa:<br />
A Modern History and specialist in<br />
North-South relations, African and<br />
Third World Affairs<br />
• Moazzam Begg, former detainee of<br />
Guántanamo Bay and Bagram Air<br />
Force Base<br />
• Dr David Suzuki, Co-founder of the<br />
David Suzuki Foundation and awardwinning<br />
scientist, environmentalist<br />
and broadcaster<br />
• Victoria Brittain, author, journalist<br />
and former Associate Foreign Editor<br />
of the Guardian<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Hon. Prof. G L Peiris MP,<br />
Minister of Export Development and<br />
International Trade, Government of<br />
Sri Lanka<br />
• HE Burchell Whiteman, High<br />
Commissioner for Jamaica<br />
• Joseph Warungu, Editor of the BBC<br />
World Service’s main English<br />
language news and current affairs<br />
radio programmes; and Editor of<br />
BBC Focus on Africa magazine<br />
• Max Caller CBE, member of the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Observer Group at<br />
the Kenyan elections and Chair of the<br />
Boundary Committee for England<br />
• Prof John O Oucho, author and<br />
scholar; founder and chair of the<br />
African Population and Environment<br />
Institute, Nairobi<br />
• Deprose Muchena, Director of the<br />
Economic Programme, Open <strong>Society</strong><br />
Initiative for Southern Africa<br />
• Geoffrey Nyarota, editor of<br />
<strong>The</strong>ZimbabweTimes.com and<br />
Founder and Editor of the currently<br />
banned daily newspaper <strong>The</strong> Daily<br />
News (Zimbabwe)<br />
• Meg Munn, Parliamentary Under-<br />
Secretary of State, Foreign and<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office<br />
• Aidan McQuade, Director of Anti-<br />
Slavery International<br />
• Dr Michael Frendo, Malta’s Foreign<br />
Minister<br />
• Florence Malinga, former<br />
Commissioner for Education<br />
Planning in the Ministry of Education<br />
and Sports, Uganda<br />
• Gareth Thomas MP, Permanent<br />
Under-Secretary of State for the UK’s<br />
Department for International<br />
Development<br />
• Dr Mohan Kaul, Director-General<br />
and Chief Executive Officer of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Business Council<br />
(CBC)<br />
• Pedro Peréz-Sarduy, author and<br />
journalist<br />
• Judith Todd, veteran Zimbabwe<br />
activist and author<br />
• Emily Morris, Analyst, Latin America,<br />
Economist Intelligence Unit<br />
• David Jessop, Director, <strong>The</strong> Cuba<br />
Initiative<br />
Partner organisations:<br />
John Githongo HE Mr Kamalesh Sharma<br />
Trevor Phillips<br />
• Foreign & <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Association<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Caribbean Council<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Caribbean British Business<br />
Council<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Cuba Initiative<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Parliamentary<br />
Association<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Youth Exchange<br />
Council<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Human Rights<br />
Initiative<br />
• British Council<br />
• Counterpoint<br />
• AFFORD<br />
• Africa++<br />
• <strong>Royal</strong> African <strong>Society</strong><br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Business Council<br />
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Countries League<br />
Education Fund<br />
• Africa Research Institute<br />
• <strong>The</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of Doctors in the Law<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Scholarship<br />
Commission in the UK<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
9
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> after Kampala:<br />
an unfinished agenda<br />
With some 3,000 foreign delegates, several thousand local participants, a thousand journalists<br />
and hundreds of partner organisations, the <strong>2007</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Summit, held in Kampala, was<br />
a massive undertaking. <strong>The</strong> RCS played a significant part, and, with its small team of staff and<br />
supporters, returned impressive results.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ambitions of the meeting were<br />
many: to kick-start developing<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> economies into achieving<br />
tangible political, economic and human<br />
development; to combat climate change<br />
through negotiated curtailment of<br />
greenhouse gas emissions; to deliver the<br />
good governance agenda and bring to<br />
account those member states who are in<br />
violation of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> principles.<br />
Within this broad sweep, the RCS tried<br />
specifically to put the crisis of governance<br />
and social equity in Zimbabwe on to the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> agenda; to put good<br />
communications at the heart of<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> civil society relations; and<br />
to showcase its far-reaching educational<br />
projects aimed at young people around<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
10 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
<strong>The</strong> successes are harder to assess,<br />
particularly in the short run. <strong>The</strong> Lake<br />
Victoria <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Climate Change<br />
Action Plan identified the right pressure<br />
points: cutting carbon emissions while<br />
protecting emerging economies; the<br />
threat of sea level rise to small island<br />
states; and moving beyond carbontrading<br />
and carbon-credit schemes.<br />
However, it failed to reach any binding<br />
commitments to reducing the carbon<br />
footprint of member <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
countries. Emerging <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
economies like India and South Africa are<br />
willing to balance growth against climate<br />
change, but insist on developed nations<br />
(including the ‘old <strong>Commonwealth</strong>’)<br />
being the first to make substantial cuts.<br />
This is clearly a work in progress.<br />
RCS-supported projects<br />
at the Nserester<br />
Complex and Orphanage<br />
A lively welcome to the Masaka Elders’<br />
Bank formally opened by RCS<br />
Director-General, Stuart Mole<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Heads of<br />
Government Meeting (CHOGM) <strong>2007</strong> also<br />
witnessed the formal suspension of<br />
Pakistan from the Councils of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>. This was an important<br />
stand of principle for the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
– in contrast to Zimbabwe which,<br />
disappointingly, remained off the agenda<br />
for the official <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.
Another important development was<br />
the election of Kamalesh Sharma as the<br />
new <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General. It<br />
took determined lobbying by Indian<br />
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on<br />
behalf of his candidate to push back a<br />
spirited challenge from Michael Frendo,<br />
Malta’s Foreign Minister. In the end,<br />
Sharma’s victory was a decisive one and<br />
sets the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> on a new course,<br />
with India expected to play a much<br />
greater role in driving the organisation.<br />
That aside, Uganda has a spruced-up<br />
Kampala, with new infrastructure, while its<br />
business leaders will have a clutch of new<br />
investments, and its political leaders the<br />
pride of an international meeting run<br />
without incident. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> as<br />
a whole has set itself milestones to reach<br />
before the Trinidad and Tobago CHOGM<br />
of 2009 and the RCS itself can look back<br />
with much satisfaction. In its role at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Forum and<br />
People’s Space, attended by around 1,300<br />
foreign and 10,000 local delegates, it<br />
made a strong case for its projects. It<br />
organised a major workshop on<br />
communication for development, smaller<br />
youth writers’ workshops, screened films<br />
from the <strong>2007</strong> Vision Awards, campaigned<br />
– despite constraints from both the<br />
official <strong>Commonwealth</strong> and the host<br />
government – for <strong>Commonwealth</strong> reengagement<br />
with Zimbabwe and lobbied<br />
delegates on leadership and citizenship<br />
education issues.<br />
Extensive preparatory work was<br />
required, with submission of RCS reports<br />
on Respect and Understanding, on<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Membership, on<br />
Zimbabwe and on Communicating the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>. Numerous conferences<br />
were conducted on faith and society,<br />
leadership education in Africa and<br />
citizenship education. <strong>The</strong> process of<br />
reporting to the Committee of the Whole,<br />
which is an integral part of the<br />
communiqué drafting process, was also<br />
addressed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS’s initiatives at CHOGM<br />
resulted in a strong <strong>Commonwealth</strong> civil<br />
society and governmental focus on<br />
improving media freedom and<br />
communications to ensure good<br />
democratic processes. It ignited<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> interest in Zimbabwe and<br />
renewed the pressure to engage with the<br />
Zimbabwean regime, re-forging links<br />
between the People’s <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
and the people of Zimbabwe. Yet, in all<br />
this, there remains an unfinished agenda<br />
for the RCS – and the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> –<br />
as Trinidad and Tobago beckons in 2009.<br />
Devapriyo Das, former RCS Public Affairs Officer, invites questions from participants at the<br />
open-mike debate on Zimbabwe held at the “People’s Space”, Kampala<br />
Stuart Mole helps in the construction of a girls’ hostel at Nserester<br />
HE Joan K. Rwabyomere, High Commissioner of Uganda speaking at the RCS ‘Preparing<br />
for the Kampala CHOGM’ debate held in October <strong>2007</strong><br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
11
RCS leads call for <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
action on Zimbabwe<br />
At the time of going to press, the future of Zimbabwe hangs in the balance. <strong>The</strong> results of the<br />
country’s recent presidential elections have yet to be announced and ominous signs of a<br />
dangerous volatility are beginning to emerge. Figures from Zimbabwe's Central Statistical<br />
Office show that inflation reached 7,634.8 per cent in July <strong>2007</strong>, the highest anywhere in the<br />
world. Many economic analysts believe that the real figure is much higher and the International<br />
Monetary Fund has predicted that inflation could top 100,000 per cent by the end of the year.<br />
Four out of five of the country’s 12 million inhabitants now live in abject poverty; more than a<br />
quarter have fled to neighbouring countries.<br />
Since July <strong>2007</strong>, the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> has been<br />
campaigning for <strong>Commonwealth</strong> reengagement<br />
with Zimbabwe. In the runup<br />
to the <strong>2007</strong> CHOGM, the RCS lobbied<br />
persistently to see the issue of Zimbabwe<br />
on the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> agenda: it drew<br />
up and publicised a <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
People’s Charter on Zimbabwe and<br />
maintained a strong presence at the civil<br />
society consultation to advise the<br />
Committee of the Whole which drafts the<br />
CHOGM communiqué. Prevented from<br />
holding meetings as part of official<br />
proceedings in Kampala, the RCS hired a<br />
private venue and attracted a 250 strong<br />
crowd, including a high proportion of<br />
media, to a debate with Morgan<br />
Tsvangirai, President of the Movement for<br />
Democratic Change (MDC), the official<br />
opposition party in Zimbabwe. At this<br />
12 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS Zimbabwe meeting in Kampala<br />
meeting, RCS Director-General Stuart<br />
Mole declared that the “desperate,<br />
terrible situation” in Zimbabwe was “one<br />
which the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> cannot<br />
ignore”. He called upon the<br />
Patsy Robertson, Chairperson of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Association and Morgan Tsvangirai,<br />
President MDC, at the RCS meeting in Kampala<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> to “keep faith with the<br />
Zimbabwean people” and, above all, to<br />
act. Taking up this challenge in Kampala,<br />
the RCS handed out ‘<strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Action for Zimbabwe’ wristbands,<br />
collected signatures for the People’s<br />
Charter and ran associated events as part<br />
of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Space.<br />
Members of the team conducted media<br />
interviews and persistently lobbied heads<br />
of government and foreign ministers in<br />
the corridors of CHOGM. <strong>The</strong>ir efforts<br />
succeeded in significantly raising the<br />
media profile of the situation in<br />
Zimbabwe and in making it the unofficial<br />
talking-point at and around CHOGM.<br />
Looking to the future<br />
In the aftermath of the March<br />
elections and in the light of the<br />
circumstances which result, the RCS<br />
will re-assess the direction of its<br />
Zimbabwe campaign. Media coverage<br />
and interest generated by the<br />
elections will be used to raise public<br />
consciousness, not only of the plight<br />
faced by the Zimbabwean people,<br />
but also of what the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
can do if it shows itself willing to reengage<br />
with the beleaguered nation.<br />
In April, a new <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Secretary-General takes office and<br />
the RCS will work to ensure that<br />
Zimbabwe is firmly fixed high upon<br />
his agenda. Other activities will<br />
include collaboration with civil society<br />
and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> organisations<br />
also lobbying on Zimbabwe, a fresh<br />
drive for support and signatures for<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Charter<br />
on Zimbabwe and continued public<br />
meetings and consultations.
Can faith and politics meet on<br />
peaceful terms?<br />
Inter-faith dialogue at the RCS<br />
At the Malta Summit in 2005, <strong>Commonwealth</strong> civil society received a mandate from<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Heads of Government to explore how to improve co-operation between<br />
different faith communities. In response, the RCS commenced a series of meetings (May–July<br />
<strong>2007</strong>) on the role of faith in society. <strong>The</strong> series examined the impact of religion on political<br />
systems in the UK and other <strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries, on women as faith leaders and on<br />
promoting inter-faith dialogue in <strong>Commonwealth</strong> communities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> centrepiece was ‘Beyond belief:<br />
faith and gender’, a conference that<br />
examined the intersections between<br />
theology, culture and civil rights. From the<br />
outset, the three speakers, Zarin<br />
Hainsworth (Chair, UNIFEM-UK), Canon<br />
Lucy Winkett (Canon Precentor, St Paul’s<br />
Cathedral) and Zohra Moosa (Senior<br />
Policy Officer for Race and Gender, the<br />
Fawcett <strong>Society</strong>), made clear that the<br />
equality of the sexes must be based upon<br />
much more than mere intellectual<br />
argument. <strong>The</strong>y discussed the role of<br />
international organisations, including<br />
those that are faith-based, in promoting<br />
women’s representation in the political<br />
arena and brought to the fore the<br />
difficulties faced by women in moving<br />
from the private to the public sphere,<br />
particularly in a religious context.<br />
What emerged most strongly in the<br />
subsequent workshops was the<br />
convergence between gender rights and<br />
adherence to international codes on<br />
human rights more generally. It was felt<br />
that many <strong>Commonwealth</strong> nations were<br />
simply ignoring international conventions<br />
on rights, and that this applied in equal<br />
measure to both the so-called developed<br />
and developing <strong>Commonwealth</strong>. <strong>The</strong> RCS<br />
has now published the full outcome of<br />
the conference in a short report, ‘Women<br />
of Faith – the Agents of Change?’<br />
Drawing on the report and its own<br />
extensive consultations, the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation in November<br />
<strong>2007</strong> published a report which was later<br />
submitted to Heads of Government at the<br />
Kampala summit in <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS faith series drew together<br />
young people from schools and<br />
educational institutes around the UK, faith<br />
groups, parliamentarians, and human<br />
Young delegates take part in a roundtable discussion with Professor Ali Mazrui in May<br />
<strong>2007</strong> as part of the RCS series on faith<br />
rights bodies. Religious commentators<br />
like <strong>The</strong>o Hobson, Lord Nazir Ahmed,<br />
Anjum Anwar MBE and Canon Chris<br />
Chivers, of Blackburn Cathedral<br />
frequently returned to the inherent<br />
complexities of putting faith, a private<br />
matter, into the mainstream of public life.<br />
<strong>The</strong> inherent danger in generalising the<br />
‘motives’ of faith-based groups, and in<br />
over-playing their impact, was also clearly<br />
set out. As indeed were other particular<br />
concerns: arguments against and for the<br />
‘Established’ Church in the UK;<br />
‘Established’ religion in other<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries; and the uneasy<br />
relationship that <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
governments have with faith issues, where<br />
constitutional secularism is professed, but<br />
rarely practised.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dialogue continues with the RCS<br />
exploring inter-faith matters in the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> through a variety of<br />
networks including youth, human rights<br />
and gender mainstreaming groups. It is<br />
hoped that this will help public rhetoric<br />
on the issue of faith in society to move<br />
away from ‘clash of’ towards ‘consensus<br />
of’ civilisations.<br />
To download ‘Women of Faith – the Agents of Change?’, please visit the RCS website<br />
To purchase the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation’s report, ‘Engaging with Faith’, please<br />
visit www.commonwealthfoundation.com<br />
To purchase the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat’s report of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Commission on Respect and Understanding, please visit www.thecommonwealth.org<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
13
“<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re not like us, they’re terrorists”<br />
Holding human rights hostage in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
It has always been a convenient formula – “they’re not like us, they’re terrorists”.<br />
Yet there is always the danger of the simplistic notion of otherness, real or imagined,<br />
being used to legitimise the abuse of human rights.<br />
In seeking to protect and uphold human<br />
rights, the political <strong>Commonwealth</strong> has<br />
certainly acted on the state level: there<br />
has been legal support extended by the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>’s inter-governmental<br />
machinery to small <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
jurisdictions to secure them against the<br />
threat of extremism. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
also responded to the United Nations<br />
Security Council resolution on terrorism at<br />
a time when other countries did not have<br />
the capability to respond. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat was able to<br />
produce, for many <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
countries, a model law dealing with<br />
terrorism, money laundering,<br />
deportations, extraditions and the like. A<br />
common legal language has helped in<br />
the process and consensus on Security<br />
Council resolutions has been achieved<br />
with substantial efficiency. Yet this remains<br />
a long way from ensuring the rights of<br />
individuals, particularly against new forms<br />
of abuse – kidnapping, rendition,<br />
Land of no return<br />
In November 2006, the RCS hosted,<br />
for the first time in 38 years, a public<br />
debate – Diego Garcia: land of no<br />
return? - addressing the illegal<br />
removal of native islanders from the<br />
Chagos Islands (from the late 1960s<br />
onwards), and their subsequent fight<br />
to return home. Coming at a key<br />
moment in the campaign for return,<br />
the meeting sparked strong media<br />
interest and drew together a diverse<br />
and outspoken group of<br />
stakeholders. A special interest group<br />
on Chagos was convened and the<br />
RCS continues to act as a platform for<br />
engagement and public outreach on<br />
the topic. <strong>The</strong> decision to allow<br />
islanders back to their homes has<br />
been upheld three times by the UK<br />
courts, most recently in May <strong>2007</strong>, a<br />
ruling which was appealed by the UK<br />
government. It is hoped that a final,<br />
positive decision will be made and<br />
upheld by the end of <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
14 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Journalist and author, Victoria Brittain Moazzam Begg, former Guántanamo Bay<br />
detainee<br />
detention without trial – all legitimised by<br />
the war on terror.<br />
Introducing a public debate held at<br />
the RCS in February <strong>2008</strong>, entitled<br />
‘Holding human rights hostage: the role<br />
of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> in protecting its<br />
citizens’, Dr Karen Brewer, Secretary-<br />
General of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association,<br />
questioned what the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> has<br />
done to protect its citizens and their<br />
human rights, bearing in mind the<br />
assistance which it has given to<br />
governments in the implementation of<br />
anti-terrorism measures since 9/11. She<br />
suggested that, with the exception of the<br />
UK and Australia, there has been little<br />
concerted action. Yet, as Dr Brewer was at<br />
pains to point out, this is not for a lack of<br />
tools: although the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> does<br />
not have a peacekeeping force to call on,<br />
it has been at the vanguard of promoting<br />
good governance, human rights, the rule<br />
of law and democracy for many years. Its<br />
fundamental principles, including the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Latimer House Principles,<br />
can act as a powerful force in the fight<br />
against terrorism by “providing the<br />
essential building blocks for the<br />
construction and sustenance of<br />
democracy”, she said.<br />
Speaking at the same event, former<br />
Guántanamo Bay detainee, Moazzam<br />
Begg, spoke of his kidnapping and the<br />
de-humanisation that he faced in the<br />
Bagram and Guántanamo detention sites.<br />
In his opinion, <strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries<br />
are failing to protect their own citizens,<br />
sometimes even using them as political<br />
pawns to reap rewards from their allies in<br />
the war on terror. Yet, recalling its actions<br />
in forcing the need to end South African<br />
apartheid onto the world agenda,<br />
journalist and author Victoria Brittain<br />
urged the audience not to forget the<br />
“absolutely key role” which the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> has shown itself capable<br />
of playing with regard to human rights.<br />
Echoing this sentiment, Dr Brewer<br />
proposed that a greater respect and<br />
implementation of the fundamental<br />
principles of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> could<br />
play a vital role in “the fight against<br />
intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism”.<br />
Governments sometimes play what is<br />
described as their ‘internal affairs’ card,<br />
insisting that issues such as terrorism and<br />
security must be dealt with by the State.<br />
However, if the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> is serious<br />
about being a values-based organisation<br />
that truly believes in the primacy of<br />
human rights, it must convince its<br />
member governments – and others – of<br />
the imperative of protecting their citizens,<br />
in accordance with internationally agreed<br />
covenants.
