Unit 3: The Commonwealth of Nations (2nde_gr1)

 The Present in Question

The document under study is a video published in September 2022, few days after the death of Queen Elisabeth II. It deals with the fact that people seem to be concerned if the Commonwealth is going to still exist while King Charles is on the throne. The Commonwealth is seen as a diplomatic organization where the membership is voluntary. Nevertheless, some countries decided to leave it: Pakistan in 1972, who did not agree with the recognition of Bangladesh. Moreover, Gambia decided to leave in 2013 because its head of state saw the Commonwealth as a form of neocolonialism intuition. However, it rejoined the Commonwealth in 2018 with another political leader. It is interesting to note that some countries who were not part of the British Empire also joined in such as Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo… because they share the same democratic values.

Furthermore, some countries were suspended or even forced to withdraw because they did not comply with the Commonwealth values: South Africa (1961), Nigeria (1999).

 

Empowering the Future

The document under study is a video about how the Commonwealth values its youth. It was published in October 2024. They created a platform so that young people can take initiatives through music, sports, debate and acting. On top of that, these projects responded to the needs of all the communities of the Commonwealth. Besides, the Commonwealth promotes mental health and we and well-being. In order to elaborate these projects, a thousand of young people, organizations, ministries and parliaments took part in them.

To conclude, the Commonwealth cannot be seen as a controversial organization because in order to join it, you can volunteer to do so. In addition, the countries are free to choose to have the British monarch as their Head of State or not. To finish with, the values of the Commonwealth that are freedom, equality, education, human rights, democracy, respect and friendship emphasize the idea that it is a very positive organization for all its members.

Homework: Learn the lesson.