Celebrating Her Majesty’s 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth, these performances will offer a glimpse of the rich cultures and creativity the Commonwealth has to offer. 

Presented by Sainsburys, the Jubilee Family Festival expects to attract 50,000 visitors each day. Hosted by The Royal Parks and organised by promoter Harvey Goldsmith, the festival promises an imaginative programme of live music and entertainment. 

Artists include: Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band from India, Mahotella Queens from South Africa, Harambe Drummers (a London-based all-female group from the Caribbean), Ngāti Rānana – The London Māori Club, and the London African Gospel Choir.

Commonwealth Foundation Director Vijay Krishnarayan said: “As the Commonwealth agency directed by Heads of Government to work on culture we are delighted to have been invited to curate such an auspicious event in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and her pivotal role as Head of the Commonwealth.”

For more information and tickets visit www.sainsburys.co.uk/jubilee

Alex Storino is a 35-year-old Canadian guidance counsellor at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada – the land of the Inuvialuit people

My foray into the fields of education and pedagogy began in the fall of 2007 when I decided to leave Amherstburg, Ontario Canada, for London, England, to work with an educational placement agency.  I was gifted stints as a teaching assistant at various London schools and not long after, I again picked up and moved to Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, to attend a brand new, fast-tracked, bachelor of teaching program at Southern Cross University. I enjoyed the flexibility and faculty there so immensely that I decided to stay a while longer and attain a Master of Education as well.

My first full year of teaching came in 2010 on the remote fly-in only Attawapiskat First Nation Reservation on the western shore of James Bay in northern Ontario.  It is the land of the James Bay (or Swampy) Cree aboriginal people.  As the first year guidance counsellor, co-operative education teacher, and acting principal at Vezina Secondary School, I was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award at the regional education conference called The Omushkego Education Authorities’ 2011 Great Moon Gathering.

Currently, I’m the guidance counsellor at Mangilaluk School in the remote high arctic community of Tuktoyaktuk, in Canada’s Northwest Territories.  This is the land of the Inuvialuit people. In Inuvialuktun, Inuvialuit means, “The real people”. 

I find it to be an incredibly warm community to live in, despite the blizzards and -50 degree Celsius weather.  The friends and relations I have made in the community of one thousand have all been positive. If there is one downside, it is difficult to adjust to the fact that there is darkness for almost three months during the winter, and also the sun stays up for 24 hours straight in the summer. This is the land of the midnight sun! I still find it hilarious and bizarre to wake up in the middle of the night for a midnight snack, looking out my windows, and seeing children playing outside and riding their bicycles in broad daylight.

My day begins at seven o’clock in the morning, but you could not tell this from looking outside the window at any given time of the year when you roll out of bed in Tuktoyaktuk.  Sometimes I find it difficult to fall asleep during the night when the sun is still up and bright as day.  Conversely, it is the phenomenon of polar night, in winter, when the sun stays below the horizon throughout the day that makes me not sleep so well.  I am a napper, par excellence, and usually get some well-deserved winks in after work.  I travel to work on foot mainly since I only live about a kilometre away.  Still, when it is minus 50 degrees Centigrade and my eyelashes freeze together and get stuck after my first step out of the house, it pays to be prepared.  I make sure I’m completely bundled up in thermal underpants and undershirts, jeans, shirt and jumper, facemask, toque, goggles, mittens, snow-pants, wool socks, insulated boots, and a Canada Goose down filled parka.  Frostbite is really nasty.

I really enjoy having young students share their photos and stories of traditional seasonal hunts and trapping of muskox, caribou, moose, goose, grizzly bear, polar bear, arctic wolves, foxes, hares and wolverines among other animals.  Like many of Canada’s native people, the Inuvialuit learn from a young age how to use an animal in its entirety, not solely for nutrition, but for creating tools, instruments and necessary fashions to keep them warm when they go out on the land to camp, gather and hunt.

I’m currently involved in a great number of projects with students.  Besides creating and helping to guide a very involved student council for the first time in many years at Mangilaluk School, I have  coached the boys volleyball team, promoted extra-curricular special events like rap and hip-hop workshops, movie nights, school spirit days, and I’ve helped individual students become involved in academic competitions, youth travel initiatives, aboriginal youth business planning competitions, arts and history competitions, along with assisting students with their applications to post secondary institutions and scholarships.

My guidance office is always open to students who would like to stop by and talk about anything at all. 