Migration: perception, policy and the<br />
importance of language<br />
Migration has become a defining feature of our times. Three events held as part of the RCS’s<br />
migration series have addressed differing aspects of the phenomenon, whilst also highlighting<br />
several key emerging strands. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the FCO, Meg Munn<br />
MP and Aidan McQuade, Director of Anti-Slavery International, opened the series by exploring<br />
the phenomenon of forced migration and modern slavery.<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE then questioned<br />
whether, in today’s society, difference<br />
equates to inequality and, if so, what<br />
must be done to alter this reality. In the<br />
third event of the series, a distinguished<br />
panel of speakers examined the spread of<br />
English as a concurrent feature of<br />
migration, explored the movement of<br />
communities between Bangladesh and<br />
the UK and proposed that the movement<br />
of people must become an integral<br />
component of the process of<br />
globalisation.<br />
One issue which emerged repeatedly<br />
in all three meetings was that of language<br />
and its crucial role in how migration is<br />
perceived and approached. A final<br />
conference on ‘Migration, Citizenship and<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>’, to be held in the<br />
spring, will provide a round-up to the<br />
series, identifying key outcomes and<br />
proposing a way forward.<br />
To download full reports of the Migration<br />
series events, please visit the RCS website<br />
“Migration isn’t a policy, it is a fact.<br />
<strong>The</strong> only thing that matters is how we<br />
respond to it.”<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE, Chair, Equality and<br />
Human Rights Commission<br />
“We have globalised finances; we are<br />
globalising trade; we have globalised<br />
crime. <strong>The</strong> last thing left to globalise is<br />
the movement of people.”<br />
Guy Arnold, author of ‘Africa:<br />
A Modern History’ and writer on<br />
developing world affairs<br />
“<strong>The</strong> laissez-faire multiculturalism of the<br />
past is no longer sufficient.”<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE, Chair, Equality and<br />
Human Rights Commission<br />
Kenya: what route to peace?<br />
A large audience at the RCS panel debate, ‘Kenya: What Route to Peace?’<br />
On 27 December <strong>2007</strong>, Kenya held<br />
presidential and parliamentary elections.<br />
Almost as soon as Mwai Kibaki was<br />
proclaimed the winner, violence in the<br />
country erupted. Its repercussions,<br />
300,000 people displaced and at least<br />
1,000 dead within six days, sent<br />
shockwaves through the international<br />
community. That trauma, and the desire<br />
to move forwards, was manifest in<br />
February <strong>2008</strong> as around 240 people<br />
gathered for a debate entitled ‘Kenya:<br />
what route to peace?’<br />
A well-qualified and influential panel<br />
of commentators including John<br />
Githongo, Dr Wangui wa Goro, Joseph<br />
Warungu, John O Oucho, Max Caller<br />
CBE and Chair, Laurence Cockcroft,<br />
explored the underlying causes of the<br />
violence which had rocked Kenya and<br />
debated ways in which the country must<br />
now move forward to rebuild its peace.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS intends to stage further events<br />
as the situation in the country develops.<br />
To download a full event report, please<br />
visit the RCS website<br />
“If necessary, we must suspend<br />
democracy for the sake of peace.”<br />
Joseph Warungu, Editor, BBC World<br />
Service Network Africa and BBC<br />
Focus on Africa magazine<br />
“Kenya is important to the<br />
international community; the Kenyan<br />
people are not.”<br />
Dr Wangui wa Goro, public<br />
intellectual, academic, writer,<br />
translator and human rights activist<br />
“We must tackle these issues head-on<br />
now; we cannot avoid them any<br />
longer … We have taken our peace<br />
and security for granted. We have<br />
made serious mistakes and we must<br />
admit them.”<br />
John Githongo, Senior Adviser,<br />
World Vision International and<br />
former Permanent Secretary for<br />
Governance and Ethics, Government<br />
of Kenya<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
15
Climate change: rising to the challenge<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sixth Affirmation: “We recognise the grave threat to humanity posed by climate change<br />
and environmental degradation. We affirm our responsibility to communities across the globe,<br />
now and in future generations, to address this challenge. We pledge to work individually and<br />
through our governments to create a sustainable world.”<br />
His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, addressing the RCS on 17 July <strong>2007</strong> watched by RCS Director-General<br />
Stuart Mole<br />
In <strong>2008</strong>, the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> has turned its<br />
collective focus upon the issue of the<br />
environment and the devastating effects of<br />
climate change. At the <strong>2007</strong> CHOGM in<br />
Kampala, <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Heads of<br />
Government resolved to support<br />
developing countries in their international<br />
negotiations on climate change and in their<br />
preparations for, and management of,<br />
natural disasters. <strong>The</strong>y also launched a<br />
range of new environmental programmes,<br />
including land management and<br />
forestation initiatives and studies on the<br />
environmental effects of exporting<br />
agricultural produce.<br />
However, at the beginning of <strong>2008</strong>, the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> widened this challenge to<br />
include action at every level of the<br />
organisation, from Heads of Government<br />
and Ministers, civil society and professional<br />
organisations, through to individual<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> citizens. During the <strong>2008</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day Observance, HE Rt<br />
Hon Don McKinnon rallied the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> community, declaring that,<br />
“If we forget about future generations<br />
today, then tomorrow they will never be<br />
able to forget what we did to them”.<br />
President Yoweri Museveni, of the Republic<br />
of Uganda echoed this sentiment, stating,<br />
“All of us in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> family<br />
must act now, not later”. It is this call to<br />
immediate and urgent action, to repair<br />
environmental damage and to halt the<br />
devastating advance of climate change,<br />
16 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
which the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> will strive to<br />
address during the course of <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Climate Change on the agenda at<br />
the RCS<br />
In <strong>2007</strong>, the RCS was already turning its<br />
attention to environmental issues and the<br />
role of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> in combating<br />
climate change. In July, HE Mr Maumoon<br />
Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic<br />
of Maldives, addressed a large audience on<br />
the subject of ‘Climate Change and Sea<br />
Level Rise: Small Island States in Peril’. He<br />
declared that global climate change is<br />
“unquestionably the most daunting<br />
challenge facing the world today,<br />
demanding a very serious, urgent, and<br />
comprehensive response from the whole<br />
community of nations”. President Gayoom<br />
spoke of his efforts over the past 20 years<br />
to lobby the world to take climate change<br />
more seriously. He concluded optimistically,<br />
saying that, “I believe that the argument is<br />
being won. And for the first time, I believe<br />
that the tide is in our favour and is leading<br />
us in the direction of a new international<br />
consensus.”<br />
In March of this year, Dr David Suzuki,<br />
Emeritus Professor in Sustainable<br />
Development at the University of British<br />
Columbia, co-founder of the David Suzuki<br />
Foundation and an award-winning scientist,<br />
environmentalist and broadcaster,<br />
delivered the 11th <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Lecture,<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> challenge of the 21st Century: Setting<br />
the Real Bottom Line’. Suzuki claimed that<br />
humanity’s ecological footprint has been<br />
massively amplified by technology, a global<br />
economy and spiralling consumption and<br />
“we are altering the biological, chemical<br />
and physical features of the planet on a<br />
geological scale with enormous ecological<br />
consequences”. Earlier the same day, Dr<br />
Suzuki had also met with eleven young<br />
delegates drawn from across the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> for a Roundtable<br />
discussion, hosted by the RCS and entitled<br />
‘Growing Up Green: Practical Action to<br />
Combat Climate Change’. This was an<br />
opportunity for young <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
citizens to engage with one of the leading<br />
authorities on the environment and to<br />
voice their opinions as to what role they<br />
believe the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> can take in the<br />
fight against environmental degradation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> delegates drew upon their own varied<br />
backgrounds and experiences to challenge<br />
and question both Dr Suzuki and one<br />
another. It is hoped that the Roundtable<br />
will act as a springboard for a greater<br />
engagement of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> with<br />
its constituent youth as it focuses upon the<br />
environment over the course of the<br />
coming year.<br />
For more information regarding the<br />
Dr Suzuki Roundtable discussion, contact<br />
Joanna Stephenson, 020 7766 9230 or<br />
joanna.stephenson@rcsint.org
Lobbying Parliament<br />
‘Making an impact: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> in Parliament and in the Constituencies’: this was the<br />
important topic addressed at a joint half-day conference organised by the RCS and the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Parliamentary Association (UK Branch) at the Houses of Parliament on<br />
Wednesday 12 March. Following the event, guests were invited to a reception hosted by<br />
Rt. Hon. Baroness Hayman, Lord Speaker.<br />
<strong>The</strong> programme for the day was<br />
divided into four sessions entitled<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> and the UK’, ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> in the Constituencies’,<br />
‘Lobbying on <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Issues’ and<br />
‘Raising the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>’s<br />
parliamentary profile’. <strong>The</strong> sessions were<br />
chaired by Baroness Prashar, Lord Steel of<br />
Aikwood, Lord Luce and the BBC<br />
Diplomatic Correspondent, James<br />
Robbins.<br />
Distinguished speakers at the event<br />
included Lord Howell of Guildford, House<br />
of Lords Conservative Foreign Affairs<br />
Spokesperson; Richard Bourne, the<br />
founder of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Policy<br />
Studies Unit; Peter Kellner, political analyst<br />
and President of YouGov; Valerie Davey,<br />
ex-Labour MP for Bristol West and<br />
Executive Chairperson of the Council for<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Education; Patrick Orr, of<br />
Raitt Orr Associates; Cheryll Dorall, from<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Association; Lord<br />
Anderson of Swansea; Stephen Crabb, MP<br />
for Preseli Pembrokeshire; and Baroness<br />
Northover, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson<br />
for International Development.<br />
<strong>The</strong> conference was well attended by a<br />
range of diplomats, representatives from<br />
Audience members listen attentively at the<br />
‘Lobbying Parliament on the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>’ event<br />
Rt. Hon. Lord Howell of Guildford,<br />
Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman<br />
the Home Office and Foreign and<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office (FCO), as well as<br />
from numerous <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
organisations. Key themes which<br />
emerged during the conference included:<br />
• <strong>The</strong> need for the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> to<br />
alter its mindset and to relate to the<br />
world beyond its boundaries; to<br />
engage with emerging key issues, and<br />
for NGOs/CSOs to explore new<br />
sources of funding, such as the EU<br />
• <strong>The</strong> need for diaspora groups to<br />
recognise the ‘<strong>Commonwealth</strong> within’<br />
and to organise themselves in such a<br />
way as to influence policy-makers and<br />
fight the perception that there are ‘no<br />
votes in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>”’<br />
• <strong>The</strong> recognition that, although the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> is a great brand, it is<br />
relatively poor at selling itself<br />
• <strong>The</strong> need for the organisation to seek<br />
greater engagement with young<br />
people in Britain, widening their<br />
horizons and enabling them to<br />
become ‘global citizens’<br />
• <strong>The</strong> need for the RCS and CPA (UK<br />
Branch) to work together more closely<br />
A report detailing these key themes, the<br />
outcomes of the conference and a future<br />
action plan will shortly be made available<br />
by the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>.<br />
For further information, please contact<br />
Public Affairs Officer Claire Anholt on<br />
0207 766 9202 or claire.anholt@rcsint.org<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
17
Celebrating <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day <strong>2008</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Environment – Our Future<br />
Church services, multi-faith observances, cultural events, flag ceremonies, debates in<br />
Parliament and glittering receptions with Heads of Government and State, diplomats and<br />
celebrities all in attendance: there is little doubt that <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day generates a certain<br />
sense of occasion.<br />
In the UK, the highlight of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebrations was<br />
the inter-faith Observance held in the<br />
splendid surroundings of London's<br />
Westminster Abbey. <strong>The</strong> Observance<br />
took place in the presence of Her Majesty<br />
<strong>The</strong> Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General,<br />
HE Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon. Other<br />
dignitaries in attendance included<br />
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, in<br />
his capacity as <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Chairperson-in-Office and the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Deputy Secretary-<br />
Generals, Mr Ransford Smith and Mrs<br />
Florence Mugasha. Ministers, including<br />
the UK’s Minister for the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>,<br />
18 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Lord Malloch-Brown and Uganda’s<br />
Foreign Minister, Sam Kuteesa, joined<br />
diplomats, other leading figures from the<br />
53 countries of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> and<br />
around 1,000 school children in the<br />
Abbey. <strong>The</strong> Observance, organised by the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, is the<br />
largest inter-faith celebration of its kind<br />
held in the UK; representatives from all<br />
the major Christian denominations are<br />
joined by members of the Muslim,<br />
Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Baha’i,<br />
Zoroastrian and Jain communities.<br />
In her annual message, <strong>The</strong> Queen<br />
sent an unequivocal message to the<br />
developed world. She said: “<strong>The</strong> impact<br />
of pollution falls unequally: it is often<br />
those who pollute the least – notably in<br />
the least-developed nations – who are<br />
closest to the razor’s edge: most affected<br />
by the impact of climate change and least<br />
equipped to cope with it.” This message<br />
was broadcast to the assembled<br />
congregation using large plasma screens<br />
which had been placed around the<br />
Abbey. Following the success of the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
Family’s YouTube site, an audio-visual,<br />
multi-media version of the Queen’s<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day message was also<br />
launched <strong>Commonwealth</strong>-wide for the<br />
very first time.<br />
Five speakers, drawn from across the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, delivered personal<br />
testimonies describing their first-hand<br />
Ngati Ranana, a London-based<br />
Maori cultural group, perform an<br />
official welcome celebration<br />
during the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
Observance (left). Having<br />
presented her flowers to Her<br />
Majesty <strong>The</strong> Queen, a schoolgirl<br />
enjoys the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
tea party at the RCS (above).<br />
Lucie Shigikile, of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat,<br />
carries the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Mace<br />
at the Observance (right). Orders<br />
of Service (centre right). <strong>The</strong><br />
Dean awaits the arrival of Her<br />
Majesty <strong>The</strong> Queen outside<br />
Westminster Abbey (far right)
experiences of the catastrophic effects of<br />
climate change and the challenges faced<br />
by the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> community.<br />
Fathimath Ghina, a UNESCO expert on<br />
the problems facing small island states in<br />
the face of rising sea levels, spoke of her<br />
terror as she witnessed her island home<br />
in the Maldives being submerged by the<br />
tsunami of 2004; Scottish-born scientist<br />
Gardiner Hill explained that the<br />
technology is now available to provide<br />
energy from fossil fuels with near zero<br />
CO2 emissions; Nobel Laureate Prof<br />
Mohan Munasinghe spoke frankly about<br />
the challenges facing the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, but also expressed his<br />
optimism that effective action can be<br />
implemented; acclaimed naturalist<br />
Rebecca Hosking, who single-handedly<br />
succeeded in making her home town of<br />
Modbury in Devon the first English town<br />
to be declared plastic-bag free, spoke of<br />
her horror at watching albatrosses, their<br />
stomachs filled with plastic, die a slow<br />
and agonising death; and Ghanaian<br />
Dr Charles Abugre concluded the<br />
testimonies by explaining how<br />
humankind and the environment are<br />
interdependent, the urgency of the<br />
environmental challenge being one of<br />
life or death.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Observance encompassed a<br />
vibrant blend of dance, song and liturgy,<br />
reflecting simultaneously the unity and<br />
diversity of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
Performers included the acclaimed New<br />
Zealand mezzo soprano, Madeleine<br />
Pierard, who sang ‘With Verdure Clad’<br />
(from Haydn’s ‘Creation’) and the world<br />
renowned African Children’s Choir who<br />
flew in from Uganda especially to perform<br />
at the Observance. <strong>The</strong>y delivered a<br />
wonderfully energetic performance of<br />
‘Ndyahimbisa Mukama’ which means ‘I<br />
will sing for the Lord with all my heart,<br />
soul and mind’ in Runyankole Rukiga.<br />
Ngati Ranana, a Maori cultural group,<br />
presented a rousing and spectacular<br />
traditional Maori performance, which<br />
included ‘the haka’; and the Keith Waithe<br />
Quintet gave a moving and evocative<br />
performance of ‘Guyana with love’<br />
(reflections of the rainforest). Other<br />
performers at the Observance included<br />
the young singers and instrumentalists<br />
from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson<br />
school gospel choir, Youth Music and the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> College of Music.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General<br />
addressed the assembled congregation,<br />
stating with poignant eloquence that,<br />
“…If we forget about future generations<br />
today, then tomorrow they will never be<br />
able to forget what we did to them… We<br />
have been asked to be stewards of this<br />
planet that we share, and to use it for the<br />
benefit of both ourselves and future<br />
generations. That is the challenge.”<br />
President Yoweri Museveni offered the<br />
response to Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon’s<br />
challenge, acknowledging the important<br />
role of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> governments, but<br />
also reminding the congregation that<br />
each individual has a crucial role to play,<br />
“Reducing, repairing, re-using and<br />
recycling…Conserving energy at home<br />
and in business.” He concluded by<br />
saying, “Many of us are already making<br />
the effort. We can all do more…”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Queen’s Message can be viewed in full on the official <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
website, www.environment-our-future.org<br />
Images from the Observance and tea party can be viewed at<br />
www.picturepartnership.co.uk/cwdobservance08<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
19
Changing communities,<br />
greening the globe<br />
Harnessing the power of film at the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards<br />
Leading the way for the <strong>2008</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> theme, ‘<strong>The</strong> Environment – Our Future’,<br />
South African freelance film-maker Jacqueline van Meygaarden triumphed in the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards with her film ‘Free Energy’. All entrants into the competition,<br />
organised annually by the RCS, were asked to capture the theme ‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> –<br />
changing communities, greening the globe’, in just 30-90 seconds of film.<br />
This was the formidable challenge met<br />
with aplomb by Jacqueline’s winning<br />
entry. Her film offers a glimpse of daily life<br />
in the townships of South Africa and<br />
seeks to demonstrate how solar energy<br />
can be used to uplift the poor in an<br />
achievable and sustainable way.<br />
Jacqueline received her prize from Guest<br />
of Honour, <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-<br />
General, HE Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon, at a<br />
glittering Gala Awards Ceremony held on<br />
6 December <strong>2007</strong> at the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Club. Also commended in the<br />
competition was ‘Jaya’ Jayalakshmi of<br />
India/UK for her film ‘Paper! Paper!’ This<br />
fast-moving, vibrant film depicts<br />
innovative community initiatives to recycle<br />
paper in India. ‘<strong>The</strong> Gill Family’, a film by<br />
Jacqueline van Meygaarden and Jaya Jayalakshmi with their respective national flags<br />
20 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Fijians Raltesh Chandra and Robert Zraick<br />
was also awarded a commended prize for<br />
its unique depiction of a ‘typical’ family<br />
living underwater due to the effects of<br />
global warming. <strong>The</strong> five other shortlisted<br />
entries came from India (2),<br />
Pakistan, Antigua and Barbuda, and<br />
Canada, evidencing the diverse nature<br />
and global reach of the competition.<br />
From January <strong>2008</strong>, the winning films<br />
have been broadcast across the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>. On <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day,<br />
plasma screens erected around<br />
Westminster Abbey displayed the<br />
winning films to a rapt audience.<br />
For further information, please contact<br />
Project Manager Alice Kawoya at<br />
visionawards@rcsint.org or visit<br />
www.rcsint.org/vision To view the<br />
shortlisted and winning entries, please<br />
visit the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards<br />
website www.rcsint.org/vision<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards<br />
<strong>2007</strong><br />
First Prize:<br />
Jacqueline van Meygaarden (South Africa)<br />
Free Energy<br />
Commended:<br />
G D Jayalakshmi (India/UK)<br />
Paper! Paper!<br />
Robert Zraick and Raltesh Chandra<br />
(Fiji Islands)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Gill Family<br />
Following the Vision Awards ceremony,<br />
the prizewinners shared some of their<br />
thoughts on protecting the environment<br />
and the role which film-makers can play:
“I think that you can grow the economy,<br />
alleviate poverty, develop people’s skills<br />
and at the same time protect the<br />
environment. It’s not to see it as two<br />
separate things, but to actually work with<br />
people in using sustainable methods and<br />
renewable energy. <strong>The</strong>re are so many<br />
things that can be done by using<br />
sustainable methods, bringing people in<br />
[to the process] and bringing people up<br />
to the level that they aspire to.”<br />
Jacqueline van Meygaarden, on<br />
reconciling the rights of those living in<br />
developing countries to benefit from the<br />
advantages of industrialisation with the<br />
necessity of combating climate change.<br />
“Film-makers, writers, they’re seers -<br />
they can see the future. If you can see<br />
that the future is going to be bleak, you<br />
have a responsibility as a film-maker not<br />
to be dogmatic and say ‘this is what you<br />
should do!’, but to open up the<br />
possibility of dialogue between people.”<br />
‘Jaya’ Jayalakshmi on the role of the filmmaker.<br />
“This earth is all we have and know and<br />
anything we can do to make it a better<br />
place, we should.”<br />
‘Jaya’ Jayalakshmi on our collective<br />
responsibility to protect the planet.<br />
A young participant in Charlton<br />
Athletic Community Trust’s<br />
project, in the townships of<br />
Johannesburg, shakes hands<br />
with a South African<br />
policeman<br />
Khayelitsha rendez-vous<br />
<strong>2008</strong> has seen the beginnings of an<br />
exciting new partnership between the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> and<br />
Charlton Athletic Community Trust<br />
(CACT). In 2002, CACT launched an<br />
innovative programme in several<br />
South African townships, called ‘Ikama<br />
lelethu – the future belongs to us’. <strong>The</strong><br />
aim of the project was to use football<br />
as a positive vehicle to steer young<br />
people away from crime and disorder.<br />
Over the course of the past five years,<br />
its reach and impact has expanded at<br />
a phenomenal rate. One of its most<br />
Martin Simons, Charlton Athletic Club<br />
recent expansions has been to the<br />
Chairman, with a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay<br />
