THE SECRETARY General has organised a race and reconciliation summit, encompassing the 54 member states, in order to reconcile with it’s problematic legacy of colonial violence.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Baroness Patricia Scotland says the Commonwealth has never been “frightened” of having “uncomfortable” conversations around race and Empire. She suggested an initial step would be to remove the status of colonial figures in countries such as the US, Belgium and UK.

Expansion

Her comments come in light of the international expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement, and subsequent global mass protests.

“There has never been a more important time for multilateralism because Covid-19 respects no boundaries… it is heartbreaking to see other countries become more nationalistic.”

We’ve never been frightened of having this conversation. You can’t say to young people don’t talk about this, don’t talk about colonialism, not about where we have been.

Baroness Patricia Scotland

Earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines for their comments regarding the history of the Commonwealth. They said the problematic history of the Commonwealth “must be acknowledged” even if the process is “uncomfortable.”

Truth-seeking

Baroness Scotland suggested a truth-seeking mechanism, similar to the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Committee established in South Africa – of which the Commonwealth also played a part in.

She added: “We’ve never been frightened of having this conversation. You can’t say to young people don’t talk about this, don’t talk about colonialism, not about where we have been. It has never been for us black or white, rich or poor. This has been a conversation we had to have in order to create the Commonwealth.

“I wouldn’t have thought we’d be having this conversation in 2020… but if we don’t understand our history we are doomed to repeat it.”

The summit would examine colonial atrocities committed dating back to the 16th century, including slavery, the Indian Partition, Boar concentration camps, the Mau Mau uprising and more.

“You have to ask yourself: the good old days for whom? There isn’t any going back.” Baroness Scotland added.

Understanding

Guardian journalist Afuah Hirsch recently wrote: “Only by understanding these little-said truths about the Commonwealth can we understand the present… The Commonwealth ignores and perpetuates its imperial foundations.”

Barbados recently announced they will be removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state, becoming a republic nation. In response, many are questioning the purpose of the Commonwealth in a contemporary context.

The association was born as an extension of the British Empire, which still had former colonies under subjugation at the time. Though the name may have changed, the principles remain reminiscent of the British Empire – with the British monarch as the Head of State.

Perhaps part of reconciliation is to let go of the imperial past through the liberation of Commonwealth countries.