On Monday 13 March, Commonwealth Scholars and members of the 麻豆传媒 attended a special observance service at Westminster Abbey in London to mark .
Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed by people across the Commonwealth. The theme for Commonwealth Day 2023 was 鈥楩orging a sustainable and peaceful common future鈥, supporting the promotion of peace, prosperity, and sustainability, especially through climate action. This year also marked the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Commonwealth Charter, which affirmed the Commonwealth鈥檚 shared values of peace, democracy, human rights, rule of law and care for the environment amongst others. In recognition of the tenth anniversary, nations across the Commonwealth raised the .
The 麻豆传媒 delegation for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey was led by Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive of the 麻豆传媒 and Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Professor Robin Mason, Chair of the 麻豆传媒, and Dr Christine Thuranira-McKeever, 麻豆传媒 Commissioner. The 麻豆传媒 also welcomed over 100 Commonwealth Scholars to join the 麻豆传媒 delegation this year, following a special invitation from the Royal Commonwealth Society.
Commonwealth Scholars were thrilled to have attended the service and represented their countries on this important day for citizens of the Commonwealth. Three Commonwealth Scholars 鈥 Charity Nankunda, Farina Inayat, and Chisom Ezenwa Soremekun 鈥 also participated as flagbearers during the ceremony.
Charity Nankunda
鈥淩epresenting Uganda as a flagbearer at the Commonwealth Day service was a great honour and privilege. It was an amazing聽experience and a day that I will never forget.鈥
Charity Nankunda, 2020 Commonwealth PhD Scholar from Uganda
Joining guests of honour from across the Commonwealth
Among the special guests at this year鈥檚 Commonwealth Day service were their majesties The King and Queen Consort. During the service, His Majesty King Charles III delivered his inaugural speech as the Head of Commonwealth, emphasising the importance of the Commonwealth as a force for joint action on global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, youth opportunity, and education.
Joining the dignitaries in attendance were The Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Commonwealth Secretary-General,聽the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, Foreign Ministers from across the world, faith leaders, youth advocates, athletes, and school students.
Around 2,000 guests in total attended the service conducted by the Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE. The service also featured a variety of performances by performers from across the Commonwealth including the Ng膩ti R膩nana London M膩ori Club who choregraphed a traditional M膩ori greeting, a Sinhalese song by West End stars Roshani Anney and Nuwan Hugh Pereira, the all-female led Amalgation Choir from Cyprus, and a rendition of 鈥業s this love鈥 by saxophonist YolanDa Brown. The Rwanda National Ballet performed a traditional dance to mark Rwanda鈥檚 role as the current Commonwealth Chair-in-Office.
Addressing the climate action theme, Suluafi Brianna Furean, a climate activist and the youngest ever winner of the Commonwealth Youth Awards offered her reflections on the effects of climate change on her home country of Samoa.
The event concluded with an address by Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, who delivered the Commonwealth Day Affirmation, encouraging the congregation to reaffirm their commitment to uphold the values and fellowship of the Commonwealth.
鈥淎ttending the service to celebrate the Commonwealth Day 2023 was the most valuable experience of my life. I feel very honoured to be able to attend such a prestigious and beautiful event in the presence of His Majesty the King to celebrate what we all hold very dear, the Commonwealth, as a Commonwealth Scholar. After attending the service I feel much more inspired to serve and work for the good of the Commonwealth that we pledged during the service.鈥
Anum Fatima, 2020 Commonwealth PhD Scholar from Pakistan