township of Khayelitsha, situated<br />
Competition participant in Johannesburg<br />
outside Cape Town. This very same<br />
township is depicted in Jacqueline van<br />
Meygaarden’s winning film entry ‘Free Energy’ and a team from CACT recently took<br />
copies of the film out to the township for use in their youth projects. <strong>The</strong> RCS looks<br />
forward to developing the exciting synergy which exists between the two organisations.<br />
For more information on the work of CACT please see the April edition of the<br />
RCS newsletter.<br />
Jacqueline’s next project is a full length<br />
documentary on sustainability and climate<br />
change in South Africa which will focus on<br />
the balance between economic growth,<br />
sustainability and climate change. Jaya<br />
will be making a feature film about a<br />
second generation British Indian girl who<br />
travels to India for the first time and is<br />
changed as a result of her encounter with<br />
a new culture.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
21
Photo: Imogen Mathers<br />
Global excellence:<br />
from India to Glastonbury<br />
From the Indian miniature paintings of the artisan trio, Kumari, Parekh and Mimbuk, in an<br />
exhibition entitled ‘Celebration’, to the UK hippy culture photography of ‘Glastonbury’, as<br />
portrayed by Royston E Naylor (Stone), the varied styles of the works exhibited in the gallery<br />
are united by one underlying rule – they are all <strong>Commonwealth</strong> art.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Club gallery has become well<br />
known to <strong>Commonwealth</strong> artists.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se artists want to share their art forms,<br />
experiences and imagination, knowing<br />
that their exhibitions will be seen by a<br />
large selection of London’s varied<br />
communities who want to keep in touch<br />
with <strong>Commonwealth</strong> art trends.<br />
Popular viewings during the year<br />
22 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
included the photographic works of David<br />
Cleaves and the award-winning Australian<br />
photographer Jackson D Ferguson. In an<br />
exhibition entitled ‘Worlds Apart:<br />
Architecture and Portraits’, Ferguson, the<br />
recipient of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s Young Artist of the Year (<strong>2007</strong>),<br />
exhibited strong, interesting pictures<br />
taken in hostile and extreme locations.<br />
His images were computer-modified and<br />
re-configured to create a different<br />
atmosphere and composition.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Photographic<br />
Award Exhibition, organised by the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Press Union, continued<br />
its long association with the gallery by<br />
exhibiting the winning images from their<br />
themed <strong>2007</strong> award: ‘Achievement’.<br />
Senior Project Manager Gwendolyn White discusses the image entitled "And <strong>The</strong>n...’, one of 26 images which made up the exhibition,<br />
"Glastonbury Festival 1990 -<strong>2007</strong>" by Royston E Naylor, alias Stone
Throughout November and December<br />
<strong>2007</strong>, Australian painter and printer Anita<br />
Klein exhibited twenty vibrant, large-scale<br />
acrylic works. <strong>The</strong>se works represented<br />
the pick of Klein’s three-month Artist-in-<br />
Residency in Bundanon, Australia. <strong>The</strong><br />
exhibition presented a truly unique<br />
collection of works, since the artist’s usual<br />
medium is oils.<br />
In the Members’ Lounge, Chinwe<br />
Chukwuogo-Roy, a world-renowned<br />
portrait painter, graced the walls with a<br />
maritime theme, adding a unique touch to<br />
the room’s already stylish surroundings. <strong>The</strong><br />
paintings reflect the delicate fluidity of<br />
Chukwuogo-Roy’s brushwork and subtle<br />
use of colours and simultaneously display<br />
her artistic growth. She is the first of several<br />
high profile painters who have been<br />
chosen to exhibit in the Members’ Lounge<br />
area of the Club. Her exhibition will be<br />
followed by the works of Sandy Mallet.<br />
Other exhibitions in the main gallery<br />
during the course of the year included the<br />
works of portrait painter Roger P Thomas<br />
with a collection of commissioned<br />
portraits of sportsmen and musicians and<br />
‘Colours of Eden’, an exhibition by Pro-Art<br />
sponsored by Seychelles Tourism Board<br />
and Air Seychelles, and opened by HE Mr<br />
Claude Morel, High Commissioner for<br />
Seychelles. March saw the successful<br />
staging of ‘Four One, One: <strong>The</strong> Significant<br />
Minority’, a comedy by Ebony A White,<br />
followed by an open discussion. <strong>The</strong> cast<br />
included Adeyemi Ajibade and Anthony<br />
Ofoegbu and the production was directed<br />
by Luke Dixon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS continued its Community<br />
Outreach Programme by supporting a<br />
variety of visual and performing arts<br />
initiatives. During Black History Month,<br />
the Senior Project Manager, Gwendolyn<br />
White, gave a well-received talk to<br />
community groups in Westminster on the<br />
works of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
Sales of artworks have continued to<br />
grow, with the works of Anita Klein and<br />
the three Indian Miniaturists all<br />
commanding good prices. With each<br />
exhibition running for four to seven<br />
weeks, members, guests and art<br />
collectors all have sufficient time to enjoy<br />
and study the works and to make any<br />
purchases they should wish. <strong>The</strong><br />
exhibitions over the last year have<br />
attracted visitors from across the UK.<br />
Ms Althea Gee, now in her seventh<br />
year as a volunteer with the Cultural<br />
Affairs programme, successfully grouped<br />
and hung all exhibitions, ably assisted by<br />
Mohammed Khassal, the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Club’s Maintenance Engineer.<br />
Anita Klein – Night Sky at Bundanon<br />
An Australian Returns<br />
Anita Klein – Australian Paintings, 30 October – 21 December <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> works of renowned painter and printmaker Anita Klein, inspired by the beauty of<br />
the environment which the artist left as a child, combine vivacious forms, animal life<br />
and the beauty of the kaleidoscopic foliage of the Australian environment.<br />
In her paintings, Klein places the female form at the centre of nature. <strong>The</strong> woman<br />
featured, a self-portrait of the artist, is at one with all other living woodland creatures.<br />
We see her reclining beneath the stars in ‘Night Sky at Bundanon’, conversing with the<br />
wombat or fraternising with the kangaroo. <strong>The</strong> nude female almost mirrors the<br />
wombat posture as she comfortably squats, thickset with feet that resemble paws<br />
(Meeting a Wombat).<br />
Klein’s woman is natural and free in her skin like the creatures she watches or<br />
converses with. <strong>The</strong> use of smooth long brush strokes and vibrant colours which match<br />
the skin tones to the landscape make the nude bodies inconspicuous. In her painting,<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> Snake’, Klein’s woman is also subjected to temptation, the watching snake,<br />
entwined around a branch, lending the image a provocative symbolism. <strong>The</strong> over the<br />
shoulder glance is for us, the viewers, as well as for the snake and these compositions<br />
seem to represent the artistic expression of a twenty-first century Garden of Eden.<br />
Anita Klein’s work attracts a large following. Her paintings and prints are exhibited in<br />
major galleries throughout the United Kingdom, including the <strong>Royal</strong> Academy of Arts.<br />
Anita Klein - Meeting a Wombat<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
23
A Christmas challenge:<br />
opportunity for all<br />
“A candlelight is a protest at midnight.<br />
It is a non-conformist.<br />
It says to the darkness,<br />
‘I beg to differ’.”<br />
Samuel Rayan, India<br />
(spoken by Amalda Quong Sing)<br />
Christian Dance Group, Movement in Worship<br />
Amalda Quong Sing stands in front of the Candle of Peace<br />
24 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Thabani Nyoni<br />
performs<br />
at the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Carol Service<br />
To end global poverty, injustice and<br />
inequality, to refuse to believe that<br />
they are inevitable, to stand up and to<br />
‘beg to differ’: these were the challenges<br />
posed by the theme of the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Carol Service,<br />
‘Opportunity for all’. <strong>The</strong> service organised<br />
by the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> in<br />
partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation,<br />
intertwined messages concerning trade<br />
justice, sustainable development and<br />
global poverty with a colourful, and often<br />
moving, Christmas celebration of the birth<br />
of Christ. Readings drawn from a range of<br />
biblical and contemporary sources<br />
highlighted a common responsibility to<br />
eradicate poverty and to work for equality<br />
of opportunity for all.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se poignant and challenging<br />
messages were delivered by a number of<br />
high-profile speakers, including Gareth<br />
Thomas MP; Patsy Robertson, Chair of<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Association; Adjoa<br />
Andoh, actress and supporter of the<br />
Fairtrade Foundation; HE Rt. Hon. Don<br />
McKinnon, <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-<br />
General; and Harriet Lamb, Executive<br />
Director of the Fairtrade Foundation.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were interspersed by stirring<br />
performances from the Zimbabwean<br />
singer Thabani Nyoni; from <strong>The</strong> Choir of<br />
All Souls, Langham Place; and from a<br />
Christian dance group, Movement in<br />
Worship. Children from around the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> gathered to light a<br />
candle of peace which gleamed within<br />
the newly-refurbished splendour of St<br />
Martin-in-the-Fields. <strong>The</strong> generous<br />
contributions of the congregation<br />
enabled the RCS to raise around £800 for<br />
a charity promoting fair trade in the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> and the service stood,<br />
both as a profound challenge, and as a<br />
colourful celebration: the perfect<br />
beginning to Christmas <strong>2007</strong>.
<strong>The</strong> voice of youth<br />
Young people have opinions on many things: music, TV, football, the war in Iraq. But how often<br />
are their views actually sought? Or do too many assume they know what young people think?<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS programme of Youth<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Heads of Government<br />
Meetings (Youth CHOGMs) reaches out to<br />
young people in the UK and beyond, from<br />
a multitude of socio-economic, cultural<br />
and religious backgrounds and<br />
encourages them to talk about the issues<br />
that matter to them most. Simulating the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Heads of Government<br />
Meetings (CHOGM), Youth CHOGMs aim<br />
to build young peoples’ awareness of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, to engage them in<br />
politics and the practices of participatory<br />
democracy, to teach them essential skills,<br />
and to build their confidence as the<br />
leaders of tomorrow.<br />
Over the last twelve months, three<br />
key issues have emerged through the<br />
exchange of ideas at Youth CHOGMs:<br />
living in diverse societies; migration<br />
issues; and equity in global<br />
development.<br />
Religious diversity, and what it means<br />
to young people within the context of<br />
their own particular community, formed<br />
part of the discussion at the Blackburn<br />
Youth CHOGM, held at Blackburn<br />
Cathedral in <strong>2007</strong>, where the tensions of<br />
living in a multi-faith, multi-cultural society<br />
were brought to the fore. <strong>The</strong> negotiation<br />
of these tensions led to some thoughtful<br />
outcomes: the signing of a peace deal on<br />
Kashmir by delegates representing India<br />
and Pakistan; a suggestion that the media<br />
must examine the way it portrays certain<br />
ethnic and religious minorities; and<br />
investment in education on human rights.<br />
At the RCS UK National Youth<br />
CHOGM, held in October <strong>2007</strong>,<br />
President (and General) Dominic Rose of<br />
Pakistan suggested that a military<br />
government created a respectful<br />
environment where many faiths could coexist<br />
harmoniously. Pakistan’s formal<br />
suspension from the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> was<br />
then only weeks away, though the<br />
General did not know it. Premier Eoin<br />
Walshe of New Zealand supported intra-<br />
African trade as the route out of poverty<br />
in Africa, and slammed supporters of<br />
increased international aid. Prime<br />
Minister Rosie Reynolds of Swaziland<br />
queried whether education alone was<br />
enough to beat poverty – 69% of her<br />
citizens live below the poverty line<br />
despite high<br />
literacy levels in the country.<br />
And Southern African leaders<br />
unanimously called for the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> to re-engage with<br />
Zimbabwe before it dragged the entire<br />
region into decline.<br />
What emerged from the contributions<br />
of the sixty delegates, who represented<br />
some eight schools around the UK, is that<br />
the current language of international<br />
politics is perhaps unsuited to the needs<br />
of the developing world. <strong>The</strong>re was seen<br />
to be little equity in the world because<br />
international relations and the people who<br />
drive them, were often unable to<br />
appreciate the complexities of the reality<br />
on the ground. While RCS expectations<br />
had been that climate change would<br />
emerge as the point of conflict in the<br />
Youth CHOGM, in the event, unfair trade<br />
policy and the impact of migration on<br />
donor and recipient countries, proved far<br />
more controversial.<br />
<strong>The</strong> training day for the National Youth<br />
Barbara Soetan,<br />
a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Youth<br />
Programme Intern, speaking at<br />
the opening ceremony of the<br />
National Youth CHOGM in<br />
October <strong>2007</strong><br />
Ade Adepitan meets<br />
Youth CHOGM delegates<br />
at London City Hall<br />
CHOGM took place in<br />
the imposing Locarno Suite of the<br />
Foreign and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office and<br />
the debates themselves at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat. Delegates set<br />
the agenda for their debates, with topics<br />
such as ASBOs, identity cards and sexual<br />
health all being considered. <strong>The</strong>y worked<br />
with FCO regional desk officers to learn<br />
more about how the countries they<br />
represented fit into regional groupings<br />
and learned that, in acting together on<br />
common problems, they would be more<br />
likely to achieve common regional<br />
objectives. Workshops run by the RCS on<br />
debating techniques, handling the media,<br />
communiqué-writing and ethics in public<br />
life, complemented the regional briefings.<br />
A media team comprised of students from<br />
greater London subsequently produced a<br />
short tabloid paper of the proceedings.<br />
During <strong>2007</strong>, RCS branches in Uganda<br />
and Perth also ran successful Youth<br />
CHOGMs. <strong>The</strong> results and outcomes of<br />
these events and those held in the UK<br />
were fed to a wide variety of channels, in<br />
particular to educators and youth forum<br />
delegates at the <strong>2007</strong> Kampala CHOGM.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
25
Re-connecting with the past<br />
In 1993 the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> Library Collections were moved from their home in<br />
Northumberland Avenue to Cambridge University Library. In December of last year a link for<br />
members was finally re-established. From the newly inaugurated Business Area in the Club,<br />
members can now access the catalogued library collections via a virtual link, enabling them to<br />
view digitised images and search descriptions of thousands of documents dating back through<br />
the history of the Empire and <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> generous support of Sir Patrick<br />
Sheehy, who also originally<br />
headed the appeal which saved the<br />
RCS Library Collections for the nation,<br />
helped to create this remarkable<br />
addition to the Club. It is hoped that<br />
the new facility will enable members to<br />
re-connect with a crucial aspect of the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s past, and there are currently<br />
plans underway to encourage use of<br />
the link by school visiting parties and<br />
university students. For over a hundred<br />
years, the library collection was at the<br />
very heart of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, taking up a large part of the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s headquarters and reflecting<br />
one of the core aims of the original<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> Colonial Institute “to establish a<br />
reading room and a library, in which<br />
recent and authentic intelligence upon<br />
colonial subjects may be constantly<br />
available”. It is hoped that the new<br />
virtual link will go some way towards<br />
restoring a connection with this<br />
important part of the <strong>Society</strong>'s history.<br />
Although many members, old and<br />
new, are aware of the library collections’<br />
move to Cambridge, little is known<br />
about the ongoing work which is being<br />
undertaken by a team of dedicated<br />
librarians to catalogue, preserve and<br />
improve access to the invaluable works.<br />
On these pages, RCS librarian Rachel<br />
Rowe describes the extensive, at times<br />
painstaking, but ultimately fascinating<br />
work being carried out at Cambridge<br />
University Library. It is hoped that this<br />
work, and the astounding array of<br />
material contained within the RCS<br />
collections, will not be forgotten by<br />
members for whom it affords a truly<br />
unique insight into a rich past.<br />
For further information regarding the<br />
Cambridge University Library Link or<br />
for assistance in accessing the<br />
collections, please contact Joanna<br />
Stephenson at joanna.stephenson@<br />
rcsint.org or on 020 7766 9230<br />
26 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS Library:<br />
an ongoing journey<br />
From its foundation in 1868, the <strong>Society</strong><br />
amassed a library on the British Empire,<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> and member<br />
countries, together with smaller<br />
collections on the empires of rival nations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS Library today contains over<br />
300,000 printed items, over 700 archival<br />
collections and over 800 photographic<br />
collections. <strong>The</strong> archival collections<br />
include manuscript diaries,<br />
correspondence, pictures, cine-films,<br />
maps, scrapbooks and newspaper<br />
cuttings and the photograph collections<br />
of over 100,000 images.<br />
Long-standing members will be<br />
familiar with the background to the<br />
library’s transfer to Cambridge University<br />
Library in 1993, and many will have<br />
contributed personally to the appeal,<br />
launched in 1992, to save the collection<br />
for the nation. In May 1993, '<strong>The</strong> Appeal<br />
to acquire the RCS Library for the Nation',<br />
led by Sir Patrick Sheehy, handed a<br />
cheque for £3 million to the <strong>Society</strong>.<br />
Housing the Library was a significant<br />
concern. <strong>The</strong> collection required<br />
considerable space and staff attention and<br />
thoughts initially turned to London.<br />
However, Cambridge University Library<br />
soon emerged as the preferred choice.<br />
Cambridge had existing strengths in<br />
Imperial and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Studies and,<br />
perhaps most importantly, had only recently<br />
added a spacious new extension. <strong>The</strong> move<br />
began on 26 July 1993 and lasted for a<br />
fortnight. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Society</strong>'s then Librarian, Terry<br />
Barringer, records that 700 metres of<br />
bubble wrap were used along with 1,500<br />
metres of heavy-duty sticky tape. 1<br />
While the future of the collection is<br />
now assured, the move to Cambridge is<br />
by no means the end of the Library's<br />
story. Although new publications are no<br />
longer added in great numbers to the<br />
RCS Library, they are added to<br />
Cambridge University Library’s main<br />
collections. European publications, rare<br />
photographs and archival collections<br />
about <strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries form an<br />
important part of the Library's<br />
acquisitions each year and serve to<br />
complement the RCS collections.<br />
Individual donations also continue to<br />
form a very important part of the RCS<br />
Library. Since its move to Cambridge, the<br />
collections have been enriched by the<br />
donation of over 100 archival collections<br />
of photographs, manuscripts,<br />
correspondence, memoirs and published<br />
accounts. Details of these deposits may<br />
be found on the National Register of<br />
Archives, hosted by the National Archives<br />
at Kew, 2 as well as on Janus, the<br />
Cambridge archives portal. 3<br />
<strong>The</strong> challenge facing Cambridge<br />
University Library is to preserve the RCS<br />
collections in the best possible conditions,<br />
whilst simultaneously delivering a range of<br />
services to promote the collections, to<br />
enhance public access to them and to<br />
facilitate and encourage academic research<br />
based on them. <strong>The</strong> University Library aims<br />
to achieve this by preserving the<br />
collections and identifying those in need of<br />
specialist conservation; by identifying,<br />
recording and researching the collections;<br />
by increasing public knowledge of the<br />
collections through retrospective<br />
cataloguing, co-operative projects,<br />
publicity, websites, exhibitions and<br />
publications; supporting users of the<br />
collections and providing an enquiry<br />
service; making publicly available copies of<br />
rare and unique materials – through<br />
microfilming, digitisation and other webbased<br />
education projects; and by acquiring<br />
small archival collections of historical<br />
1 Barringer, T.A. (1994) <strong>The</strong> rise, fall and rise again of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> Library, African<br />
Research and Documentation, no. 64. (p.2 & pp.7-8)<br />
2 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/default.asp<br />
3 http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk
<strong>The</strong> new Business Area, housing the link to the RCS Collections at Cambridge University Library<br />
importance which complement and enrich<br />
the RCS collections. <strong>The</strong> achievement of<br />
these aims requires the development of a<br />
highly motivated, knowledgeable and<br />
skilled staff but also a significant amount of<br />
fund-raising from external sources.<br />
To date, a huge amount has been<br />
achieved towards this ambitious vision.<br />
Nearly 40,000 online descriptions have<br />
been created for published material in the<br />
collection. This includes the internationally<br />
significant Cobham collection on Cyprus,<br />
rare books in all subject areas, monographs<br />
on Africa and Canada, periodical holdings,<br />
and, most recently, historically important<br />
runs of official reports, published in the<br />
colonies and <strong>Commonwealth</strong>. Records for<br />
all these items may be found in Cambridge<br />
University Library’s online catalogue, 4 and<br />
special web pages have been written to<br />
guide users as to how best to search for<br />
official publications. 5<br />
With the exception of the recent<br />
project to catalogue official publications in<br />
the collection, all the cataloguing of<br />
published works was funded by an<br />
external grant from HEFCE, the Higher<br />
Education Funding Council for England.<br />
A breakthrough was made last year when<br />
the Trustees of the Appeal to Save the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> Library for<br />
the Nation agreed to release the<br />
outstanding £600,000 from the residue of<br />
the appeal to fund work to increase<br />
access to the collections. Work over the<br />
course of <strong>2007</strong> has concentrated on<br />
cataloguing rare runs of colonial Blue<br />
Books and monographs and serials<br />
published by government bodies in Africa,<br />
Malaysia and Hong Kong. Yearbooks and<br />
Directories will follow shortly.<br />
Funding to increase access to the<br />
library’s rich pictorial and archival<br />
collections has come from a variety of<br />
bodies and a huge amount of desperately<br />
needed professional conservation work<br />
has been undertaken on the collections<br />
since they arrived in Cambridge. <strong>The</strong><br />
photograph collection has been<br />
completely re-boxed in acid-free<br />
containers and individual images sleeved<br />
in clear inert plastic. Glass plates and<br />
lantern slides have been individually<br />
wrapped in acid-free paper, interleaved<br />
by inert foam and protectively boxed.<br />
Thousands of volumes of official reports<br />
have been cleaned by hand using smokesponges<br />
to remove wartime debris and<br />
thousands more items have been<br />
restored using a specially purchased<br />
museum book cleaner.<br />
Preservation of rare and unique items<br />
in the collections has also been enhanced<br />
by major microfilming projects. Funding<br />
from several sources has enabled the<br />
Library to provide readers with robust<br />
working copies of very delicate and<br />
fragile periodicals and pamphlets.<br />
Microfilm and digital copies of unique<br />
RCS archival sources relating to the British<br />
Empire and Africa have now been<br />
published, making them available to<br />
scholars around the world. 6<br />
To give some idea of the growing scale<br />
of interest in the collections, in 1993 the<br />
RCS Library was used by 116 individual<br />
researchers and the RCS librarian, Terry<br />
Barringer, answered around 250 research<br />
enquiries received by letter and a further<br />
280 by phone. Today annual visitor<br />
numbers hover around the 500 mark, but<br />
the significant growth in use has been in<br />
distance-enquiries. In the last year, the<br />
RCS Librarian has answered 1,388 email<br />
research enquiries and the trend is<br />
continuing upwards as more people learn<br />
about the collection. Visits to the RCS<br />
catalogues on the University of<br />
Cambridge’s Janus server 7 have increased<br />
from about 5,000 a month in June 2004 to<br />
40,000 a month in June <strong>2007</strong>, with the<br />
