Queen Elizabeth II, whose death occurred September 8, 2022 at the age of 96, found herself at the head of different African countries which became independent during her seven decades of reign, the longest of a British sovereign. Namely the members of the “Commonwealth of Nations” which brings together the United Kingdom and most of its former colonies. The organization, which is defined as “a voluntary association” of sovereign States, today has 56 members and Africa is still the largest geographical block with 21 countries.
In their various tributes, the presidents of Kenya, Nigeria or even Ghana – historical members – or those of Rwanda and Togo who joined the organization more recently, thus hailed its decisive role within the Commonwealth. As head of this organization, “She oversaw the dramatic transformation of the Union and led it to pay greater attention to our shared values and better governance. She was the rock that kept the organization strong and true to its positive beliefs”emphasized in a tweet Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana.
“The history of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth II, a towering global personality and an exceptional leader. She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the whole world a better place” , said the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader. She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) September 8, 2022
For his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, who has held the organization’s current presidency since June 2022, “the modern Commonwealth is his legacy”. “In this moment of sadness at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we remember her 70 years of stewardship of the ‘Commonwealth of Nations’,” writes the Rwandan leader.
In this moment of sorrow at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we recall her 70 years of stewardship of the Commonwealth of Nations. The modern Commonwealth is her legacy. (1/2)
—Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) September 8, 2022
Elizabeth, then only a princess, expresses from her 21st birthday her attachment to the Commonwealth of which she would lead after the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service”, she promises on April 21, 1947 during a BBC program where she addresses the British Empire from Cape Town, during a tour of South Africa (her first in the Commonwealth).
Later, in the presence of Nelson Mandela – the first South African president with whom she had a warm relationship – the British sovereign said that she was asked if she had already visited the African continent. “I’ve been all over the Commonwealth in Africa and other countries on the continent. I think I’ve seen more of Africa than almost anyone,” she then recalls in the exchange broadcast by the BBC.
We take a look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s longstanding relationship with Africa. pic.twitter.com/iWJix5nnlp
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 8, 2022
(A look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s longstanding relationship with Africa)
But the Commonwealth is far from being a matter of geography. Over time and as their domestic politics evolved, the relationship of African members with the organization became increasingly complex. From the first hours of independence, several countries will distance themselves from the institution that embodies British imperialism, before joining it again as independent states. Like the Ghana of independent Kwame Nkrumah in 1957. The queen will keep a long-standing promise by visiting in 1961 this state which has left its bosom and will grant a memorable dance to its first president.
A member since its independence in 1931, South Africa left the organization after 30 years under the blow of its peers who pointed to its segregationist policy, apartheid. It was not until 1993, on the eve of his first democratic elections, that he was asked to return to the “Commonwealth of Nations”. Her return will be effective in 1994. The situation in South Africa is one of the few that has brought the British sovereign out of her usual reserve. “In the early 80s, reports AFP, The Queen had given her discreet support to Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who was campaigning for economic sanctions against South Africa, while his British counterpart Margaret Thatcher was opposed to them”.
In 1995, Nigeria will be suspended for four years after the execution of nine environmental activists including the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. Zimbabwe will also be suspended in 2002 due to human rights abuses. “In a fit of anger in 2003”, can we read on the Zimbabwean news site Times Live, former President Robert Mugabe is withdrawing his country from the Commonwealth. Just as the Queen of England will withdraw his knighthood in 2008 to sanction the autocratic drift of the leader. Since, 2018, Harare wants his reinstatement (link in English) in the Commonwealth to whom the current Zimbabwean leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, offered his condolences after the announcement of the disappearance of Elizabeth II.