Colonialism was the practice of one country taking full or partial political control of another country. And occupying it with settlers for purpose of profiting from its resources and economy. British Empire was one of the powerful empires before the World War II. But WWII shattered everything and then countries gained their freedom. But are they really independent from the shackles of Colonialism? Queen’s death on September 8 have stirred some of the questions on colonialism and commonwealth back on the table. What is commonwealth?
Commonwealth, also called Commonwealth of Nations, is a free association of sovereign states comprising the United Kingdom and number of its former dependencies who have chosen to maintain cordial relationship. Also acknowledges the British monarch as symbolic head of their association. But some of the countries are still part of this commonwealth like- Pakistan, India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and many more countries. But some countries are now taking a toll against the “commonwealth”. Here are some of the countries which have been criticizing commonwealth, as it symbolizes the colonialism in disguise.
Australia
A significant number of republicans opposed that referendum and joined with the monarchists to defeat it because they wanted a directly elected state of the head. This dilemma still exists and there’s still disagreement between people. People have said, “we largely call it the commonwealth but many aboriginal Australians will say ‘stolen wealth’. ” This monarchal head needs to be abolished which is part of the national referendum. Some of the critics argue that monarchy’s presence represents colonialism and continued oppression of Indigenous groups. Sandy O’Sullivan, a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, commented that, “the monarchy has been the center of how colonialism has played out in this continent. And for Indigenous Australians, the monarchy has been an agent of colonialism and ongoing colonization”.
Africa
Mukoma Wa Nugugi, is professor who teaches at Cornell University and whose own family was deeply impacted by the bloody British suppression of the Mau Mau revolution. He has commented that, “there needs to be a ‘dismantling’ of the commonwealth and a real reckoning with colonial abuses.” Caroline Elkins, a leading scholar of British colonialism, who says that ” Queen Elizabeth personally knew about concentration camps, torture and other abuses in Kenya during her early reign, the monarchy must reckon with that legacy”.
India
India declares mourning about Queen’s death, there has been many speculation on this decision. Some of the professors have pointed that government has forgot the sacrifice of freedom fighters and also this binds us to the colonial past of bloodshed and trauma. Some of the Indian professors have mulled about the future of the Kohinoor Diamond, which sits in the queen’s crown and is said to be taken from India. This colonial mindset of government needs to be dismantled.
Commonwealth have 56 countries and this indicated that there was no independence but only transfer of power through referendum. But the colonial ties still remains and the monarch have been the witness of all the concentration camps, torture and other abuses in the different countries. Commonwealth is the ties that binds to the bloody past, trauma of partition and also to the sacrifice which people have given in the name of their country. This commonwealth needs to be dismantled. This brings us to the question is still colonialism valid in modern world but in disguise.