cumulated number of hits over that period<br />
topping the one million mark.<br />
None of the work which has been<br />
undertaken thus far to preserve,<br />
catalogue and enhance the RCS Library<br />
Collections would have been possible<br />
without the generous support of several<br />
external funding bodies and all that<br />
remains to be done will require<br />
continuing support. It is hoped that this<br />
article will have given you a taste of the<br />
challenges faced by Cambridge University<br />
Library today in meeting these aims.<br />
Rachel M Rowe, RCS Librarian<br />
February <strong>2008</strong><br />
If you would like to learn more about ways you can help the RCS Library, please contact<br />
the RCS Librarian, Rachel Rowe at Cambridge University Library. Email: rcs@lib.cam.ac.uk<br />
or by post to Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR.<br />
For more information on using the collections in Cambridge, please see the RCS Library’s<br />
web pages: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/rcs/index.html or phone 01223 333146.<br />
4 http://ul-newton.lib.cam.ac.uk/<br />
5 http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/rcs/rcs_op_project/index.html<br />
6 Africa Through Western Eyes and Empire Online: http://www.ampltd.co.uk/search/search.aspx?mainsearch=royal+commonwealth+society<br />
7 http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
27
Cyprus: RCS International Meeting<br />
& Nkabom <strong>2008</strong><br />
In September <strong>2008</strong>, Cyprus will play host to the RCS International Meeting (IM). <strong>The</strong> IM<br />
provides a forum for strategic development and for the sharing of ideas and best practice<br />
between RCS programmes, branches and affiliate societies; it encourages wider discussion of<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> and its global role; it serves to develop and strengthen the RCS’s<br />
international network; and it acts as an opportunity to explore the politics, history and culture<br />
of the host country. Finally, the IM is held in association with an international <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
youth project (Nkabom), allowing young people from across the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> to join the IM<br />
and to interact with other delegates.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next IM, to be held in the Cypriot<br />
city of Larnaca, will explore the<br />
theme ‘Conflict, Conquest and<br />
Migration’, reflecting the turbulent<br />
history of the region as well as some of<br />
the most pressing concerns of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> today. It will come at a<br />
time when there is new hope that a<br />
lasting solution to the Cyprus issue may<br />
be possible. <strong>The</strong> meeting will be<br />
preceded by the Nkabom Project, a<br />
youth development and exchange<br />
programme. This project provides a<br />
unique space for talented young people<br />
to share experiences, deepen their<br />
28 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
understanding of key global issues and<br />
informally interact with peers from<br />
around the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>. In <strong>2008</strong>,<br />
Nkabom hopes to conduct communitybased<br />
projects, in partnership with local<br />
youth movements, in four locations<br />
around Cyprus, including across the<br />
Green Line in Turkish-occupied Cyprus.<br />
Key dates:<br />
• Nkabom Project: Saturday 13 to<br />
Saturday 20 September<br />
• RCS International Meeting: Sunday 21<br />
to Wednesday 24 September<br />
<strong>The</strong> Nkabom youth project will precede the RCS International Meeting<br />
Dimitris Christofius, President of Cyprus,<br />
who has been invited to open the RCS<br />
International Meeting<br />
IM delegates have the option to extend<br />
their stay to include study visits, scheduled<br />
to take place on 25 and 26 September.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS expects branches to raise all the<br />
necessary funds for those attending the<br />
meeting, although there may be some<br />
bursaries available, on a matching funding<br />
basis, for young people involved in the<br />
Nkabom Project. More detailed<br />
information, including hotel bookings,<br />
flights and application forms, were<br />
distributed to branches early in <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Suggestions for thematic content of<br />
working groups and plenary sessions, and<br />
for keynote speakers at the meeting are<br />
most welcome and branches are<br />
encouraged to submit their ideas for<br />
consideration.<br />
For more information, contact Head of<br />
Public Affairs, Nigel McCollum: 020 7766<br />
9205 or email: publicaffairs@rcsint.org
Write around the world<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>’s <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition is a unique<br />
international writing contest which each year inspires thousands of young people across the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> to put pen to paper and find their voice.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
is one of the world’s most longstanding<br />
and popular writing contests.<br />
Designed for the young citizens of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, the competition provides<br />
a space within which they can reflect upon<br />
their worlds and articulate their thoughts,<br />
and an opportunity for these diverse and<br />
valuable voices to be heard.<br />
Since it was first established in 1883,<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
has evolved into a modern education<br />
project designed to encourage literacy,<br />
creativity and critical awareness. <strong>The</strong><br />
competition topics are reviewed annually<br />
and, seeking to inspire academic and<br />
creative minds alike, they are designed to<br />
challenge the youth of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
to think about important local and global<br />
issues.<br />
As such, the Competition gives young<br />
people a rare opportunity to be heard on<br />
issues which matter to them and<br />
encourages participants to grow into<br />
engaged and active citizens. <strong>The</strong><br />
importance of this function and relevance<br />
of the Competition within a contemporary<br />
context is reflected by the tremendous<br />
growth witnessed by the Competition in<br />
recent years; participation has increased by<br />
almost a third since 2004.<br />
<strong>The</strong> goodwill and support the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
receives from around the world is further<br />
testament to its popularity and the<br />
diversity of those whose lives it touches.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Essay Competition enables young<br />
people from a wide variety of scholastic<br />
and social backgrounds to compete on<br />
equal terms with their peers, and all socioeconomic<br />
brackets are represented in the<br />
project, from village schools in Bangladesh<br />
and Botswana to elite schools in South<br />
Africa and Singapore. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> has worked hard<br />
to consolidate the recent growth of the<br />
Competition by strengthening its<br />
relationships with participating schools,<br />
which are in turn often eager to be further<br />
involved in other RCS activities.<br />
Lydia Adero, winner of Class A in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition, with Hon<br />
Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire, Ugandan Minister for Education & Sports and other<br />
Ugandan award winners at a prize-giving ceremony held in Kampala on November 19, <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Competition elicited a<br />
fantastic response, with over 6,300 final<br />
entries received by the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> in London and an<br />
estimated 50,000 students participating in<br />
schools around the globe. As always,<br />
standards were high and the team of 24<br />
examiners singled out, as prizewinners and<br />
runners-up, 44 entrants from 17 countries<br />
and territories throughout the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, including Australia,<br />
Canada, Falkland Islands, Ghana, Malaysia,<br />
Malta, Mauritius, Pakistan, Tanzania, Turks<br />
& Caicos Islands, Uganda and the UK and<br />
the Channel Islands.<br />
<strong>The</strong> topic ‘Welcome to my Family’<br />
inspired writing from every corner of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> touching on themes of<br />
relationships, power, conflict, love,<br />
education, recreation and discipline which<br />
pervade the lives of young people<br />
everywhere. Writing on this subject, the<br />
Competition’s top winner this year, Lydia<br />
Adero, from Uganda, captivated examiners<br />
with her description of a traditional<br />
polygamous family motivated by her<br />
desire to “write about a family which [she]<br />
believes is too rare and truly African”.<br />
Lydia and other Ugandan award winners<br />
were presented with prizes at an awards<br />
ceremony held in the CHOGM People’s<br />
Space in Kampala during November last<br />
year.<br />
Other winners submitted writing<br />
variously creative and imaginative,<br />
academic and rigorous in style. Canadian<br />
Andrew Wesson won the youngest age<br />
band (12 and under) with a wonderful story<br />
about ‘Colours’ which played on the<br />
everyday associations they evoke for us,<br />
while winning first prize in Class A, Laure-<br />
Astrid Wigglesworth of the Turks & Caicos<br />
Islands, tackled ambiguity found ‘Between<br />
worlds’.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Competition is a highly regarded<br />
and popular international education<br />
project, enjoying much esteem and<br />
support throughout the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
For further information or a copy of the<br />
<strong>2007</strong> <strong>Review</strong>, please contact the project<br />
manager, Ms Zoé Wilson, by post, via<br />
email, zoe.wilson@rcsint.org or phone on<br />
020 7766 9204.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
29
Laure-Astrid<br />
Wigglesworth<br />
British West Indies Collegiate<br />
Turks and Caicos Islands<br />
First Prize, Class B in the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
Between worlds<br />
“Sit down and shut up!” was the usual<br />
imperious morning greeting for the Year<br />
Ten class of the British West Indies<br />
Collegiate as their teacher, Ms<br />
Wigglesworth, entered the room. <strong>The</strong> class<br />
was immediately silenced; Ms<br />
Wigglesworth was not someone who<br />
tolerated any form of nuisance or<br />
disruption. <strong>The</strong> students sat apprehensively<br />
with their notebooks open and pens at the<br />
ready in case she decided to fill the board<br />
with notes from left to right or even simply<br />
lecture them about not being prepared if<br />
she saw their books closed.<br />
“Today class, I think we shall go about<br />
our lesson slightly differently.” <strong>The</strong><br />
students remained transfixed. This could<br />
be a hoax. Maybe she was testing them<br />
to see who would put down their pen first<br />
and hence be the one whose name would<br />
be first on the detention list. “Please put<br />
all your equipment away – that is except<br />
your ears as they will be carrying you on a<br />
special journey.” <strong>The</strong> class quickly<br />
complied and began to listen attentively.<br />
This had to be something important.<br />
“I’m going to tell you about a little trip<br />
I took to an art museum. Now, personally,<br />
I am fond of art. If you look closer at any<br />
piece you are able to discover things<br />
30 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
never imagined at the first glance of the<br />
naked eye.”<br />
“Ms Wigglesworth, what was the<br />
museum called?”<br />
“Marcus, you have two ears and one<br />
mouth; please use them in that<br />
proportion. As I was saying, I got up<br />
Saturday morning rather the same as any<br />
day yet with a slight feeling of<br />
unwrapping mystery. After getting ready, I<br />
began to make my way to the museum<br />
and eventually found myself at the foot of<br />
a large institute that had a modern look<br />
about it.<br />
“Now, this ‘museum’ was rather<br />
different than any other you might be<br />
familiar with but its art pieces were still of<br />
an extraordinary precision and originality.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first piece I saw was probably the<br />
most memorable. I wasn’t sure whether it<br />
was a giant cabbage or a viridescent<br />
crater. I could not decide whether it was<br />
attractive or repulsive but looking at it left<br />
a funny taste in my mouth.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> second piece I saw was what<br />
seemed to be a collection of fishing nets<br />
all bundled together. Now these weren’t<br />
just any normal fishing nets, they were a<br />
vibrant red and orange like a pool of<br />
magma waiting to engulf you in the<br />
rapture of satisfied hunger. Among other<br />
pieces I saw a tall sculpture of purple<br />
asparagus with a sort of waxy yellow filling<br />
which was rather an unnerving sight, and a<br />
canvas of red dots reminiscent of a literal<br />
sea of blood opening at the command of<br />
Seurat’s brush.<br />
“I came next to a large model of a<br />
cave with stalactites and stalagmites that<br />
seemed to be made out of what looked<br />
like baked beans soaked in tomato sauce.<br />
It was an accurate but seemingly odd<br />
replica of a cave should I say. <strong>The</strong> last few<br />
pieces were in what they called the<br />
‘Exhibition of Nature’ in which many<br />
natural elements of the world from<br />
vegetation to climate to marine life were<br />
displayed as art. <strong>The</strong> first piece of this<br />
exhibition was the painting of the tree of<br />
life. It had one thick trunk but separated<br />
into thousands of tiny branches which<br />
each seemed so delicate but each playing<br />
a part in the survival of this unique tree.<br />
However, the tree in the painting was not<br />
green but it was a magnificent red, like<br />
the fishing nets I had seen earlier.”<br />
“A red tree, Ms Wigglesworth??”<br />
asked a young girl named Jessica.<br />
“Yes, cardinal red. It was just like a tree<br />
but was in some way different… in an<br />
inexplicable way. <strong>The</strong> final piece I saw was<br />
a painting which had magnificent shades<br />
of blue, ranging from cerulean to<br />
aquamarine. <strong>The</strong> painting represented an<br />
exotic coral head found only in the most<br />
remote and untouched parts of the<br />
world.”<br />
“This sounds like the weirdest<br />
museum I have ever heard of in my<br />
whoooooole life,” said Marcus, who had<br />
finally built up the courage to say<br />
something again after being initially<br />
reprimanded by Ms Wigglesworth.<br />
“Well, Marcus, that’s because it wasn’t<br />
a museum that I was in at all but a science<br />
laboratory. All of those pieces of art I<br />
described to you are the substances,<br />
tissues, cells and chemicals working inside<br />
our bodies this very instant.” A wind of<br />
murmurs and surprised faces swept across<br />
the classroom. <strong>The</strong> children studied their<br />
hands from their every crease to their last<br />
cuticle. <strong>The</strong>y actually began to listen to<br />
the steady drumming of their hearts<br />
instead of simply hearing it.<br />
“So what were all those things?”<br />
Jessica inquired.<br />
“That piece of cabbage was a taste<br />
bud that I viewed under a microscope.<br />
Without it, it would be impossible to have<br />
any sense of taste. <strong>The</strong> cells react to the<br />
chemicals in our food and send messages<br />
back to the brain which will give us that<br />
lovely sensation of taste we get when we<br />
eat our favourite food or squirm at the<br />
ones we don’t enjoy! <strong>The</strong> fish nets were<br />
the first layer of our skin – the epithelium<br />
– in our oesophagus. Those purple<br />
asparagus were a bundle of nerves that<br />
run throughout our body to give us the<br />
sense of touch; the canvas of red dots<br />
was our red blood cells that transport<br />
oxygen around our body; the cave of<br />
baked beans was the cells which line our<br />
stomach and secrete mucus which not<br />
only protects our stomach from gastric<br />
acids, but helps with the fragmentation of<br />
food and destroys any bacteria contained<br />
in the food. <strong>The</strong> tree of life was the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
award winners from British West Indies<br />
Collegiate, Turks & Caicos Islands
network of tiny fibres and capillaries<br />
which remove the toxins in our kidneys<br />
and that beautiful painting of a coral<br />
head was crystals of oestrogen, which is a<br />
female hormone secreted by the ovaries<br />
that stimulates the menstrual cycle and<br />
the growth of breasts. Without it we as<br />
females would be unable to have<br />
children.”<br />
“But Ms Wigglesworth why couldn’t<br />
you have just told us that in the first<br />
place?” Marcus asked in confusion.<br />
“Well Marcus, there is the world on<br />
the inside of the human body, and there<br />
is the world on the outside. We see the<br />
world on the outside everyday, but the<br />
world on the inside is not something we<br />
are likely to encounter, so I felt it was my<br />
duty to describe some of it to you. <strong>The</strong><br />
world on the outside is your skin colour or<br />
your size and shape. <strong>The</strong> inside world is<br />
all about cells and tissue. As art is judged,<br />
so are we, but like the paintings we are<br />
judged by the outside world – what is<br />
visible to the naked eye. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
judgements, in the case of human beings,<br />
lead to discrimination, racism, pain and<br />
are the cause of unnecessary feuds that<br />
have been going on in the history of<br />
mankind for years upon end. So how can<br />
we separate human beings from one<br />
another without discrimination or making<br />
stereotypes?<br />
“Maybe we should judge people on<br />
what is on the inside. However, it would<br />
be rather difficult because what I failed to<br />
mention is that on the inside everyone is<br />
the same. My blood is the same colour as<br />
your blood. My stomach cells look like<br />
baked beans as yours do. Our museums<br />
have the same paintings. So what should<br />
we as mankind use to differentiate<br />
between the right and the wrong? If it’s<br />
not the world on the inside or the world<br />
on the outside, what is it?”<br />
<strong>The</strong> class remained impeccably silent<br />
as Ms Wigglesworth continued, “Maybe<br />
it’s the world in between. <strong>The</strong> world of<br />
knowledge, emotion and thought. <strong>The</strong><br />
world between both the inside and out<br />
that neither art nor science can capture.<br />
<strong>The</strong> world that gives us ground to judge<br />
people based on their opinions, feelings<br />
and quality of thought, not on how much<br />
they weigh, their colour or whether they<br />
are a Christian or a Muslim. This, students,<br />
is the message of today’s lesson. Look not<br />
to what is on the outside or the inside of<br />
people you know or may come to know<br />
but to what is in between wor…”<br />
“Ms Wigglesworth?”<br />
“Yes, Marcus?”<br />
“<strong>The</strong> bell rang five minutes ago.”<br />
Andrew Wesson<br />
<strong>The</strong> Academy for Gifted Children –<br />
PACE, Canada<br />
First Prize, Class D in the <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
Colours<br />
Friday 4:55 p.m. Crayola Corporate<br />
Office:<br />
“Do you have the colours?” my boss<br />
asked urgently, five minutes before<br />
quitting time. I handed him a list of<br />
crayon colours for a new box of 64<br />
crayons. He read them with absolute<br />
disgust. “We have already used all of<br />
these colours before!” he said, “Every<br />
single one! <strong>The</strong>y aren’t original! I need 64<br />
completely original crayon colours by<br />
Monday morning or you’re fired!”<br />
I was sweating buckets, but the first few<br />
came quite easily. By the end of the night I<br />
had done 57 with 36 hours left. I let myself<br />
contemplate actually earning a promotion.<br />
Saturday 11 p.m.<br />
I headed to bed, having not thought of a<br />
single colour all day. My confidence was<br />
badly shaken and my family was getting<br />
annoyed at my neglect and bad mood.<br />
Sunday 1 p.m.<br />
After a morning of nothing at all, I would<br />
have to miss my daughter Grace’s dance<br />
recital if I wanted to keep my job. I tried<br />
to tell her calmly and appeal to her sense<br />
of reason. After all if I had no job, how<br />
could we afford the ridiculously expensive<br />
dance lessons and poufy skirts? After the<br />
ensuing argument (read ‘one-sided<br />
screaming match’), my daughter shouted,<br />
“I hate you!” and stormed into her room,<br />
slamming the door. I thought about the<br />
years of therapy she might now need and,<br />
suddenly, it came to me: “Anger<br />
Management Red!” Maybe my dry spell<br />
was over.<br />
Sunday 8 p.m.<br />
I came in from mowing the lawn in near<br />
darkness hoping to have missed the<br />
weekly ‘Sunday Night Homework Panic’<br />
starring my son, Sam. As I crossed the<br />
threshold I saw my wife wild with anger<br />
and briefly contemplated heading back<br />
out to weed whack in the moonlight.<br />
“Wait, ‘Weed Whacker Green’.”<br />
It turned out that my son’s backpack<br />
was filled with the dreaded yellow sheets<br />
indicating that he had not done his<br />
homework for several days straight. I<br />
sliced through the din to come up with<br />
‘Homework Notice Yellow’! Kids can<br />
relate to that! Promotion, here I come!<br />
As I made my colour notes, I was<br />
vaguely aware of the escalating situation.<br />
“Do you have any idea how many….?” As<br />
she lectured poor Sam, I noticed that I<br />
could count the veins on her neck. It was<br />
a little scary, but then it hit me: ‘Popping<br />
Vein Blue’!<br />
Monday 8 a.m.<br />
I needed three more colours, and I was<br />
burnt out. Hey! ‘Burnt-Out Brown’. Now I<br />
was down to two more. My wife and my<br />
children weren’t speaking to me, and I was<br />
going to be fired by 9:05. Miraculously, it<br />
came to me ‘Pink Slip Pink’.<br />
As I backed out of the driveway, I<br />
noticed I was about to run over the hose.<br />
When I got out of the car to move it, a<br />
sudden wave of pain shot up my leg and<br />
a poisonous snake slithered away. My leg<br />
instantly started to swell up and turn<br />
purple. ‘Number 64 – Poisonous Venom<br />
Purple’! I shrieked in delight.<br />
Monday 9 a.m.<br />
I no sooner got into my office, dragging<br />
my swollen purple leg behind me, when<br />
my boss bounded in. As I started to tell<br />
him about the good news, my voice<br />
slowed by the venomous fog of my recent<br />
poisoning, he interrupted me. “Jones, I<br />
had a brainwave. It’s brilliant. We’re going<br />
RETRO – little box, 8 colours: red, blue,<br />
yellow, orange, purple, white, black…”<br />
“And sick-to-my-stomach-green”, I<br />
thought as I keeled over, hit my head on<br />
the floor and lost consciousness.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
31
Results List <strong>2007</strong><br />
Class A<br />
(16-18 year olds)<br />
1st Prize<br />
Lydia Adero<br />
Iganga Secondary School<br />
Uganda<br />
Joint 2nd Prize<br />
Sharmishtha Ghosh<br />
<strong>The</strong> Shri Ram School, India<br />
Joint 2nd Prize<br />
Upasna Lakshi Ramburrun<br />
Gaetan Raynal, Mauritius<br />
Joint 4th Prize<br />
Kelvin Raphael<br />
Olorien Secondary School,<br />
Tanzania<br />
Joint 4th Prize<br />
Faisal Wando<br />
Hilton College, South Africa<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Prize<br />
Arundhati Gupta<br />
<strong>The</strong> Heritage School, India<br />
Special Prize<br />
Devon Brett<br />
Fraser Valley Distance<br />
Education School, Canada<br />
Class B<br />
(14-15 year olds)<br />
1st Prize<br />
Laure-Astrid Wigglesworth<br />
British West Indies Collegiate<br />
Turks & Caicos Islands<br />
Joint 2nd Prize<br />
Nda Masimula<br />
Hilton College, South Africa<br />
Joint 2nd Prize<br />
Daniel Sive<br />
King David High School,<br />
South Africa<br />
4th Prize<br />
Chiraag Gupta<br />
Southridge School, Canada<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Prize<br />
Anuja Vekhande<br />
IES's Jawaharlal Nehru Port<br />
Vidyalaya, India<br />
Special Prize<br />
Rubab Rizvi<br />
Springfield School, Pakistan<br />
Class C<br />
(12-13 year olds)<br />
1st Prize<br />
Marija Cachia<br />
Can GF Agius de Soldanis<br />
Girls' Junior Lyceum, Malta<br />
2nd Prize<br />
Nana Akosua Kodua<br />
Alsyd Academy, Ghana<br />
3rd Prize<br />
James Thomson<br />
Oratory Preparatory School,<br />
United Kingdom<br />
4th Prize<br />
Shanan Teo<br />
Sekolah Seri Suria, Malaysia<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Prize<br />
Grace Bravery<br />
Jersey College for Girls,<br />
United Kingdom<br />
Special Prize<br />
Oliver Moorey<br />
Falkland Island Community<br />
School, Falkland Islands<br />
Class D<br />
(Under-12 year olds)<br />
1st Prize<br />
Andrew Wesson<br />
Academy For Gifted Children<br />
– PACE, Canada<br />
2nd Prize<br />
Naylee Nagda<br />
Oshwal Academy, Kenya<br />
3rd Prize<br />
Joanna-Frederica Farrugia<br />
San Andrea School, Malta<br />
4th Prize<br />
Aggeliki Skoteinou<br />
Xenion High School, Cyprus<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Prize<br />
Gan Zhi Ming<br />
SJK (C) Kuen Cheng (1),<br />
Malaysia<br />
Zoé Wilson, Project Manager of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition, presenting James Thomson, of Oratory Preparatory School, with<br />
his award for 3rd Prize in Class C<br />
32 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08
An International Network<br />
Branch and <strong>Society</strong> activities<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS international network continues to expand with the recent appointment of RCS<br />
Contacts in the British Virgin Islands and Japan. A South African branch of the RCS was<br />
launched during the <strong>2008</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebrations and an RCS Contact will be<br />
appointed in the Maldives shortly. <strong>The</strong> possibility of establishing a new branch in the UK in<br />
Yorkshire is also being explored and other branches are showing signs of becoming more<br />
active following recent changes of personnel.<br />
It is hoped that many branches will be<br />
represented at the International<br />
Meeting in Cyprus in September <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Africa<br />
In Cameroon, the RCS branch launched<br />
its ‘Kurume Project’ which aims to restore<br />
the local village to its former economic<br />
and environmental status and to provide<br />
an example of how the exodus of village<br />
youths might be reversed. <strong>The</strong> project<br />
encourages dialogue between local<br />
people, seeks to identify their needs, to<br />
bridge the poverty gap and to restore<br />
hope. <strong>The</strong> branch circulated a newsletter<br />