At the end of the work day I like to unwind by listening to old surf rock instrumentals while preparing elaborate meals for my girlfriend and other friends.  I also like to read about media, arts, culture, comedy and do-it-yourself projects that are practical when building, making, inventing, innovating and improvising in a remote community where supplies aren’t readily available.

My teaching goal is also my teaching philosophy: rather than consider myself a teacher, which is limiting, I consider myself a character who teaches. It has been instrumental in helping me to develop very special relationships with all of the people who hold a stake in education – the students, teachers, administration, parents, guardians, social services, community counsellors, native counsellors, elders, police, health services and the community in general. We are all interconnected and I feel that my experiences in the Commonwealth’s countries of Canada, England and Australia have played a significant role in helping me gain background knowledge, cultural knowledge, and the experience to facilitate integration of it all into one all-encompassing, extraordinarily experiential and professional life.

Rajeshwari Ponnaih is a 67-year-old dress making instructor at the project ‘Help for the Children’, Diyanilla Technical Institute, in the Nuwara Eliya District of Sri Lanka

The year was 1979, when two young German visitors got stranded in the Tea Plantation where my husband worked as a Supervisor in the Tea fields. The old VW Micro Bus they were travelling in broke down.

It was a night to remember as our people the workers of the Tea plantation gathered around the two young people and entertained them and exchanged information about our two countries and the life we lived on the Tea Plantation. It was then that the young visitors decided to help our people specially the children by setting up a vocational training institute.

In the years that followed they kept their promises by collecting funds to set up the institute and help our children. It was then that I volunteered as teacher to help train the Girls in the art of sewing/Tailoring.

I stay in the quarters provided to the staff, and my day begins with worshiping our Hindu gods and anointing myself with holy ash. Then I prepare my meals and have my cup of Tea and breakfast, and leave for work at the institute.

Our institute is special as it is meant for the children who are deprived of education, Drop outs and School failures. They are from low income families and need a lot of coaching to find their way in life.

We clean in and around the Institute and get ready for the daily training sessions by observing a two minute silence to meditate in our different religions.

In our unit we provide cloth and other instruments needed for the girls to learn sewing, we have many machines which they train on.

Our day begins at 8 and ends at 4.30, as we are in a remote area we do not have the facilities to join recreational clubs, the students who stay at the hostel and our staff who stay with them watch TV, and then help in preparing the evening meals and having Dinner together.

My class room has around 18 sewing Machines and other equipment to be used by the students. The desks are white Formica toped and clean. The class room is very spacious and I have around 15 Students who come in during the morning.

There are other Teachers, who teach Carpentry, English and computer skills, they are a very committed group of people, our coordinators and the Management are very supportive and understand the difficulties of the rural poor.

The institutes vision and mission is to provide an alternative training to the only employment available in the Tea plantations and also to create ethnic unity and harmony in the area.

I come from a Family which has lived amongst the people of this area and they are all proud that I am now in charge of the institutes teaching staff as a head teacher.

Outside of work, I visit my daughter who lives a bit away from my place of residence and see my grand children. We get together with the students who live in the hostel and watch TV or talk about the latest news in the country.

My day ends with prayers to the gods, I thank them for all what has been given to me so that I could help educate the marginalized children of the Tea Plantation worker.

Until 31st May 2012

Graeme Mortimer Evelyn‘s work forms modern narratives, commenting on cultural social identity, politics and language and his work truly reflects the 2012 Commonwealth Day theme ‘Connecting Cultures’.

Evelyn who has commissioned works in municipal buildings and Cathedrals describes his work as “when fragments of relation, memory, society, identity and modernity, which seem disparate at first, come together to form a whole”.

His paintings and drawings are unique as he connects West African, European and Caribbean cultures into one to make a whole.

Evelyn was the first Artist-in-Residence in Saint Stephen’s Church, Bristol, UK, and commissioned to create the new permanent modern altarpiece, the Reconciliation Reredos unveiled January 21st 2011. The Reconciliation Reredos is a contemporary artwork of universal reconciliation that responds to the church’s past, reflects the voices of the city today while representing the potential of the future.

The Cultural Affairs department of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) organises a range of art exhibitions, hosted in the stylish gallery space of the Commonwealth Club.

