Rwanda has become the second country without any historic ties to the United Kingdom to join the Commonwealth of Nations (the first was Mozambique). Rwanda had close ties to France until the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Rwanda changed its official language from French to English last year.
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Ridiculous.
I don’t know what the officials are playing at.
As with the EU, everyone seems more concerned about quantity rather than quality.
The entry of Cameroon was ‘suspect’ although a portion of the country had at least been temporarily under Brit administration.
Mozambique’s entry was a blatant political backhander for help v. apartheid. – no connection with the British Empire/Commonwealth whatsoever.
Nor has minute tragedy-ridden Rwanda – its colonists were German, then Belgian.
Why doesn’t the USA rejoin the Empire – sorry, Commonwealth! – it has far more claim!
I think it is great that a country feels that it is in its best interest to be a member of the Commonwealth – at least the Commonwealth is something to be proud of.
What is a commonwealth?
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states, all but two of which were formerly part of the British Empire. The member states co-operate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the Singapore Declaration.[1] These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace.[2]
The Commonwealth is not a political union, but an intergovernmental organisation through which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status. Its activities are carried out through the permanent Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General; biennial Meetings between Commonwealth Heads of Government; and the Commonwealth Foundation, which facilitates activities of non-governmental organisations in the so-called “Commonwealth Family”. The symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II.