about the project and the Bristol<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> is generously<br />
contributing to its maintenance.<br />
RCS Cameroon held their<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day <strong>2008</strong> celebration in<br />
the Government Bilingual Teacher<br />
Training College in the South West<br />
Province, Kumba. <strong>The</strong> venue reflected<br />
their belief that young teachers can play<br />
an instrumental role in educating the next<br />
generation about today’s most pressing<br />
environmental issues. Activities included<br />
cultural dance, performances by a local<br />
school choir, a parade of <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
flags and a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> quiz. In<br />
keeping with the theme, ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
Environment – Our Future’, other<br />
branches of the RCS also organised visits<br />
to wildlife reserves, including the Korup<br />
National Park.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chairperson of the Kenya branch,<br />
Mr James Foster, presented books to a<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
winner’s school and laid a wreath at the<br />
War memorial in the Military Cemetery<br />
near Nairobi on Armistice Day. Mr Foster<br />
was an Official Observer at the highly<br />
controversial elections which took place in<br />
Kenya in December <strong>2007</strong> and has provided<br />
an account of his observations and the<br />
Members of RCS Cameroon take part in<br />
the Kurume Project<br />
subsequent developments to the RCS.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s<br />
Association of Uganda has been very<br />
active over the course of the last year. It<br />
staged a Mini Youth CHOGM, held a<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition prize<br />
ceremony, contributed to the National<br />
Task Force that organised the first<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Week in Uganda, and<br />
hosted Korean Internet volunteers<br />
training students in the use of IT. It also<br />
trained teachers in the use of IT, formed<br />
part of the National Working Group for<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Forum and<br />
was represented at a Global Knowledge<br />
Conference in Malaysia. In addition, the<br />
branch has established partnerships with<br />
the Institute of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Studies,<br />
Kibissa and the UN Association of<br />
Uganda. In particular it worked with the<br />
international RCS delegation at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Summit in Uganda, in<br />
November <strong>2007</strong>, on numerous campaigns<br />
and activities.<br />
Asia<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Cultural <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Bangladesh held an English<br />
Communication Workshop for journalists.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Students’ Welfare<br />
Group of India has been working on a<br />
joint Indo-Canadian RCS Community<br />
Youth Project and has undertaken several<br />
initiatives with the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Youth<br />
in Action group.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Peoples<br />
Friendship Association of Pakistan<br />
submitted proposals to the UK High<br />
Commission in Pakistan regarding a new<br />
RCS Sri Lanka hold a farewell lunch and presentation ceremony for outgoing President<br />
Tissa Jayaweera<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
33
Governor of Queensland, HE Ms Quentin Bryce, AC at the RCS Brisbane branch<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebrations<br />
UK Pakistan Development Strategy. RCS<br />
Director-General Stuart Mole sent a<br />
message of condolence to the branch<br />
following the assassination of Benazir<br />
Bhutto.<br />
In Sri Lanka, the UK High<br />
Commissioner and his wife were guests of<br />
honour at a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day Dinner<br />
organised by RCS Sri Lanka. Other<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> diplomats were also<br />
present. Members of the branch<br />
subsequently held a farewell luncheon for<br />
the UK High Commissioner and his wife<br />
when they left Sri Lanka. <strong>The</strong> branch also<br />
held a Christmas Charity programme for<br />
destitute and under-privileged children,<br />
and a Christmas Evening for members<br />
and members visited historic, cultural and<br />
religious sites in Sri Lanka.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Pacific<br />
In Fiji the military coup has created a<br />
difficult situation for the RCS branch.<br />
However, the branch has managed to get<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day made a public holiday<br />
in conjunction with Youth Day. <strong>The</strong> branch<br />
is hopeful that the elections scheduled for<br />
March 2009 will restore democracy to Fiji.<br />
Canberra, Australia branch members<br />
are successfully rebuilding the branch<br />
after it hit difficult times two years ago.<br />
<strong>The</strong> branch held a multi-faith<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebration for the<br />
first time and continued with its Schools<br />
Public Speaking Contest. Members were<br />
invited to visit a Hindu Temple and the<br />
Canberra Islamic Centre. <strong>The</strong> Vice-<br />
President of the New South Wales branch<br />
was a guest at the Governor-General’s<br />
celebration of HM <strong>The</strong> Queen’s birthday.<br />
34 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Queensland Branch published articles<br />
about Barbados and Bangladesh in its<br />
newsletters. <strong>The</strong> branch sent school<br />
materials to an orphanage in Zambia and<br />
presented a prize to a <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Essay Competition winner. South Australia<br />
branch sponsored cultural events and<br />
members gave food gifts and cash to<br />
Anglicare. <strong>The</strong> revival of the South<br />
Tasmania branch is continuing and they<br />
held a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebration at<br />
Hobart Cathedral. Victoria branch helped<br />
sponsor charity work in Papua New<br />
Guinea and the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay<br />
Competition. Western Australia branch<br />
held its annual Student CHOGM and has<br />
published articles on several<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries as well as the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation in recent<br />
newsletters.<br />
In New Zealand, the Auckland branch<br />
held its annual <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
Service in the presence of the new<br />
Governor-General. <strong>The</strong> branch President,<br />
Jo Stone, sent a letter of condolence to<br />
the widow of Sir Edmund Hillary following<br />
his death. Both Sir Edmund and his wife<br />
were life members of the Auckland branch.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS received a number of messages<br />
of condolence from branches which were<br />
forwarded onto Auckland. Canterbury<br />
branch had a guest speaker from Christian<br />
World Service at its <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
Service where scholars from Dominica and<br />
Jamaica read two of the affirmations.<br />
Wellington branch held a multi-faith<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day service in the<br />
presence of the Governor-General; ran its<br />
annual Youth CHOGM and published<br />
articles on the Uganda CHOGM,<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s Forum,<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Business Forum and other<br />
RCS branches in its newsletters. <strong>The</strong><br />
branch was also represented at a<br />
Dominion Day Symposium.<br />
North America<br />
RCS Canada organised a <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Symposium in conjunction with the<br />
National Meeting in Ottawa. <strong>The</strong> RCS<br />
Director-General, Stuart Mole, was among<br />
the speakers at the annual meeting. Most<br />
Canadian branches held <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Day celebrations.<br />
Edmonton branch staged a “Canada<br />
at War in Afghanistan” Symposium. <strong>The</strong><br />
proceeds of Newfoundland & Labrador’s<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day Party were given to<br />
local charities. Ottawa branch held its<br />
own Symposium on South/South<br />
Collaboration and hosted <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Judicial Education Institute visitors.<br />
Prince Edward Island branch have<br />
formed a partnership with Acadian and<br />
Aboriginal colleagues to restructure a<br />
local historic site. <strong>The</strong>y are also<br />
undertaking a project to bolster the<br />
emphasis of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> membership<br />
to new citizens of Canada and are<br />
maintaining their annual bursary to the<br />
University of Prince Edward Island to<br />
support a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> student.<br />
Toronto branch published articles about<br />
Jamaica, Barbados and Australia and<br />
CARICOM-Canada Trading Arrangements<br />
in its newsletters and on the RCS Canada<br />
website. <strong>The</strong> branch was represented at a<br />
dinner for the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-<br />
General and held a silent auction for<br />
victims of the Jamaica floods.<br />
Vancouver branch published articles<br />
about the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Youth Credit<br />
Initiative and about trade in developing<br />
countries. <strong>The</strong>y also carried an appeal in<br />
their newsletter from Dame Billie Miller,<br />
Barbados’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and<br />
Foreign Trade, about the closure of the<br />
UN office in Barbados. Branch members<br />
participated in the Vancouver Multicultural<br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s Culture Fair Reception and the<br />
branch plans to co-operate with the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
Overseas League in some joint events.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Branch Secretary of the Vancouver<br />
Island Branch and the National President<br />
of RCS Canada met with the British<br />
Columbia Ministry of Education to discuss<br />
the promotion of education about the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> in all schools in member<br />
countries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> British and <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong> of North America now has a new<br />
Chairman who has ambitious plans for the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>.
<strong>The</strong> Caribbean<br />
In the Caribbean, the Barbados branch held<br />
its annual multi-faith service in the presence<br />
of the Governor-General, HE Sir Clifford<br />
Husbands, and the UK High Commissioner.<br />
<strong>The</strong> branch also held a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
luncheon attended by the Governor-<br />
General and twelve <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
students. <strong>The</strong> RCS Honorary Representative<br />
in the Cayman Islands, Mr Charles Quin,<br />
again helped to organise <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Day celebrations. <strong>The</strong> Round Table of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Countries in the Dominican<br />
Republic organised functions, involving<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> diplomats and local<br />
businesses, to promote commercial<br />
relations with <strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y also publicised the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> in<br />
the local media. Jamaica branch<br />
celebrated <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day with a<br />
function attended by the Governor-General<br />
which was later broadcast on local<br />
television.<br />
Europe, the UK and Channel<br />
Islands<br />
Members of Gibraltar branch attended<br />
functions involving Dr Mark Collins,<br />
Director of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Foundation and RCS Director-General,<br />
Stuart Mole. Guernsey branch were<br />
delighted to entertain HE Mr Kamalesh<br />
Sharma, the then Indian High<br />
Commissioner to the UK and the new<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretary-General, as<br />
guest of honour at their annual dinner.<br />
Jersey branch celebrated <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Day with a buffet supper in the presence<br />
of the Lieutenant-Governor and his wife.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a display by a local group who<br />
have been involved in a number of<br />
projects in Kenya. <strong>The</strong> branch has strong<br />
links with the Durrell Wildlife Trust and its<br />
students, and seeks to involve the<br />
students, many from <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
countries, in its events during their stay in<br />
Jersey.<br />
Bath branch sponsored five gap year<br />
students and helped to organise the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day service in Bath<br />
Abbey.<br />
Belfast branch were involved in<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebrations at<br />
Stormont at which Matthew Neuhaus, the<br />
Director of Political Affairs at the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat, spoke.<br />
Bristol branch entertained<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> students on several<br />
Dancers from the Seychelles entertain guests at the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club, London<br />
occasions and supported gap year<br />
students, Water Aid and Sight Savers.<br />
Work on the renovation of<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> House in Bristol<br />
continues.<br />
Cambridge University branch<br />
continued with its welcoming tea parties<br />
for overseas students and its participation<br />
in the Humanitarian Centre Garden Party,<br />
as well as organising a number of other<br />
events. <strong>The</strong> branch is also continuing its<br />
sponsorship of a <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay<br />
Competition prize.<br />
Oxford branch held a <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Day celebration at Oxford Town Hall in<br />
the presence of local dignitaries. <strong>The</strong><br />
branch also held a panel discussion on<br />
‘Fair trade’ and Ruth Lea, Director of the<br />
Centre for Policy Studies, spoke on ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
British Future in the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>’ at a<br />
Spring Lunch.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wales branch took part in<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day celebrations at the<br />
Welsh Assembly, has established a<br />
website and started a quarterly<br />
e-newsletter. <strong>The</strong> branch has held talks<br />
about links between Wales, Lesotho and<br />
Kenya and hoped to be represented at<br />
several multi-cultural festivals in Wales<br />
during <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
35
About the Scottish Qualifications Authority<br />
<strong>The</strong> Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is an<br />
executive non-departmental public body (NDPB)<br />
sponsored by the Scottish Government's Education<br />
Department. We are the national body in Scotland<br />
responsible for the development, accreditation,<br />
assessment and certification of qualifications other<br />
than degrees. SQA is also a UK wide awarding body<br />
offering a range of qualifications to centres outside<br />
Scotland.<br />
<strong>The</strong> overall aim of the SQA is to manage the<br />
qualifications system below degree level to allow<br />
students to fulfill their potential to participate in the<br />
economy, society and communities of Scotland.<br />
SQA employs approximately 562 staff located at sites<br />
in Scotland and China. <strong>The</strong>re are approximately<br />
1,470 centres approved to offer SQA’s wide range<br />
of qualifications.<br />
Education and training are becoming more global. With<br />
increasing mobility of labour, demand is growing for<br />
education and qualifications that cross national borders.<br />
New developments in online learning and assessment<br />
mean that there are new opportunities as well as<br />
challenges for SQA and similar organisations.<br />
SQA International consultancy and SQA International<br />
Awarding are two business areas within SQA that works<br />
to support and develop education and training<br />
internationally. SQA is a leader in identifying and<br />
addressing the challenges presented by the increasing<br />
globalisation of education and training. We are<br />
committed to playing our part in contributing to the<br />
development of learning, training and assessment across<br />
the world.<br />
A growing number of overseas organisations now offer<br />
SQA qualifications. Other countries use its standards as a<br />
benchmark for developing their own systems and<br />
qualifications. SQA’s systems have become development<br />
models in Europe, Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa, and<br />
the Middle East. SQA has a strong track record of sharing<br />
its expertise with governments, donor agencies and<br />
partners to support the development of education and<br />
training internationally.<br />
SQA has an extensive track record for its international<br />
work. Current activities include:<br />
• Qualification benchmarking activity – South Africa<br />
• Revision of TVET qualification framework and<br />
structure – Mozambique<br />
• Development of vocational qualifications – Botswana<br />
• Development of a vocational college – Botswana<br />
• Development of Competence based qualifications –<br />
Antigua and Barbuda<br />
• Development of learning materials – Ghana<br />
For more information on SQA visit our website at www.sqa.org.uk
Supporting the work of the RCS<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS’s wide range of charitable outreach work involves every <strong>Commonwealth</strong> country<br />
and is available to all <strong>Commonwealth</strong> citizens.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se activities celebrate the diversity<br />
of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y:<br />
• bring children and young people into<br />
contact with the modern<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong>, and give them a real<br />
understanding of its aims and values;<br />
• give a voice to young people in the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> and the confidence to<br />
use that voice;<br />
• inspire and facilitate an ever-widening<br />
web of links between people and<br />
organisations in the 53<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> countries;<br />
• encourage and recognise the creativity<br />
and professionalism of aspiring<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> artists, designers and<br />
film-makers;<br />
• help to develop strong functioning civil<br />
societies, particularly in areas of conflict.<br />
<strong>The</strong> RCS seeks to develop long-term<br />
partnerships with sponsors and donors<br />
who have a mutual interest in achieving<br />
these goals.<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club<br />
• Wexas Travel Management<br />
• This Way Up Design<br />
• Champagne Beaumet<br />
• Club Quarters<br />
• Gordon’s Audiovisual<br />
• Hayward Bros<br />
• William Clarke Flowers<br />
• Silverjet<br />
Art at the RCS<br />
• Seychelles Tourist Board<br />
• Air Seychelles<br />
• Anita Klein<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Mall Galleries<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club building in Northumberland Avenue<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Vision Awards<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Secretariat<br />
• Foreign and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office<br />
• British Council<br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation<br />
• BBC World Service<br />
• British Board of Film Classification<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Day<br />
• Member organisations of the Council<br />
of <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Societies<br />
• Foreign and <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Office<br />
• <strong>Royal</strong> Horticultural <strong>Society</strong><br />
• <strong>Commonwealth</strong> High Commissions<br />
• BP<br />
• Mackwoods Ltd<br />
• Nexus Strategic Partnerships Ltd<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Essay Competition<br />
• Barclays Bank (Mauritius)<br />
• Charlton Athletic Community Trust<br />
• Allan and Nesta Charitable Trust<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
37
People on the move:<br />
more different, more unequal?<br />
A keynote address by Trevor Phillips OBE<br />
N o matter how hard, integration should be a sine qua non for a modern society. At the<br />
heart of that integration there must be a mutual tolerance that transcends racial and<br />
ethnic difference. In my experience – and I have worked in and reported from over 30 different<br />
countries around the world – although this desire for a blend of shared values and mutual<br />
tolerance may be found in many places, nowhere is it more deeply embedded than in those<br />
which share the historical inheritance defined today by the <strong>Commonwealth</strong>.<br />
Without wanting to bang the drum for<br />
some sort of Imperial ‘exceptionalism’, I<br />
believe that those values were inherited<br />
from the specific history we share – a<br />
history which includes the startling<br />
Elizabethan doctrine of toleration, the<br />
abolition of the slave trade and the<br />
defining mid-twentieth century fight<br />
against fascism. And those values have<br />
been communicated and sustained<br />
through our common language, English.<br />
So I base my remarks tonight on an<br />
empirical finding, or you might call it an<br />
ingrained prejudice. <strong>The</strong> 1.7 billion<br />
people who are tied together by the<br />
history of the Empire and <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
still have a real, visceral link that it will<br />
take many generations to sever,<br />
irrespective of political and religious<br />
differences. Our planet has never been<br />
more in need of that shared set of values<br />
and that common sentiment of toleration<br />
than it is today.<br />
Looking across Britain, we can<br />
immediately see an increasingly diverse<br />
nation. But, we need also to look beyond<br />
our coastlines to a world with fewer<br />
boundaries: a world in which the<br />
economic and social maps are being rewritten<br />
daily as businesses; people and<br />
skills move not just to the next town or<br />
‘down the valley’, but across the globe.<br />
This is the reality of globalisation and the<br />
most significant truth of modern times.<br />
We cannot under-estimate the size or<br />
complexity of the global challenge, or<br />
predict its next turn, but we do know that<br />
we can no longer corral populations<br />
behind man-made national borders.<br />
Indeed, migration must surely be the<br />
most unsettling aspect of today's political<br />
landscape, though paradoxically the one<br />
that offers the greatest opportunity to<br />
38 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
hundreds of millions of people for<br />
increased prosperity and redistribution of<br />
wealth. We know that there is more<br />
migration across the globe than ever<br />
before thanks to the jet plane, easier<br />
communications and more open borders.<br />
<strong>The</strong> UN tells us that 200 million people or<br />
thereabouts live and work outside the<br />
country of their birth. This country alone<br />
sees 30 million visitors, students and<br />
workers each year.<br />
We also know that this migration<br />
brings us prosperity, adding to our GDP<br />
each year by estimates which vary, but,<br />
generally, are thought to be in the billion<br />
or two range. It also adds to growth and<br />
prevents growth being stifled by lack of<br />
skills. A recent report by the independent<br />
Ernst and Young ITEM club, which<br />
uniquely uses the Treasury's own<br />
economic model, tells us that without<br />
migration, growth in the UK would fall<br />
from a healthy 3 per cent per annum to a<br />
far less robust 2.2 per cent, with all that<br />
would follow for reductions in public<br />
service provision, rising affluence and<br />
employment levels. Migration is<br />
increasingly being built into the fabric of<br />
international economic relations.<br />
Attempts to suggest that governments<br />
can somehow turn the tap on and off at<br />
will are, to use the vogue word,<br />
delusional.<br />
At the same time people like myself,<br />
who deeply believe that modern<br />
migration is an inevitable consequence of<br />
technological discovery, economic<br />
progress and political freedom, cannot<br />
and must not run away from the social<br />
challenges that it presents. This is not just<br />
an issue of getting used to new cultures<br />
and races. Twenty-first century migration<br />
has become today's litmus test political<br />
issue, because it is the single clearest<br />
everyday manifestation of change in our<br />
world. It is why it remains at the top of<br />
every survey of public opinion as the most<br />
salient issue to voters.<br />
<strong>The</strong> often less than edifying debate we<br />
have in Western countries about<br />
migration has simply missed the point of<br />
what is happening. <strong>The</strong> nature of<br />
migration has changed radically over the<br />
past fifteen years, and the flows we<br />
confront today, both immigration and<br />
emigration are, at one and the same time,<br />
vastly more significant and massively less<br />
menacing than is widely supposed.<br />
Whether it becomes a benefit or a<br />
burden is down to how we handle it. In a<br />
sense we can paraphrase Bill Clinton's<br />
words about globalisation: migration isn't<br />
a policy, it is a fact; the only thing that<br />
matters is how we respond to it.<br />
It is becoming clear that the people<br />
who suffer the most from the pressures of<br />
population growth on our infrastructure<br />
are the poorest people, typically the lastbut-one<br />
wave of migrants, living in the<br />
most deprived areas. We can see this<br />
clearly in differential child poverty rates,<br />
employment participation, health<br />
statistics and worst of all, for people<br />
looking for a better future, shockingly<br />
poor levels of educational achievement<br />
for some migrant and some ethnic<br />
groups, including some whites.<br />
<strong>The</strong> point I am making here is that we<br />
do need migration, but that unless we are<br />
careful, whilst we contribute, rightly, to<br />
the building of opportunities abroad, we<br />
could be creating a well of left-behinds<br />
here at home. That is unfair and the<br />
reason why many ethnic minority and<br />
poor white Britons, are concerned about<br />
the consequences of modern migration.
