Stories are vital in a commonwealth of equals

Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we’ve been hearing allot about Paddington Bear, who arrived in London from Peru. As the Queen was also head of the Commonwealth of Nations, which is made up of independent countries and represents around 2.5 billion people -“with more than 60 per cent aged 29 or under”- let’s remember that another famous friend of the Queen, was the Canadian-British bear Winnie the Pooh. 

While many are familiar with some of the countries represented in the Commonwealth, we may be unfamiliar with some of the stories which come from Aboriginal Australians or New Zealand’s Maori’s. As journalist Dominic Oliver said; “Isn’t it fascinating the amount of indigenous cultures across the globe that place animals and nature as a fundamental part of human existence rather than something abstracted from it?” 

Like the adventures of Paddington Bear and Winnie the Pooh, there are many stories from the vibrant cultures within the Commonwealth, which are equally precious and which we could also benefit from. As the Royal Family support a number of education inspired charities, learning such stories are a good example that we in Britain can uphold, if we are going to learn anything from our second Elizabethan age.

Hussein Al-alak is the editor of Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra).