‘Colonialism was not its fault’: Commonwealth reactions to Elizabeth II’s death

Published on: 09/09/2022 – 19:11Modified on: 09/09/2022 – 19:44 While the death of Elizabeth II arouses a wave of emotion throughout the world, our Observers from Commonwealth countries, formerly of the British colonies, expressed mixed reactions. While many say the queen was not their primary concern, her death nonetheless rekindled feelings that linger decades after the end of the British Empire. Fiji: “There is a lot of respect for it here”Fiji, an archipelago in the South Pacific, was a British colony from 1874 until its independence in 1970. The British monarch is the head of state. Antoine N’Yeurt, a marine biologist at the University of the South Pacific, believes the Queen will be remembered forever. Fiji is a Commonwealth country and until just a few years ago the Queen was on our banknotes. bank and our coins. So there is a very strong link between Fiji and the British monarchy. It’s the end of an era. She was queen since I was born. Most Fijians living today were born after his accession to the throne. There is a feeling of loss and change of time, because it gave a feeling of constancy. She was always there, like a permanent element. It is difficult today to imagine a world without the queen. Now is the time to accept King Charles III. The Queen came in 1953 on a tour, a few months after her coronation. There was a lot of excitement here when she came. His death will be a great shock, especially for the elderly. There is a lot of respect for her here in Fiji. Fijian hearts are heavy this morning as we bid farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We will always treasure the joy of her visits to Fiji along with every moment that her grace, courage, and wisdom were a comfort and inspiration to our people, even a world away. pic.twitter.com/SpSHLFfx7B— Frank Bainimarama (@FijiPM) September 8, 2022 Nigeria: “Colonialism was not the Queen’s fault” Nigeria was a British colony from the mid-19th century until its independence in 1960. Elizabeth II was Queen of Nigeria for three years, until the short-lived Nigerian monarchy was abolished in 1963, and a presidential regime was instituted.Kingsley Odion, a psychology graduate in the Nigerian capital Abuja , says many of her countrymen have mixed feelings towards the Queen.Many Nigerians believe that Queen Elizabeth’s reign has brought us a lot of bad things: our religion and culture have been greatly influenced, positively and negatively, by British colonialism. This caused a lot of resentment: people think that British power had no respect for Nigerian culture or ethnic diversity. The British came to Africa and swept away our way of life. Many Nigerians including myself regret this. But colonialism was not the queen’s fault. This feeling is not towards the queen, but towards Great Britain, the country which colonized Nigeria. This is not about the Queen, but about the whole British system. It should not be forgotten that Nigeria gained independence under her rule. I believe there would have been no independent Nigeria without her rule. On the internet, many Nigerians have made the connection between the Queen and Britain’s century-long colonization of Nigeria. Others have referenced the tensions that led Prince Harry and his Black American wife Meghan Markle to step back from royal duties in 2020. Meghan Markle told reporter Oprah Winfrey that the family had not stood up for her enough against racist criticism in the press. She also said an unnamed member of the royal family had expressed concern that the prince’s child might have a “dark” complexion. {{ scope.counterText }} {{ scope.legend }} © {{ scope.credits }} {{ scope.counterText }} i {{ scope.legend }}© {{ scope.credits }} Africa is celebrating the courage of @UjuAnya while some part of the west are condemning her. She is a #Biafran whose family was almost wiped out in the war of aggression levied against #Biafra by Nigeria which Britain under the Queen spearheaded. pic.twitter.com/cih1GzSupi— Emeka Gift Official (@EmekaGift100) September 9, 2022 Cameroon: “Why feel bad that the Queen is dead?” Lesley Bongajum, an entrepreneur from Buea, Cameroon, was visiting the United United at the time of the Queen’s death. Cameroon was colonized by Germany, then divided between France and Great Britain. It is one of only two members of the Commonwealth that the Queen has not visited during her 70-year reign I was at a church in Southwark for the launch of a book on African entrepreneurs when we we heard the news. The book launch was about to begin when the priest came in and announced, “The queen is dead.” I was initially upset that the book launch was cancelled. But then I looked around the church and saw the candles lit for the queen, and I felt bad. I remembered that I am on a UK government scholarship. And just a few months ago, we were celebrating his jubilee at home in Cameroon. Today I expressed my deep condolences to my Cameroonian friends. A friend of mine said to me “Why do you grieve? Why should you feel bad that the queen is dead? the civil war between French-speaking and English-speaking Cameroonians.”English-speakers in Cameroon care more about the Queen than French-speakers. The Queen means a lot to English-speaking Cameroonians, especially when it comes to culture. During the Jubilee, English-speaking mothers would tell their daughters to learn to dress well like British sovereigns. {{ scope.counterText }} {{ scope.legend }} © {{ scope.credits }} {{ scope.counterText }} i {{ scope.legend }}© {{ scope.credits }} In Douala, Muller Nandou Tenkeu, an entrepreneur in the environment of ecological coal created from recycled material, explains that he noticed a certain interest following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The queen was very popular here in the Douala region. Two regions of Cameroon are English-speaking and moreover have allegiance to the British crown, and it is for this reason that Cameroon is part of the Commonwealth [depuis 1995, NDLR]. The media coverage of the queen’s death, very present in the tabloids here, made me more sensitive to this situation. If I want to be a little critical, I would say that she has not done enough for the refugees in Cameroon , Nigeria, Liberia, Sudan or Ethiopia, despite his colossal fortune. These countries are members of the Commonwealth. Now, “wealth” means “wealth”. But it is clear that this was not the case for several countries… Canada: “Towards the indigenous peoples, there have not always been only positive aspects” Kyra Kilabuk is an Inuit activist who lives in Iqaluit and documents life in her community, especially on TikTok. The news of the queen’s death leaves me with a bit of a mixed feeling, in a way. Of course, when we hear about someone’s death, we feel sadness at such a difficult time. I sympathize with her family and those who were close to her and send them my love. For me, the Queen’s death is a pivotal moment when change will come. When you look at the way she lived her life as a queen, more particularly towards the indigenous peoples, there were not always only positive aspects. Nevertheless, it is a sad moment, which I hope will bring about the necessary change and bring families closer together.