It is not only the volume, but also the<br />
diversity of migration that is significant.<br />
We have more different kinds of people<br />
rubbing shoulders than ever before. We<br />
know from our experience in the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> that you can't simply<br />
pretend that the world is divided into<br />
crude categories devised by the<br />
eighteenth century taxonomist Carl<br />
Linnaeus: black, white, red, brown and<br />
yellow. Even the 17 ethnic categories<br />
used in the 2001 Census now look pretty<br />
crude, when we consider that a single<br />
category – African – covers Birminghamborn<br />
sons of Somali herdsmen and<br />
Ghanaian barristers; another, Polish<br />
electricians and South African doctors.<br />
That means that our historic policy of<br />
simply leaving well alone and hoping that<br />
people will somehow muddle their way to<br />
an integrated society won't do any more.<br />
It was never going to happen by accident<br />
anyway; but this new, modern kind of<br />
migration demands more proactive<br />
measures than we've ever used before.<br />
<strong>The</strong> laissez-faire multiculturalism of the<br />
past simply will not serve in this new era.<br />
Let me emphasize that I am not lining<br />
up with those who say that we cannot<br />
cope with this new migration; quite the<br />
opposite. Groups like Migration Watch<br />
offer bad arithmetic and a counsel of<br />
despair. I believe that our historical<br />
inheritance as part of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
equips us better than any other group of<br />
people anywhere in the world to manage<br />
the inevitable pressures of the new,<br />
hyper-diverse world. But we won't do it<br />
unless we are active on exploiting the<br />
lessons of that heritage, including the<br />
lessons of what we failed to do.<br />
First, we can recognise that a diverse<br />
society is an inescapable consequence of<br />
Trevor Phillips, OBE<br />
delivering a keynote<br />
address, ‘People on the<br />
move: more different,<br />
more unequal?’ as part of<br />
the RCS series on<br />
Migration<br />
human freedom, but such a society will<br />
never be at peace with itself if difference<br />
becomes an explanation for inequality.<br />
Inequality traps us into a box marked<br />
black or white, woman or man, disabled<br />
or able-bodied and consigns us to live<br />
out the destiny that the box contains. But,<br />
in this age of difference, one of the<br />
principal aims of a progressive society<br />
must surely be to liberate each and every<br />
one of us from that box, both in others'<br />
eyes and in reality.<br />
Let me emphasise that this does not<br />
mean that our identities aren't important<br />
to us. But, just as we don't want to force<br />
ourselves to be the same, so we do not<br />
want our destiny to be defined by those<br />
bits of our identity that other people<br />
decide are important. Yet, as the myriad<br />
versions of humanity become more<br />
manifest, the difficulties of dealing with<br />
our differences become more pressing.<br />
One part of our mission at the EHRC is<br />
to ensure that no-one is left behind. But<br />
we want to be about more than<br />
straightforward anti-discrimination policy,<br />
as important as that is. We need, for<br />
example, to ensure that, not only are<br />
people not shut out of jobs by bigotry,<br />
but that they can compete for the jobs<br />
that are available. That is why we take an<br />
intense interest in the skills agenda.<br />
In this world of rapid change we have<br />
to ensure that people are equipped with<br />
the human capital which can give them an<br />
equitable stake in the global market<br />
place. Domestically, that cannot mean<br />
shutting out skilled migrants; it means<br />
making them unnecessary by ensuring<br />
that all young people have the capacity<br />
to compete.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister has been much<br />
criticised for using the phrase "British jobs<br />
for British workers" because the phrase<br />
was once used by the more thuggish end<br />
of the far right. I think that this is both<br />
unfair and unfortunate. I think I know<br />
enough about Gordon Brown to be sure<br />
that he would be horrified to think that his<br />
words are being taken to imply some kind<br />
of racial exclusivity. In fact, I would say his<br />
concern has been above all for those<br />
ethnic minority young people currently<br />
shut out of the jobs market. In all his uses<br />
of the phrase it was clear that what he has<br />
been trying to raise is exactly the same<br />
point I am raising here - that to compete<br />
in the modern world, all our young people<br />
need to have the skills to compete. If we<br />
try to shut out foreigners without<br />
providing the skills amongst British<br />
workers, all that will happen is that the<br />
jobs will go elsewhere. In a sense, what we<br />
really want to make sure we have are<br />
British workers for British jobs.<br />
Second, we can recognise the<br />
importance of our common heritage. <strong>The</strong><br />
way we talk to each other in a diverse<br />
society is of the utmost importance.<br />
English is the single most important<br />
language in the world, partly driven by<br />
the commercial imperatives which our<br />
American cousins are so good at, but in<br />
reality made powerful by our British<br />
cultural heritage. That is why I welcome<br />
the strong support to English learning<br />
that the government is now providing,<br />
and in particular the government's<br />
proposal for free classes for those who<br />
want to make this country their new<br />
home.<br />
And in the so-called war against terror,<br />
the Prime Minister must surely be right<br />
when he says that our ultimate weapon is<br />
not security or military action. It lies in the<br />
attractiveness of our culture, our ideas<br />
and our way of life, expressed through<br />
our creative output, both refined and<br />
popular. In this, I believe there is a role for<br />
the <strong>Commonwealth</strong> to play: to inspire<br />
people to be the best, most humane and<br />
most moral that they can be.<br />
If our <strong>Commonwealth</strong> is to have<br />
meaning in the twenty-first century surely<br />
it has to be by taking the lead on issues<br />
of this kind.<br />
This is an edited version of a speech by<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE to the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> on 15 January<br />
<strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Trevor Phillips OBE is the Chair of the<br />
Equality and Human Rights Commission,<br />
an organisation promoting equality issues<br />
across ethnic, gender, sexual orientation,<br />
disability and other minority interests.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
39
Women matter: Improving gender<br />
rights through girls’ education<br />
A presentation by Ladi Dariya<br />
T he 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights expresses the credo that all<br />
human beings are created free and equal. But not until 1995 did the United Nations<br />
declare women's rights to be human rights.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pursuit of equal rights, justice and<br />
freedom for and by women across the<br />
globe has been carried out through an<br />
alliance of governments, NGOs and even<br />
grassroots movements. In this century, as<br />
we stand in possession of accelerated<br />
information and communication and have<br />
become world citizens, it is sad that<br />
nationalistic identities persist and, along<br />
with nationalism, a view that does not<br />
embrace pluralism and a free and fair<br />
society. Most societies still cling to the<br />
belief that this new global society<br />
contradicts their system of beliefs. <strong>The</strong><br />
concept of an inclusive and diverse world,<br />
of a more free and open society, presents<br />
challenges and in many cases, tensions.<br />
In most parts of Africa, girls and<br />
women are still being denied education,<br />
health and employment. For most of<br />
them, marriage is the only means of<br />
economic survival and social acceptance.<br />
It is however, very important in these<br />
times of competitive global economy that<br />
the girl child takes her rightful place in<br />
the society. Although efforts by some<br />
African governments for free primary<br />
education are laudable, the girl child<br />
needs much more than rudimentary<br />
education if she is to contribute<br />
meaningfully to the wider society. <strong>The</strong><br />
primary school usually consists of people<br />
in one’s local home area, who have the<br />
same values and expectations. <strong>The</strong> result<br />
is that one is hardly ever challenged; nor<br />
does one meet new ideals that challenge<br />
the status quo. In my village for instance, I<br />
was taught English in my native dialect –<br />
nothing made sense!<br />
<strong>The</strong> secondary school, being more<br />
diverse, is the place where new awareness<br />
is achieved. It is no coincidence that this<br />
corresponds with adolescence, a period<br />
when people are more likely to question<br />
traditional values and to challenge<br />
accepted norms; where lasting character<br />
traits are formed and ambitions start to<br />
40 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
materialise. Being the formative years of<br />
adulthood, this is the time when<br />
education starts to matter and becomes<br />
valuable to the receiver.<br />
I could talk all night about the value of<br />
a secondary education and the fact that<br />
not everyone can afford it. I could also<br />
point to the fact that when it comes to<br />
choosing, the male child is given<br />
preference. For many African women, a<br />
secondary education represents an end<br />
not a beginning, breeding<br />
discontentment instead of satisfaction.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are suddenly more aware of<br />
themselves and what they could be, if<br />
only they were given the opportunity; not<br />
being able to go for further education<br />
most often ends in frustration.<br />
When I was in secondary school, girls<br />
were expected to take Home Economics<br />
while Agricultural Science and other<br />
sciences were the reserve of the<br />
boys…you were somehow orchestrated<br />
towards marriage, but other subjects<br />
made you yearn for better things; gave<br />
you a desire to have it all. After my<br />
secondary school, I thought that was it for<br />
me: I had no hope for any further<br />
education – there was no way my mother<br />
could afford it. My peers thought I ought<br />
to count my blessings at being sponsored<br />
through secondary school by the CCL<br />
Education Fund. <strong>The</strong>y thought I should<br />
get married, since most of them were<br />
without any education and mothers<br />
already.<br />
My regular communication with the<br />
late Dymphna Porter of the CCL however,<br />
showed me the world in a different light.<br />
Not only did she write regularly to me,<br />
but she also encouraged her daughters to<br />
do the same. In those trying times, when I<br />
was thrown between pursuing my dreams<br />
and packing it all in by getting married to<br />
a young man I knew barely anything<br />
about, Dymphna Porter wrote me a letter<br />
that turned my life around. I will read the<br />
last paragraph of the letter…<br />
“Do not think of yourself as a ‘ghetto<br />
child’. You are an able and intelligent<br />
young woman, who has a lot to give to<br />
her country. Go on trying to find the best<br />
way to do this. <strong>The</strong>re must be a way.”<br />
Sadly, this was the last mail I received<br />
from her as we lost touch for 14 years,<br />
when the Porters moved to a new home.<br />
She had persuaded the trustees of the<br />
CCL Education Fund to make a further<br />
year’s grant of £200 to enable me to take<br />
exams for further studies. I was<br />
overwhelmed by her belief in me and I<br />
knew I had to find a way. I took the exams<br />
and saved the part of the grant meant for<br />
my textbooks by photocopying those of<br />
my classmates. I saved on transport by<br />
walking and started a small business of<br />
buying and selling clothes to my more<br />
privileged classmates. That way I was able<br />
to save money to pay for my first year and<br />
I continued buying and selling throughout<br />
all my years at the University. I was still<br />
able to take care of my younger siblings<br />
and to supplement my mother’s income.<br />
Until very recently, I was the first and only<br />
graduate in my entire village. My two<br />
younger sisters whom I sponsored have<br />
since joined me.<br />
At the University, I was able to come to<br />
a deeper understanding of the gender<br />
issues in my part of the world. I took a lot<br />
of Political Science courses. I was not<br />
grooming myself for politics, but I needed<br />
an avenue to vent my pent-up feelings<br />
about the dual standards administered to<br />
males and females. I knew my views<br />
would not go beyond term papers and<br />
examinations, but these were avenues<br />
and I needed them. I could talk freely in<br />
class about genital mutilation, forced<br />
marriages and marriage of girls barely in<br />
puberty and about the girl child<br />
disallowed inheritance because of some<br />
custom or other. <strong>The</strong>se were issues others<br />
in class knew and could identify with, but,
like me, they were helpless. It never<br />
occurred to me that I would ever address<br />
such a dignified assembly about how<br />
deep-rooted gender issues are in my<br />
country, or how much good the gift of<br />
education can do.<br />
I did finally get married for all the right<br />
reasons, five years ago. But when I got<br />
married, I hoped and prayed fervently like<br />
my mother before me and countless<br />
other African women that I would not<br />
have a daughter. I know that the girl child<br />
is capable of achieving the same or more<br />
than her male counterpart. Yet when I<br />
looked around me, it broke my heart to<br />
think I might have a daughter who would<br />
go through the same struggles and face<br />
the same difficulties that I had. I thought<br />
wishing not to have a female child would<br />
nip everything at the bud. Two daughters<br />
later, I realised we couldn’t wish the girl<br />
child away! This struggle is not about me<br />
at all; it is much bigger than me. Nature<br />
operates in a continuum; the girl child is<br />
needed for the cycle of life to continue.<br />
We all have unique roles to play in<br />
enabling her to take her rightful place,<br />
just as nature intended.<br />
Dymphna’s letters and dreams for me<br />
made me push for further education; they<br />
have also instilled in me the desire to see<br />
how far I can follow my heart. Even<br />
though I had lost touch with her and the<br />
CCL, I never forgot her confidence in me.<br />
By sheer determination, I forged a career<br />
in banking; a terrain that, in my country, is<br />
very male dominated. I wanted a job that<br />
would pay enough to allow me to save<br />
money to set up an NGO (‘Teenmums’)<br />
that would address the plight of women<br />
forced into early marriages and<br />
motherhood without any education or<br />
skills.<br />
Coming to the UK for postgraduate<br />
studies has been a lifelong dream<br />
sparked by my gratitude to the CCL and<br />
the girls at Burntwood School where<br />
Dymphna was a governor. Jenny Groves,<br />
James Porter and Beatrice Kolade who I<br />
consider partners in the struggle for a<br />
better Africa for women, helped in no<br />
small measure.<br />
I want everyone here to know that<br />
there is no limit to what the African<br />
woman can achieve if given the right<br />
encouragement. <strong>The</strong>re is absolutely<br />
nothing special about me; my story could<br />
be the story of any other African woman<br />
who is given the same opportunity. I do<br />
not believe women in Africa want to be<br />
treated or viewed as being superior to<br />
men. Women do not want a different law<br />
to apply to them; they want to be<br />
recognised as partners in every struggle,<br />
as the equals they truly are. If legislation<br />
is made and enforced for free secondary<br />
education, worthy organisations like the<br />
CCL, the RCS and other charities would<br />
be freed to get on with the business of<br />
providing women with further education<br />
which would better equip them for nation<br />
building.<br />
I read a story once about an English<br />
missionary who went to Africa. <strong>The</strong><br />
Ladi Dariya, a former recipient<br />
of the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Countries League scholarship,<br />
addresses the RCS on how<br />
women’s rights might be<br />
improved through gender<br />
education in October <strong>2007</strong><br />
missionary told the story of heading to a<br />
neighbouring village from the one where<br />
the church was stationed. <strong>The</strong>re was a<br />
stream to be crossed between these two<br />
villages. He said he saw an African<br />
gentleman and his wife coming from the<br />
farm. <strong>The</strong> wife had on her head the farm<br />
produce they had harvested in a basket.<br />
On top of that was her husband’s hoe as<br />
well as hers. This woman was also heavily<br />
pregnant and had a toddler in a sling at<br />
her side. Her husband was walking in<br />
front with manly strides carrying nothing<br />
while she struggled under these heavy<br />
burdens, trying to keep up. When they<br />
got to the stream, the husband stopped<br />
to wait for her. <strong>The</strong> missionary thought to<br />
himself “surely he will have to carry some<br />
of these burdens now”. But to his utter<br />
horror, the man climbed his wife’s back,<br />
making sure his feet did not get wet,<br />
while she walked uncertainly across the<br />
stream. Now, whether this actually<br />
happened or is a fable is not the issue.<br />
This story epitomises the strength of the<br />
African woman. Education can only make<br />
her stronger and the continent will be the<br />
better for it.<br />
This is an edited version of a speech by<br />
Ladi Dariya to the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, on 10 October <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
Ladi Dariya is an MA candidate in<br />
Management at Robert Gordon<br />
University, and a former <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Countries League Education Fund scholar.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
41
<strong>The</strong> challenge of the twenty-first<br />
century: setting the real bottom line<br />
A keynote address by Dr David Suzuki<br />
E conomics and ecology are words built on the same root – ‘eco’ – from the Greek word<br />
‘oikos’ meaning home. Ecology is the study of home. Economics is the management of<br />
home. What ecologists try to do is to determine the conditions and principles that govern life’s<br />
ability to flourish and survive. Now I would have thought any other group in society would want<br />
the ecologists to hurry up and find out exactly what those conditions and principles are, so that<br />
we can design our systems to live within them. But not economists.<br />
We have elevated the economy above<br />
everything else and this, I think, is the<br />
crisis we face. <strong>The</strong> economic system that<br />
has been foisted on people around the<br />
world is so fundamentally flawed that it is<br />
inevitably destructive. We must put the<br />
‘eco’ back into economics and realise<br />
what the conditions and principles are for<br />
true sustainable living. Let me just take a<br />
minute to give you the reasons why<br />
economics is out of sync.<br />
First of all, nature performs all kinds of<br />
services. Nature pollinates all of the<br />
flowering plants, it is nature that decays<br />
material, returns it to the earth. It creates<br />
soil, participates in the nitrogen cycle, the<br />
carbon cycle, and the water cycle. All of<br />
these are economically valuable services<br />
performed by nature but economists call<br />
them ‘externalities’, by which they mean<br />
that they are not in the economic<br />
equation. Economists externalise the real<br />
world that keeps us alive. I confronted<br />
this when we were fighting to prevent<br />
logging in a valley where my government<br />
had granted permission to a forest<br />
company. <strong>The</strong> native community said they<br />
did not want the trees cut, so I went to<br />
help them fight for their forest and I<br />
encountered an executive of the forest<br />
company. He asked me whether ‘tree<br />
huggers’ like me would be willing to pay<br />
for the trees in the valley, because if we<br />
were not, those trees would not have any<br />
value until someone cut them down. Of<br />
course, he was absolutely right!<br />
You see, as long as those trees are<br />
alive, they are taking carbon dioxide out<br />
of the air and putting oxygen back. Not a<br />
bad service for an animal like us who<br />
depend on it, you might think. But to an<br />
economist that is an externality. Those<br />
trees are clinging to the soil so when it<br />
42 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
rains the soil does not erode into and<br />
destroy the salmon spawning beds. That<br />
is an externality. Those trees pump<br />
hundreds of gallons of water out of the<br />
soil and transpire it into the air to affect<br />
weather and climate. That is an<br />
externality. That tree provides habitat to<br />
countless bacteria, fungi, insects,<br />
mammals and birds. That is an externality.<br />
So in our crazy system, that forest, as long<br />
as it is standing, performing all of those<br />
functions, has no economic value.<br />
Economists believe the economy can<br />
grow forever. Not only do they believe it<br />
can grow forever, which it cannot, they<br />
believe it must grow forever. Since World<br />
War II they have equated economic<br />
growth with progress. Nobody wants to<br />
stop progress, but if economic growth is<br />
what we define as progress, who is ever<br />
going to ask what an economy is for?<br />
With all this growth are we happier? How<br />
much is enough? We do not ask those<br />
questions. We have fallen into the trap of<br />
believing that economic growth forever is<br />
possible and necessary.<br />
I am going to show you why this is<br />
absolutely suicidal. Anything growing<br />
steadily over time is called exponential<br />
growth and whatever is growing<br />
exponentially has a predictable doubling<br />
time, whether it is the amount of garbage<br />
you make, the number of taxis on the<br />
road, the amount of water you use, or the<br />
human population. So, if the population is<br />
growing at 1 per cent a year it will double<br />
in 70 years; 2 per cent a year it will double<br />
in 35 years; 3 per cent – 23 years; 4 per<br />
cent – 17.5 years. Anything growing<br />
exponentially will double predictably.<br />
I am going to show you why it is<br />
suicidal to think we can keep growing<br />
forever. Let me give you a test tube full of<br />
food for bacteria that represents our<br />
world. I am going to put one bacterial cell<br />
into that test tube (representing us), and<br />
it is going to divide every minute; that is<br />
exponential growth. So at time zero you<br />
have one cell; one minute you have two;<br />
two minutes you have four; three minutes<br />
you have eight; four minutes you have 16.<br />
That is exponential growth and at 60<br />
minutes the test tube is completely full of<br />
bacteria and there is no food left, a 60minute<br />
cycle.<br />
When is the test tube only half full?<br />
Well the answer of course is at 59<br />
minutes; but a minute later it is filled. So<br />
at 58 minutes it is 25 per cent full; 57<br />
minutes 12.5 per cent full. At 55 minutes<br />
of the 60-minute cycle it is only 3 per cent<br />
full. So, if at 55 minutes one of the<br />
bacteria said to its companions that they<br />
had a population problem, the other<br />
bacteria would be incredulous because 97<br />
per cent of the test tube would be empty<br />
and they had been around for 55 minutes.<br />
Yet they would have only 5 minutes left.<br />
So bacteria are no smarter than humans<br />
and at 59 minutes they realise they only<br />
have a minute left. So they give massive<br />
amounts of money to scientists, and in<br />
less than a minute those bacterial<br />
scientists invent three test tubes full of<br />
food. That would be like adding three<br />
more planets for our use. So it would<br />
seem that they (and we) would be saved.<br />
What actually happens is this – at 60<br />
minutes the first tube is full; at 61 minutes<br />
the second is full; and at 62 minutes all<br />
four are full. By quadrupling the amount<br />
of food and space, you buy two extra<br />
minutes! How do we add even a fraction<br />
of 1 per cent more of air, water, soil or<br />
biodiversity? We cannot. <strong>The</strong> biosphere is<br />
fixed and finite and every biologist I have
Dr David Suzuki, Co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, who participated in<br />
a Roundtable discussion with 12 young delegates at the RCS on March 12 <strong>2008</strong><br />
talked to agrees with me: we are past the<br />
59th minute. So all those leaders saying<br />
that we have to keep the economy<br />
growing are saying we have to accelerate<br />
down what is a suicidal path.<br />
Now when I say this to politicians and<br />
business people they get very angry with<br />
me. <strong>The</strong>y remonstrate that our stores are<br />
filled, cities are growing and booming<br />
and we’re living longer and healthier<br />
lives. How can we be past the 59th<br />
minute? I say it without apology. We are<br />
promulgating an illusion that everything is<br />
all right by using up the rightful legacy of<br />
our children and grandchildren. That is<br />
not sustainable, it is suicidal. I believe that<br />
is the challenge for our time. We have<br />
created a system that is completely out of<br />
balance with the real world that keeps us<br />
alive, and climate change is a part of the<br />
problem that we have created with this<br />
kind of economic system.<br />
We have to set a new bottom line, a<br />
bottom line dictated by the reality that we<br />
are biological creatures, completely<br />
dependent for our survival and well being<br />
on clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean<br />
energy and biodiversity. We are social<br />
animals who need strong families and<br />
supportive communities, full employment,<br />
justice, equity and security and freedom<br />
from racism, terror, war and genocide.<br />
And we remain spiritual beings who need<br />
sacred places in the natural world that<br />
gave us birth.<br />
Are there alternatives to the way we<br />
are living that allow us to live rich full lives<br />
without undermining the very life support<br />
systems of the planet? <strong>The</strong>re are plenty of<br />
answers and different paths to follow as<br />
shown by individuals, organisations,<br />
corporations and governments in<br />
different parts of the world. I document<br />
some of them in Good News for a<br />
Change: Hope for a Troubled Planet. 1<br />
To the many individuals who ask me<br />
whether there are effective things they<br />
can do to reduce their personal<br />
ecological footprint, the David Suzuki<br />
Foundation, working with the Union of<br />
Concerned Scientists, came up with a list<br />
of ten effective actions that we call the<br />
Nature Challenge. 2 We are challenging<br />
individuals to commit to doing at least<br />
three of the suggested steps in the<br />
coming year and to date have more than<br />
365,000 Canadians signed on.<br />
Finally, it is clear that political and<br />
corporate priorities are focussed on too<br />
short a timescale, the political agenda<br />
being determined by coming elections<br />
while the corporate priorities are dictated<br />
by the quarterly reports. So we suggested<br />
looking ahead a generation and deciding<br />
the kind of future we would like: a<br />
Canada where the air is clean and 15 per<br />
cent of children no longer come down<br />
with asthma; a country covered in forests<br />
that can be logged forever because it is<br />
being done properly; a nation where we<br />
can drink water from any river and lake as<br />
I did as a child; a place where we can<br />
catch and eat a fish without worrying<br />
about what contaminants are in it.<br />
I have taken this vision of what we<br />
would like to business people, municipal<br />
politicians and multi-faith communities<br />
and all have enthusiastically agreed with<br />
it. So by looking ahead and projecting a<br />
future we wish for, we can agree on a<br />
shared vision. Can it be achieved? We set<br />
concrete targets and deadlines to achieve<br />
what we call ‘Sustainability within a<br />
Generation’, 3 and it has received wide<br />
interest and support. In the nine<br />
categories of action, achieving genuine<br />
wealth, efficiency, clean energy, waste and<br />
pollution, water, healthy food, conserving<br />
nature, sustainable cities and promoting<br />
global sustainability, we believe we can<br />
achieve the desired goal in each. Indeed,<br />
John Godfrey, a Liberal Member of<br />
Parliament, has introduced a Private<br />
Member’s Bill calling for ‘Sustainability<br />
within a Generation’ as a formal goal of<br />
the Canadian government. All we need is<br />
the recognition that it is absolutely urgent<br />
that we begin to make change and the<br />
will to work towards the goal.<br />
This is an extract from the 11th<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Lecture delivered by Dr<br />
David Suzuki on 12 March <strong>2008</strong>. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Lecture is delivered<br />
annually and is sponsored by the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Foundation in<br />
collaboration with the <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Secretariat, the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, the <strong>Royal</strong> Overseas League, the<br />
Cambridge <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Trust and the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Parliamentary<br />
Association.<br />
David Suzuki is Emeritus Professor of the<br />
Sustainable Development Research<br />
Institute, University of British Columbia,<br />
co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation<br />
and an award-winning scientist,<br />
environmentalist and broadcaster.<br />
1 Suzuki, D.T. and Dressel, H. (2002). ‘Good news for a change: hope for a troubled planet’. Niagara Falls, New York, USA, Stoddart Pub. 398pp.<br />
2 www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge<br />
3 Boyd, D.R. (2004) ‘Sustainability within a Generation: A New Vision for Canada’. <strong>The</strong> David Suzuki Foundation, Vancouver, Canada. 52 pp.<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
43
Consolidated statement<br />
of financial activities<br />
(incorporating an income and expenditure account)<br />
For the year ended 31 December <strong>2007</strong> <strong>2007</strong> 2006<br />
Restricted Unrestricted Total Total<br />
£ £ £ £<br />
Incoming resources<br />
Incoming resources from generated funds<br />
Donations – 78,835 78,835 256,725<br />
Legacies – 1,218 1,218 7,729<br />
Investment income – 38,722 38,722 36,288<br />
Incoming resources from charitable activities<br />
Member services – 400,286 400,286 365,780<br />
Public Affairs Programme – 22,456 22,456 26,190<br />
Cultural events – 6,365 6,365 2,472<br />
Educational Programmes 63,002 1,743 64,745 144,939<br />
Activities for generating funds<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club Ltd – 2,671,598 2,671,598 2,245,911<br />
Social activities – 7,946 7,946 11,959<br />
Total incoming resources 63,002 3,229,169 3,292,171 3,097,993<br />
Resources expended<br />
Costs of generating funds:<br />
Costs of generating voluntary income – 109,324 109,324 124,639<br />
Charitable activities<br />
Member services – 336,669 336,669 337,594<br />
Public Affairs Programme – 413,545 413,545 412,361<br />
Cultural events – 106,599 106,599 103,152<br />
Educational Programmes 82,916 272,865 355,781 308,234<br />
Cost of activities for generating funds<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club Ltd – 2,153,925 2,153,925 1,957,573<br />
Social activities – 64,464 64,464 66,746<br />
Governance costs – 83,036 83,036 97,518<br />
Total resources expended 82,916 3,540,427 3,623,343 3,407,817<br />
Net (outgoing) resources before transfers (19,914) (311,258) (331,172) (309,824)<br />
Gross transfers between funds (67,415) 67,415 – –<br />
Net (expenditure) for the year (87,329) (243,843) (331,172) (309,824)<br />
(Losses)/Gains on investments – (9,701) (9,701) 57,476<br />
Net movement in funds (87,329) (253,544) (340,873) (252,348)<br />
Fund balances brought forward on 1 January <strong>2007</strong> 178,423 3,482,032 3,660,455 3,912,803<br />
Total funds carried forward 91,094 3,228,488 3,319,582 3,660,455<br />
44 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08
Consolidated balance sheet<br />
As at 31 December <strong>2007</strong><br />
Fixed assets<br />
Current assets<br />
<strong>2007</strong> <strong>2007</strong> 2006 2006<br />
£ £ £ £<br />
Tangible assets 5,772,184 5,626,924<br />
Investments 1,068,213 1,078,012<br />
6,840,397 6,704,936<br />
Stock 20,264 17,529<br />
Debtors 600,675 513,767<br />
Cash at bank and in hand 90,908 41,384<br />
711,847 572,680<br />
Creditors amounts falling due within one year (1,218,007) (1,104,390)<br />
Net current assets (liabilities) (506,160) (531,710)<br />
Total assets less current liabilities 6,334,237 6,173,226<br />
Creditors amounts falling due after one year (3,014,655) (2,512,771)<br />
Total net assets 3,319,582 3,660,455<br />
Funds<br />
Restricted funds 91,094 178,423<br />
Unrestricted funds 3,228,488 3,482,032<br />
Statement from the Trustees Auditors’ Report on summarised accounts<br />
<strong>The</strong>se summarised accounts are extracted<br />
from the full unqualified audited group<br />
accounts approved by the Trustees on<br />
18th March <strong>2008</strong> and subsequently<br />
submitted to the Charity Commission.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y may not contain sufficient<br />
information to allow a full understanding<br />
of the financial affairs of the charity. For<br />
further information, the full accounts, the<br />
auditors’ report on those accounts and<br />
the Trustees’ <strong>Annual</strong> Report should be<br />
consulted; copies of these can be<br />
obtained from the Director of Finance,<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
25 Northumberland Avenue, London,<br />
WC2N 5AP.<br />
Signed on behalf of the trustees<br />
Baroness Prashar<br />
Chairman<br />
18th March <strong>2008</strong><br />
Auditors’ Statement to the Trustees of<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
We have examined the summarised<br />
financial statements set out on pages<br />
44 and 45.<br />
Respective responsibilities of Trustees<br />
and auditors<br />
You are responsible as Trustees for the<br />
preparation of the summarised financial<br />
statements. We have agreed to report to<br />
you our opinion on the summarised<br />
statements’ consistency with the full<br />
financial statements, on which we<br />
reported to you on 20 March <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
3,319,582 3,660,455<br />
Basis of opinion<br />
We have carried out the procedures we<br />
consider necessary to ascertain whether<br />
the summarised financial statements are<br />
consistent with the full financial<br />
statements from which they have been<br />
prepared.<br />
Opinion<br />
In our opinion the summarised financial<br />
statements are consistent with the full<br />
financial statements for the year ended<br />
31 December <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
H.W. Fisher & Company<br />
Registered Auditors<br />
18th March <strong>2008</strong><br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
45
A World Organisation<br />
RCS HEADQUARTERS<br />
Director-General: Mr Stuart Mole,<br />
OBE, the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>,<br />
25 Northumberland Avenue,<br />
London WC2N 5AP<br />
Tel: 0207 930-6733<br />
Fax: 0207 930-9705<br />
Email: info@rcsint.org<br />
Web: www.rcsint.org<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
Canberra (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of the<br />
Australian Capital Territory Inc.)<br />
President: Mr Hugh Craft, <strong>The</strong> <strong>The</strong>o<br />
Notaras Multicultural Centre, 2nd<br />
Floor, North Building, 180 London<br />
Circuit, Canberra City, Ausatralia<br />
Tel: 02 6281 6967<br />
Email: dolos@grapevine.com.au<br />
Secretary: Mr Richard Hickman,<br />
address as above<br />
Tel: 02 6286 2121<br />
Email: hickman2@bigpond.net.au<br />
Treasurer/Membership: Mr Kevin<br />
Squair, address as above<br />
Tel: 02 6254 1650 (home)<br />
Email: kevinsquair@optusnet.com.au<br />
New South Wales (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, New South<br />
Wales Branch)<br />
President: Mr Frank Gartrell, 31 Pitt<br />
Street, Richmond, New South Wales<br />
2753 Australia<br />
Tel: 02 4578 0672<br />
Fax: 02 9477 2153<br />
Email: vl_clrk@yahoo.com.au<br />
Web: www.rcs-nsw.com.au<br />
Northern Tasmania (Launceston)<br />
(<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Northern Tasmania Branch Inc.)<br />
President: Dr Donald Wall, PO Box<br />
213, Launceston, Tasmania 7250<br />
Secretary: Miss Betty Bissett, PO<br />
Box 213, Launceston, Tasmania 7250<br />
Australia<br />
Tel/Fax: 03 6344 4034<br />
Email: bbissett@bigpond.net.au<br />
Northern Territory (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> Inc.<br />
Northern Territory Branch)<br />
President: Mr John Worrell, PO Box<br />
43229, Casuarina, Northern Territory<br />
0811 Australia<br />
Tel: 08 8927 4549 or 08 8981 8584<br />
Email: dphdcd@bigpond.net.au<br />
Queensland (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Queensland Inc.)<br />
President: Mr Gordon Wilson, Harris<br />
Terrace, 46 George Street, Brisbane,<br />
Queensland 4000 Australia<br />
Tel: 07 3221 7459<br />
Fax: 07 3221 7423<br />
Email: rcsqinc@bigpond.net.au<br />
South Australia (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, South<br />
46 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
Australia Branch Inc)<br />
President: Mr Ken J Pannell<br />
Tel: 08 8397 1234<br />
Hon Sec: Mrs Julie Gameau, PO Box<br />
7013, Hutt Street, Adelaide, South<br />
Australia 5000 Australia<br />
Tel: 08 8397 9547<br />
Southern Tasmania (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Southern<br />
Tasmania Branch)<br />
President: Mr Marcus Laycock,<br />
Nunamia, RA444 Nubeena Road,<br />
Koonya, Tasmania 7187 Australia<br />
Tel: 03 6250 3589<br />
Mobile: 0418 170 653<br />
Email: marcuslaycock@bigpond.com<br />
Hon. Sec: Mrs Sandra Astley Bogg,<br />
PO Box 1008, Rosny Park, Tasmania,<br />
7018 Australia<br />
Tel: 03 6245 9181<br />
Email: pab@netspace.net.au<br />
Victoria (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Victoria Branch)<br />
Hon Sec: Mr John Colston, ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
Gables’, 15 Finch Street, East<br />
Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria 3145<br />
Australia<br />
Tel: 03 9571 5688<br />
Email: rcsvic@bigpond.net.au<br />
Western Australia (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Western<br />
Australia Branch Inc)<br />
President: Mrs Joan Tonkin MBE JP,<br />
Airforce Memorial Estate, Bull Creek<br />
Drive, Bull Creek, Perth, Western<br />
Australia 6149<br />
Tel/Fax: 08 9311 4451<br />
Email: RCS@raafawa.org.au<br />
BAHAMAS<br />
Hon. Rep. to be appointed<br />
BANGLADESH<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Bangladesh<br />
Secretary-General: Ms Nasrine R<br />
Karim, House 2, Road 138, Gulshan<br />
– 1, Dhaka 1212 Bangladesh<br />
Tel: 2 8812050<br />
Fax: 2 8822275<br />
Mobile: 171152 3131<br />
Email: commonwsociety_bd@<br />
yahoo.com<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Cultural <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Bangladesh<br />
General Secretary: Mr Syed Shukur<br />
Ali, 106, Kazi Office Lane, Baro<br />
Moghbazar, Dhaka 1217 Bangladesh<br />
Tel: 2 9359994 or 2 9358398<br />
Fax: 2 9349871<br />
Mobile: 152 318806<br />
Email: commonwealthbd@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
BARBADOS<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Barbados Branch<br />
Branch Chairperson: Mr Miles<br />
Weekes, Malibu, 39 Palm Springs,<br />
St Philip, Barbados<br />
Tel: 423 1060 (home) 230 2558<br />
(mobile)<br />
Email: milesweekes@yahoo.com<br />
All correspondence to:<br />
Hon Secretary: Mr Quincy Yarde,<br />
140, 6th Avenue, West Terrace<br />
Gardens, St James, Barbados<br />
Tel: 438 2367 (home) 820 8885<br />
(mobile)<br />
Email: rcs-barbados@caribsurf.com<br />
or qyarde@cariaccess.com<br />
BELIZE<br />
RCS Contact: Dame Minita Gordon,<br />
GCMG GCVO JP, PO Box 201,<br />
Belize City, Belize<br />
BERMUDA<br />
RCS Contact: Dr Emily Liddell, PO<br />
Box HM 12, Hamilton HMAX,<br />
Bermuda<br />
Tel: 292 2935<br />
Email: emilily@logic.bm<br />
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Tim Peck, PO Box<br />
132, Road Town, Tortola, British<br />
Virgin Islands<br />
Tel (home): 494 448<br />
Email: tpeck@obmi.com<br />
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Brunei Darussalam<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Razali Omarali, PO<br />
Box 196, Kuala Belait, KA 1189,<br />
Brunei Darussalam<br />
Tel: 337 2187<br />
Fax 337 2086<br />
Email: romarali@gmail.com<br />
CAMEROON<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
of Cameroon<br />
National President: Mr Mandi<br />
Manga Obase, PO Box 189, Didi<br />
Cyber, Room 223, Western Province,<br />
Dschang, Manoua Division,<br />
Cameroon<br />
Tel: 7639090<br />
Fax: 3451393<br />
Email: cam_rcs@yahoo.com<br />
Yaounde University<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
RCS Contact: Mr Kizitus Mpoche,<br />
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Arts,<br />
Letters and Social Sciences,<br />
University of Yaounde 1, PO Box<br />
755, Yaounde, Cameroon<br />
Tel: 75055353<br />
Email: kizitus@yahoo.com<br />
CANADA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
of Canada<br />
Web: www.rcscanada.org<br />
RCS Canada National<br />
Chairman: Mr Brian Marley-Clarke,<br />
307-265 Poulin Avenue, Ottawa,<br />
Ontario K2B 7Y8 Canada<br />
Tel: 613 721 8114<br />
Fax: 613 721 3997<br />
Email: bmarley@magma.ca<br />