Combining well-known names from across the Commonwealth with up-and-coming talent, the exhibitions feature work in a broad variety of media, from oil paintings to sculpture, pencil to photography. Offering a unique insight into the cultures, traditions and individual lives of artists from around the world, they provide a visual display of the rich diversity which characterises the Commonwealth.

For further information regarding upcoming art exhibitions, please consult the RCS Calendar of Events or contact Gwen White on +44 (0)20 7766 9209.

Fashion is a statement of who we are. Whether we are young or old, white or black, male or female, we speak the non-verbal word of fashion through the style of our dress.

In Africa, when a young man wears jeans under an Ankara shirt, he is probably making a statement of his belief about the world. He may be expressing his approval of western comfort and smartness with the taste for an Italian Versace while affirming his African roots in a locally-made top.

Truth be told, no discussion about the African continent is complete without mention of the cultural element of fashion.

Since the very early Africans stopped clothing themselves with fabrics made from ancient mungo, fashion has enjoyed our attention. Then our descendants made baggy overalls and trousers for the men, while women had wrappers that covered their bodies from the chest to the thigh or knee region.

In West Africa, the male Yorubas then were mainly hunters and farmers who had just slack Buba tops or Agbadas and saggy trousers. The Hausa men majored in animal and crop farming and wore ancient Jalamias and sometimes dressed in hats, tops and trousers too. The Igbo men meanwhile often wore tops, caps and tied wrappers across their bodies from one shoulder down to the knee region.

Nigerian fashion has evolved over the years. Recognisable from the pack of rich African textiles and fabrics, the native manufacturers of Nigerian Ankara, Aso-Oke, Adire and Dashiki now have to compete with foreign manufacturers. Fabric traders even sell imported Ankara, Lace, Caftans, Organza and Suede.

Though home-made fabrics, being unique and traditional, should be more popular than foreign garments, the reverse of this is true. Today’s generation of Nigerians consume more imported fabrics than locally-made ones. This is perhaps because of the ostentatious nature of many rich Africans and the poor quality of some of the fabrics made by natives. Yet, local fabrics remain one of the strongest elements of African culture and tourism.

Among the Yorubas, no traditional marriage or introduction ceremony is complete without the use of such attire. While the Danshiki, Adire and Aso-Oke are cultural fabrics of Nigeria, the Mudcloth of Mali, the Adrinka, Wax Prints and Kente Cloths of Ghana are symbols of other parts of Africa.

Through industrial prints, ties and dies as well as batiks, fashion designers and clothing stylists obtain desired fabrics and create diverse wears. But most times, it is the customer that chooses or buys his own material and recommends a style to the tailor or designer. This innovation has introduced a merging of western and African styles into the fashion industry in Nigeria.

While stylists and fashion designers are often trained in Nigeria, many others travel far to learn the skill in Western societies and fashion institutes. The new generation designers often add more creativity to the native fabrics during the tailoring process. Common styles include gowns made from George fabric, Anakara skirts and blouses, Kampala tops, Ankara shirts, and Guinea wears and garments.

While several employers in Nigeria expect their staff to observe a Western dress code, there are days when other attire may be worn. On Friday for instance, most employees wear native fabrics.

In the end, we all make a speech of who we are. Without saying a word, we tell the world who we are.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

About me:

“I am an animated and artistic writer hailing from the southwest region of Nigeria. I hold a degree in electronics and electrical engineering and am certified as an IT professional.

“On days when I am not busy with engineering and management activities, I write prose poems, short stories and journalistic commentaries. In the coming years, I hope to help other people’s lives around the world and aid in the reformation of Africa.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and the Commonwealth. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-article/commonwealthcorrespondents/

Theatre companies from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa and the UK are taking part in the prestigious Globe to Globe festival.

For the first time, 37 international companies present all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 37 different languages in a kaleidoscopic, six week festival at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, starting on Shakespeare’s birthday.  An opening weekend of celebrations also includes an adaptation of Venus and Adonis by the Isango Ensemble from South Africa, a public open day at the Globe to celebrate Shakespeare and the worlds’ languages, and Ngākau Toa’s Troilus and Cressida beginning the festival with a haka.  Globe to Globe is part of the World Shakespeare Festival and the Cultural Olympiad 2012.

The unique and much-loved Isango Ensemble from Cape Town kick off the festival with a carnival interpretation of the great narrative poem, Venus and Adonis (21 and 22 April). They bring modern African sensibility, brimming over with song and dance, to Shakespeare‘s great story of seduction and loss of innocence.

