Commonwealth Day is celebrated annually on 8th March. It is usually marked by a service held at Westminster Abbey, and attended by the royal family, and representatives of all 54 Commonwealth nations, and organisations within the Commonwealth. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Commonwealth Day was marked on 7th March with a televised programme and service. The Queen gave a pre-recorded speech, that was shown, with footage of her at Windsor Castle surrounded by the flags of the Commonwealth countries, and also footage of the countries themselves. Her Majesty said, “Whilst experiences of the last year have been different across the Commonwealth, stirring examples of courage, commitment and selfless dedication to duty have been demonstrated in every Commonwealth nation and territory."
The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth. This is by personal merit, not her position as the British Head of State. The Commonwealth is a group of nations that work to support one another, celebrate diversity, and champion causes such as the environment, health, women’s rights, children and families, freedom of religion, and education. Although a remnant of the British Empire, some countries that are part of the Commonwealth were not a part of the British Empire. This origin has caused some to look down on the Commonwealth as a way of Britain maintaining control of others. But the 2021 televised service displayed the opposite. It demonstrated how countries are working together to share ideas, and celebrated the different cultures of the Commonwealth through singing, poetry, dance, and music.
Members of the royal family have visited many parts of the Commonwealth, and each have an area of focus for their charity work within it. During the programme, they revealed the work they have been doing, and shone a spotlight on the work of others.
The Prince of Wales gave a passionate speech about the environment, and how we need to work together to care for it, highlighting work already done, and other solutions that can be put into place. I know this is an important area for the Prince, and his dedication, and that of others, to this extremely important cause, is to be commended. The Duchess of Cornwall spoke about the importance of literacy and education, speaking via video call with award winning teacher Ranjitsinh Disale, and the challenges that covid has created for education across the Commonwealth.
The Countess of Wessex has long been championing equal rights for women, and she spoke on a video call with Caitlin Figueiredo from Australia and Virgina Khunguni from Malawi, both part of The Queen’s Young Leaders. They spoke with the Countess, and TV presenter June Sappong, about the initiatives they set up to help support women in their countries. The Countess knew a lot about their work, and spoke about the importance of women’s education and leadership roles. This also tied in nicely with International Women’s Day on 8th March 2021.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke via video call with 3 people from 3 different countries, who are supporting their local areas through the covid-19 pandemic. Dr Zolelwa Sifumba in South Africa, Faysal Islam in Bangladesh, and Heidy Quah in Malaysia. The Duke and Duchess heard about their innovative ideas, and the way they are helping at a grassroots level, to make improvements and provide help for those around them.
The service began and ended with the Dean of Westminster explaining the significance of the Commonwealth, and giving a prayer and blessing. Video footage from around the Commonwealth showed religious leaders giving their blessing for the Commonwealth. Another video showed people from different places joining in with the Lord’s Prayer.
2021 marked Commonwealth Day in a different way, but it was still a celebration, despite the hardships of the past year. The Queen and royal family were at the centre of things, but yet did not make it about themselves, instead the focus was on the amazing work of individuals and organisations done to help others, within particular Commonwealth countries, and across borders. There was a focus on moving forward together, working together, and valuing each individual. It was a celebration of the arts and cultures of the Commonwealth, that valued each contribution equally.
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