Edmonton (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Edmonton<br />
Branch)<br />
President: Mr Colin W Reichle, 35<br />
Arlington Drive, St Albert, Alberta<br />
T8N 2Z1 Canada<br />
Tel: 460 9639(R), (780) 0249(B)<br />
Fax: 465 6801;<br />
Email: colin@apos.ab.ca<br />
Web: www.apos.ab.ca website of<br />
Atlanta Professional Outfitters<br />
Correspondence to: 12304, 118<br />
Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5L 5G8<br />
Canada<br />
Tel: 780 482 7865<br />
Fax:780 452 2835 (for the attention<br />
of Joe Zasada)<br />
Email: edmonton@rcs.ca<br />
Montreal (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Montreal)<br />
President: Ms Judith A Elson, Apt.<br />
1602 – 235 Sherbrooke St West,<br />
Montreal, Quebec H2X 1X8 Canada<br />
Tel: 514 281 6718<br />
Fax: 450 656 7621<br />
Email: jelson@rsb.qc.ca or<br />
judithann.elson@rsb.qc.ca<br />
New Brunswick (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, New<br />
Brunswick Branch)<br />
President: Prof Gary Davis, 28 Ash<br />
Glen Lane, Grand Bay-Westfield,<br />
New Brunswick E5K 1R1 Canada<br />
Tel/Fax: 506 738 8228<br />
Email: ashglen@rogers.com<br />
Newfoundland and Labrador (<strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Newfoundland and Labrador Branch)<br />
Chair: Mr Norman Macfie, 32 Ridge<br />
Road, St John’s, Newfoundland A1B<br />
2H5 Canada<br />
Tel: 709 753 6472; Fax: 709 738 5679<br />
Email: nmacfie@nl.rogers.com<br />
Nova Scotia (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Nova Scotia<br />
Branch)<br />
President: Dr Christopher Corkett,<br />
27 Wembley Place, Halifax, Nova<br />
Scotia B3S 1E6 Canada<br />
Tel: 902 445 3964<br />
Email: chriscorkett@eastlink.ca<br />
Ottawa (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Ottawa Branch)<br />
President: Mr Brian Marley-Clarke,<br />
307-265 Poulin Avenue, Ottawa,<br />
Ontario K2B 7Y8 Canada<br />
Tel: 613 721 8114 Fax: 613 721-3997<br />
Email: bmarley@magma.ca<br />
Correspondence to: PO Box 8023<br />
Stn T, Ottawa, Ontario Canada<br />
K1G 3H6<br />
Tel: 613 830 2698 (messages)<br />
Web: www.rcscanada.org/ottawa
Prince Edward Island (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Prince<br />
Edward Island Branch)<br />
President: Dr Kinsey Smith, PO Box<br />
2836, Charlottetown, Prince Edward<br />
Island, C1A 8C4 Canada<br />
Tel: 902 569 8882 (home) 902 963<br />
2850 (Cottage)<br />
Email: kinsey@eastlink.ca<br />
Regina (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong> Regina Branch)<br />
Acting President: Mr Michael<br />
Jackson, 272 Leopold Crescent,<br />
Regina, Saskatchewan S4T 6N9<br />
Canada<br />
Tel: 306 757 1665<br />
Email: dmichaeljackson@sasktel.net<br />
Toronto (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Toronto Branch)<br />
Chairman: Mr Arthur Downes, PO<br />
Box 1037, 1930 Yonge Street,<br />
Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Z4 Canada<br />
Tel: 416-410-0026<br />
Fax: 416-867-3079<br />
Email: info@rcstoronto.ca<br />
Web: www.rcstoronto.ca<br />
Immediate Past Chairman: Mr Peter<br />
K Large, 7 Orchard Green, Toronto,<br />
Ontario M4G 2Y2 Canada<br />
Tel: 416 4214344 (home) 416 867<br />
8669 (office)<br />
Fax: 416 867 3079<br />
Email: pklarge.law@bellnet.ca<br />
University of Prince Edward Island<br />
RCS Contact: Ms Sharon Ross, 45<br />
Maclauchlan Drive, Stratford, Prince<br />
Edward Island C1B 1M2, Canada<br />
Email: islandweb@isn.net or island<br />
web@eastlink.ca<br />
Vancouver (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Vancouver<br />
Branch)<br />
President: Mr Shawn M Wade, BA<br />
(Hons), LlLB, LLM, 411 Dunsmuir<br />
Street, Vancouver, British Columbia<br />
V6B 1X4 Canada<br />
Tel: 604 683 3201<br />
Fax: 604 681 3589<br />
Email: shawnmwade@hotmail.com<br />
Vancouver Island (Vancouver Island<br />
Branch of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong> of Canada)<br />
President: Mrs Dagmar Haupthoff,<br />
25 Maquinna Street, Victoria, British<br />
Columbia V8S 2J3 Canada<br />
Tel: 250 598 2175<br />
Email: h87bud75@telus.net<br />
Winnipeg (Manitoba Branch of the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Canada)<br />
President: Mr Murray Burt, Apt 1801,<br />
277 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg,<br />
Manitoba R3M 3V7 Canada<br />
Tel: 204 488 0167<br />
Email: burt@mts.net<br />
CAYMAN ISLANDS<br />
Hon. Rep: Mr Charles G Quin, QC,<br />
P.O. Box 1348, GT, Grand Cayman,<br />
Cayman Islands<br />
Tel: 949 1423 or 947 1529<br />
Fax: 949 4647<br />
Email: cgq@quinhampson.com.ky or<br />
cquin@ghlaw.ky<br />
CYPRUS AND GREECE<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
of Cyprus and Greece<br />
Chairman/Secretary: Mr Kosmas<br />
Pentakalos, PO Box 114, Kapandriti,<br />
Attikis 19014, Greece<br />
Home address: 52 Katsibiri Street,<br />
Holargos, 15561, Athens, Greece<br />
Tel: 694 8089795 (Bus) 210-6517855<br />
(home), 694 6421287 (mobile)<br />
Email: pentakalosk@aia.gr<br />
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC<br />
Round Table of the<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Countries in the<br />
Dominican Republic<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Fernando<br />
Gonzalez, MBE, Calle Frank Felix<br />
Miranda 38, Ens Naco, Apartado<br />
Postal 718-2, Santo Domingo,<br />
Republica Dominicana<br />
Tel: 338 0808 (work), 3181 1413<br />
Fax: 334 6240<br />
Email: fgonzalez@cccdr.com or<br />
cwrd@correo.tricom.net<br />
Website: www.cccdr.com site of<br />
Convencio commercial del Caribe<br />
FIJI ISLANDS<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Fiji Branch<br />
President: Mr Malcolm G Brain MF<br />
JP, PO Box 3105, Lami, Fiji Islands<br />
Tel: 332 1842<br />
Fax: 332 2488<br />
Email: brainwave@connect.com.fj<br />
GHANA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Ghana<br />
President/Chairperson: Mr<br />
Columbus Kwanchie Bruce, PO Box<br />
GP 18843, Accra, Ghana<br />
Tel: 21 257581<br />
Fax: 21 257582<br />
Email: ckbruce@technologist.com<br />
GIBRALTAR<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Gibraltar<br />
Chairman: Mrs Cecilia Baldachino,<br />
MBE, 5 Marina Views, Glacis Road<br />
Gibraltar<br />
Tel: 77530<br />
Email: nadine@hsproperty.com<br />
Secretary: Mr John Verrall, Verralls<br />
Barristers & Solicitors,<br />
PO Box 1450, Montagu Pavilion, 8-<br />
10 Queensway, Gibraltar<br />
Tel: 47252<br />
Fax: 72789<br />
Email:jverrall@verralls.gi<br />
GRENADA<br />
Hon Rep: Lt Cdr James O Robinson,<br />
CdipAF, MCIM, MNI, RN (Retd), PO<br />
Box 1180 Grande Anse, St Georges,<br />
Grenada<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Guernsey Branch<br />
President: Brig (Retd) Barry J Cash,<br />
Victoria Cottage, Brock Road, St<br />
Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1RB UK<br />
Tel/Fax: 01481 727072<br />
Email: cash@guernsey.net<br />
GUYANA<br />
Branch to be re-established<br />
HONG KONG<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
in Hong Kong<br />
Chairman: Mrs Joan Campbell, 3801<br />
Central Plaza, 18 Harbour Road,<br />
Wanchai, Hong Kong<br />
Executive Secretary: Ms Yasmin<br />
Stewart, 3801 Central Plaza, 18<br />
Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong<br />
Tel: 2887 4237<br />
Fax: 2234 5620<br />
Email: yasmin.stewart@<br />
fortisintertrust.com<br />
INDIA<br />
<strong>The</strong> Collegiate <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Group of India<br />
Chairman: Prof Vinod Chowdhury,<br />
Flat 32, 33 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines,<br />
Delhi 110 054 India<br />
Tel: 011 23941322 (home), 011<br />
27666573 (college)<br />
Vice-President: Mr Nakul Krishan<br />
Singh<br />
Email: nakulks@gmail.com or<br />
nakulsingh_11@hotmail.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Eastern India<br />
RCS Contact: Prof Baby Jacob, S-27,<br />
Maitree Vihar, Phase-1,<br />
Bhunbaneswar, Orissa 751023 India<br />
Tel: 674 2303298 (home), 9338207189<br />
(mobile)<br />
Email: bjacob48@yahoo.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
India<br />
Chairman: Mr V K Wazir, M/s Fusion<br />
Trading Co (Ptv) Ltd, C-515, Defence<br />
Colony, New Delhi 110 024 India<br />
Tel: 011 2433 6097 or 011 2433 6600<br />
Fax: 011 2433 6620<br />
Mobile: 98100 12461<br />
Email: vkw@airtelbroadband.in<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Students<br />
Welfare Group of India<br />
President &Youth Chairman: Mr Hari<br />
Om Dahiya, R–16, 2nd Floor, Model<br />
Town Part 3, New Delhi 110009 India<br />
Tel: 9210014921<br />
Email: president_swgi@yahoo.com<br />
INDONESIA<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of the<br />
Republic of Indonesia<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Geoffrey Gold,<br />
Indonesia’s Centre for Regional<br />
Investment and Community<br />
Development, Jl Buni F-24 Kemang<br />
Timur Dalam, Jakarta Selatan, DK1<br />
12510, Indonesia<br />
Tel: 021 718 1656<br />
Fax: 021 719 4025<br />
Mobile: 0811 836134<br />
Email: gmgold@comdevindo.org or<br />
secretariat@comdevindo.org<br />
Web: www.comdevindo.org<br />
JAMAICA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Jamaica<br />
Chairman: Mr Stanley Dunwell, 84<br />
Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 10<br />
Jamaica<br />
Tel: 978 5193<br />
Email: dosan@cwjamaica.com<br />
JAPAN<br />
RCS Contact: Mr David Syrad, 4-14-<br />
15 Aogein, Minoh shi, Osaka fu 562-<br />
0025 Japan<br />
Tel: 72 727 5622 (home), 50 5532<br />
6383 (B), 80 3102 3764 (mobile)<br />
Email: david_s@akililimited.com<br />
JERSEY<br />
Jersey <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong><br />
President: Mr Ian Philpott, Apt.4,<br />
25 Hill Street, St Helier, Jersey,<br />
JE2 4UA UK<br />
Tel: 01534 871667 (office), 01534<br />
869109 (home)<br />
Mobile: 07797 742912<br />
Fax: 01534 610179<br />
Email: philpott92@hotmail.com<br />
KENYA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Kenya Branch<br />
Chairperson: Mr James Foster, PO<br />
Box 55905, Nairobi 00200 Kenya<br />
Tel: 3751873 (home)<br />
Mobile: 0722 702 493<br />
Email: jfoster@wananchi.com<br />
KIRIBATI<br />
Hon Rep: <strong>The</strong> Hon Robin Millhouse<br />
QC, Chief Justice, High Court of<br />
Kiribati, PO Box 501, Betio, Tarawa<br />
Tel: 26451<br />
Fax: 26149<br />
Email: robin.millhouse@tskl.net.ki or<br />
cj@tskl.net.ki<br />
KUWAIT<br />
Hon. Rep. to be appointed<br />
MALAWI<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Robert S Renshaw,<br />
PO Box 30817, Chichiri, Blantyre 3<br />
Malawi<br />
Email: farmorg@broadbandmw.com<br />
MALAYSIA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Malaysia Branch<br />
Chairman: Dato Ismail Hutson,<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> House, No. 4 Jalan<br />
Birah, Damansara Heights, 50490<br />
Kuala Lumpur<br />
Club Manager: Mr Geoffrey<br />
Anthony, address as above<br />
Tel: 03 20944089 or 03 20944238<br />
Fax: 03 20933722<br />
Email: rocoso@myjaring.net<br />
MAURITIUS<br />
Hon Rep: Sir Victor Glover, Kt<br />
GOSK, <strong>The</strong> English-Speaking Union,<br />
5th Floor, Ken Lee Building, Edith<br />
Cavell Street, Port Louis, Mauritius<br />
Tel/Fax: 208 8591<br />
Email: esumau@intnet.mu<br />
NAMIBIA<br />
Hon. Rep. Ambassador Monica<br />
Nashandi, Deputy Executive<br />
Director, Office of the President, PO<br />
Box 13339, Windhoek, Namibia<br />
Tel: 270 7111<br />
Email: mnashandi@op.gov.na<br />
NETHERLANDS<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Club, <strong>The</strong><br />
Netherlands<br />
Chairperson: Dr David W R. Hall,<br />
www.rcsint.org<br />
47
Grindweg 147, 3054 V J Rotterdam,<br />
<strong>The</strong> Netherlands<br />
Tel: 010422 0458<br />
Email: halldwr@hotmail.com<br />
NEW ZEALAND<br />
Auckland (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Auckland<br />
Branch Inc.)<br />
President: Ms Jo Stone, 65C Asquith<br />
Avenue, Mount Albert, Auckland<br />
1003 New Zealand<br />
Tel: 9 849 2188 (home) 9 921 9999<br />
Ext 8723 (work) 21 073 1201 (mobile)<br />
Fax: 9 921 9627<br />
Email: jo.stone@aut.ac.nz<br />
Secretary: Mr Peter McConnell, 9<br />
Budock Road, Hillsborough,<br />
Auckland 1004 New Zealand<br />
Tel: 9 625 5575<br />
Email: pmcconnell@ihug.co.nz<br />
Canterbury (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>, Canterbury<br />
Inc.)<br />
Secretary: Mrs Sonia Bell-Thompson,<br />
27A Ilam Road, Ilam, Christchurch,<br />
Canterbury, New Zealand<br />
Tel: 03 343 6090<br />
Fax: 03 343 6034<br />
Email: stbell@xtra.co.nz<br />
Otago (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Otago Inc.)<br />
President: Dame Dorothy Fraser<br />
DBE QSO JP, 21 Ings Avenue, St<br />
Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand<br />
Tel: 03 455 8663<br />
Email: dorothyfraser@xtra.co.nz<br />
Wellington (<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Trust,<br />
Wellington Inc.)<br />
President: Mr Darryl M Stevens, PO<br />
Box 10-741, Wellington 6003 New<br />
Zealand<br />
Tel: 4 382 9961 (home), 64 4<br />
3829961(home)<br />
Email: commonwealth.trust@<br />
paradise.net.nz or<br />
Darryl.Stevens@parliament.govt.nz<br />
Web:http://commonwealthtrust.wellington.net.nz<br />
NIGERIA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Nigeria<br />
President: Mr Allyson A Ayida, Suite<br />
9D, Prince’s Court, 37 Ahmed<br />
Onibudo Street, Victoria Island,<br />
Lagos, Nigeria<br />
Branch Secretary: Ms Ngosi<br />
Chibututu<br />
Mobile: 01 2629258 Fax: 01 4617027<br />
Email: citylaw@hyperia.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Youth<br />
Organisation of Nigeria<br />
National Co-ordinator: Mr Blackson<br />
Olaseni Bayewumi, <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
Handball Secretariat, 21 Parakou<br />
Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, PMB 8386<br />
Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria<br />
Tel/Fax: 802 9990655<br />
Email: cyorg_nig@yahoo.com<br />
48 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2007</strong>/08<br />
PAKISTAN<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Peoples<br />
Friendship Association of Pakistan<br />
President: Mr Qutubuddin Aziz, F-<br />
43/1, Block 4, Clifton, Karachi 75600<br />
Pakistan<br />
Tel: 21 583 6828 or 21 586 3369<br />
Email: qutubuddinaziz@hotmail.com<br />
General Secretary: Mr Shahid<br />
Mohiuddin, 40-T/4 Blessing Street,<br />
Block 6 PECHS Karachi<br />
Tel: 21 838 4645 or 21 455 4284<br />
Fax: 21 242 5836 or 21 455 4286<br />
Mobile: +923452060469 or<br />
+923452060469<br />
Email: capakistan1989@yahoo.com<br />
or cpfapk@yahoo.co.in<br />
PAPUA NEW GUINEA<br />
RCS Contact to be appointed<br />
ROMANIA<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Ziad Yamak<br />
Email: yamakson@gmail.com or<br />
tintin@europe.com or<br />
ziadyamak@zamilsteel.com<br />
SEYCHELLES<br />
Hon. Rep. to be appointed<br />
SOUTH AFRICA<br />
RCS Contact: Mrs Janet Boateng,<br />
378 Aries Street, Waterkloof,<br />
Pretoria, or14 Upper Primrose<br />
Avenue, Bishopscourt, Cape Town ,<br />
South Africa<br />
Tel: Pretoria 012 452 9800<br />
Email: janetoalleyne@aol.com<br />
SRI LANKA<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>,<br />
Sri Lanka Branch<br />
Honorary Secretary: Mr S<br />
Yogendranaden, 10E Elibank Road,<br />
Colombo 5, 00500, Sri Lanka<br />
Tel: 11 2584141<br />
Mobile: 77 7342434<br />
Email: rcs_srilanka@yahoo.com or<br />
shyogen@hotmail.com<br />
ST KITTS AND NEVIS<br />
Hon. Rep. Mr Fred Lam OBE HBM<br />
SM, PO Box 212, St Kitts<br />
Tel: 465 2472 or 465 4612<br />
Fax: 465 1056<br />
Email: fairviewinn@caribsurf.com<br />
SWEDEN<br />
Hon. Rep. Mr Angus Alexander<br />
Mackintosh, ‘Pastures New’,<br />
Larsvagen 3, SE 18377, Taby,<br />
Sweden<br />
Tel: 08 756 0903<br />
Fax: 08 630 2680<br />
Email: angus.mackintosh@<br />
ebox.tninet.se<br />
SWITZERLAND<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Association of<br />
Geneva<br />
Chairman: Mr Derrick Deane, Case<br />
Postale 69, CH-1211, Geneva 20<br />
Switzerland<br />
Tel: 22 7912111<br />
Fax: 22 791 4748<br />
Email: deaned@who.int<br />
TANZANIA<br />
Hon. Rep. Sir Jayantilal K Chande,<br />
KBE, PO Box No 9251, Dar Es<br />
Salaam, Tanzania<br />
Tel: 22 2863196<br />
Fax: 22 2863822<br />
Email: andychande@yahoo.com<br />
THE GAMBIA<br />
Branch being formed<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Momodou L<br />
Jaiteh, Point Newspaper, PO Box 66,<br />
Banjul, <strong>The</strong> Gambia<br />
Tel: 794439 or 373585 (home) or<br />
497441/2 (office)<br />
Email: mljaiteh@hotmail.com<br />
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO<br />
Hon. Rep. Mr Bindra Dolsingh,<br />
LL.B(Hons), Dolsingh & Dolsingh &<br />
Co, Attorneys-at-Law, 94 Edward<br />
Street, Port of Spain , Trinidad<br />
Tel: 623 4565<br />
Fax: 625 7838 or 624 0661<br />
Email: bindradolsingh@hotmail.com<br />
UGANDA<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> Peoples<br />
Association of Uganda<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Frederick K Kiapi,<br />
Acting Executive Director, <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> People’s<br />
Association of Uganda, Plot 79,<br />
Bukoto Street, Kamwokya PO Box<br />
10358, Kampala<br />
Tel: 41 577017<br />
Mobile: 782737666<br />
Fax: 4738107451<br />
Email: royalcsociety_ug@<br />
yahoo.co.uk or<br />
secretariat@cpaug.org<br />
Web: www.cpaug.org<br />
UNITED KINGDOM<br />
Bath (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Bath and District Branch)<br />
Chairman: Mr David Dent-Young<br />
CBE, <strong>The</strong> Cloisters Cottage,<br />
Perrymead, Bath, BA2 5AY UK<br />
Tel: 01225 837677<br />
Secretary: Mr Malcolm Furber,<br />
Hestia Rise, Tyning End, Widcombe,<br />
Bath, BA2 6AN UK<br />
Tel: 01225 333586<br />
Email: thomas.malcolm@<br />
hotmail.co.uk<br />
Bristol (<strong>The</strong> Bristol <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>)<br />
Chairman: Mr Keith Painter,<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> House, 14<br />
Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 1PD<br />
Tel: 01179 734720<br />
Fax: 01179 737368; Email:<br />
bristolcomwlthsoc@tiscali.co.uk<br />
Website: www.bcsbristol.co.uk<br />
Cambridge (Cambridge University<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong>)<br />
Hon Sec: Miss Terry Barringer, 70<br />
Mortlock Avenue, Cambridge CB4<br />
1TE UK<br />
Tel: 01223 424584<br />
Email: tabarringe@aol.com<br />
Oxford (<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong>, Oxford Branch)<br />
Treasurer: Dr Joe Selkon, TD, Mb,<br />
Chb, FRCPath, DCP, 4 Ethelred<br />
Court, Headington, Oxford OX3<br />
9DA UK<br />
Tel/Fax: 01865 764098<br />
Email: jselkon@onetel.com<br />
Northern Ireland<br />
Belfast (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> Group<br />
in Northern Ireland)<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Mark Adair, Head<br />
of Public Policy & Corporate Affairs,<br />
BBC Northern Ireland, Broadcasting<br />
House, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2<br />
8HQ UK<br />
Tel: 02890 338210<br />
Fax: 02890 338801<br />
Email: mark.adair.01@bbc.co.uk<br />
Scotland<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
(Scotland)<br />
RCS Contact: Dr Gari Donn,<br />
International Education, Department<br />
of Education and <strong>Society</strong>, St John’s<br />
Land, University of Edinburgh,<br />
Holyrood Campus, Edinburgh EH8<br />
8JT UK<br />
Tel: 01316 516310<br />
Email: g.donn@ed.ac.uk<br />
Wales<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>Society</strong> of<br />
Wales<br />
Chairman: Mr Prabhat K Verma, JP,<br />
BSC, MEd, MBA, CEng, FI, Min E,<br />
49 Llandennis Road, Cardiff CF23<br />
6EE UK<br />
Business: PKV Management<br />
Consultancy, 129 City Road, Roath,<br />
Cardiff CF2 3BP UK<br />
Tel: 02920 757898 (home), 02920<br />
451133 (business) Mobile: 07833<br />
3316199<br />
Fax: as business<br />
Email: contact@rcswales.org or<br />
pkverma15@yahoo.com<br />
Secretary: Rt Hon Ron Davies,<br />
Valleys Race Equality Council, Ty<br />
Menter, Navigation Park, Abercynon,<br />
CF45 4SN UK<br />
Tel: 01443 742704<br />
Mobile: 07977 400950<br />
Email: ron@valrec.org<br />
Web: http://www.rcswales.org<br />
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<br />
British and <strong>Commonwealth</strong><br />
<strong>Society</strong> of North America<br />
Chairman: Mr William S Barker<br />
Email: william.barker@hotmail.com<br />
ZAMBIA<br />
RCS Contact: Mr Roland Hutchinson,<br />
PO Box 21174, Kitwe, Zambia<br />
Email: RHANDCO2002@yahoo.com
Nexus Strategic Partnerships is an innovative force<br />
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With over 40 years experience of international commercial<br />
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Bright Minds, Bright Futures<br />
University of Cambridge International<br />
Examinations (CIE) is the world’s largest provider<br />
of international qualifi cations for<br />
14 – 19 year olds.<br />
Cambridge qualifi cations, including Cambridge<br />
IGCSE and O Level and International A and AS<br />
Level are widely recognised by universities,<br />
education providers and employers worldwide.<br />
<strong>Commonwealth</strong> students have taken Cambridge<br />
examinations since 1864.<br />
Today, Cambridge qualifi cations are taken in<br />
over 150 countries and give students both broad<br />
knowledge and core learning skills that will last<br />
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Learn more! Visit www.cie.org.uk or contact<br />
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