New Zealand based Ngākau Toa their debut performance in the UK with Troilus and Cressida (23 and 24 April). Supported by a 14-strong ensemble cast of the best Māori actors, the production features a haka (warrior dance) and waiata (song) created especially for the production by some of New Zealand’s leading choreographers and composers.

On 25 and 26 April the theatre company Bitter Pill will be bringing their version of The Merry Wives of Windsor from Nairobi to London – an exuberant, urban and African take on Shakespeare’s comedy of failed courtship.

From India, the Company theatre company from Mumbai will be performing their production of Twelfth Night in Hindi (27 and 28 April), and the Arpana theatre company, also from Mumbai, will be presenting All’s Well That Ends Well in Gujarati (23 and 24 May).

On 7 and 8 May The Tempest is being performed by the Dhaka Theatre from Bangladesh. The Dhaka Theatre was established in Dhaka in 1973, and is one of the pioneers of the new theatre movement in Bangladesh.

The final African production within Globe to Globe is Renegade Theatre’s The Winter’s Tale performed in Yoruba on 24 and 25 May; a magical new production of Shakespeare’s late masterpiece informed by Yoruba folk tales. Renegade Theatre has been one of Nigeria’s most consistent theatre establishments for more than a decade.

For bookings and information, click here

Thank you to all those who sent in submissions from every region of the Commonwealth.

We received photos of traditional cultural meals eaten in your country and special foods that commemorate events; stories about how you learned to cook and where your recipes originated; Facebook and Twitter messages about your traditional breakfasts; and even pictures of a specially-made Commonwealth egg cosy.

Watch the slideshow for a selection of this month’s entries.

This month: CULTURAL DRESS

Now we want to hear about your traditional CULTURAL DRESS and how its influenced fashion in your country.

What do you wear everyday or for special occasions? How do your clothes represent your culture? What has influenced them? How have they changed over the years?

Share photos or designs of your national dress and fashion, describe how it represents your culture, or discuss the local material used in making your clothes.

Send in your submissions by Monday, 9 April and we’ll feature a selection on our Connecting Cultures website.

Take part

Citizens of Commonwealth member states can send material via:

• Flickr (www.flickr.com/groups/commonwealthconnectingcultures) — photos, audio and video
• Email (connectingcultures@commonwealth.int) — stories, photos, audio and video

Stories should not exceed 300 words. Selected stories may be turned into audio tracks.

Don’t forget to include your name, theme topic, where you’re from, and background information about the material (who, what, why, where and when).

In coming months we’ll focus on new topics and how your culture is expressed through them: dance, music, art, literature, stories (myths and legends), play, sport, celebrations, and film and theatre. Stay tuned.

Aged 30 or under? For posterity why not also add your submissions to the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Young Commonwealth Competitions through the Jubilee Time Capsule.

Terms and conditions
You must hold the citizenship of a Commonwealth member state to submit material.
In contributing to the Commonwealth Secretariat you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use your material in any way that we want, and in any media worldwide.
This may include the transmission of the material by our partner organisations. These are all reputable Commonwealth organisations that are prohibited from altering the material in any way or making it available to the general media.
It is important to note, however, that you still own the copyright to everything that you contribute to the Commonwealth Secretariat in this manner and that if your material is used, we will endeavour to publish your name alongside it.
In contributing you warrant that you have created this material or have permission to do so.
The Commonwealth Secretariat cannot guarantee that any material will be used and we reserve the right to remove this material at our own discretion and to edit your comments for length.
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Any dispute concerning these terms and conditions shall be settled by negotiation, although if negotiation is unsuccessful either party may refer the dispute to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal which will have exclusive jurisdiction to consider the matter.

2012 Commonwealth Theme

‘Connecting Cultures’ celebrates the diversity of the Commonwealth and its role in bringing together many different peoples on the basis of shared visions and values. 

“The world of realist literature is not the same as the real world, but it is close enough, aligned enough, to the real world to be able to illuminate it. And it is books of that sort that I would like to make a case for today.”

In the magnificent setting of the Guildhall in the heart of the City of London, Ms Adichie addressed the 2012 Commonwealth Theme: ‘Connecting Cultures’, explaining that “Realistic fiction is not merely the recording of the real, as it were, it is more than that, it seeks to infuse the real with meaning. As events unfold, we do not always know what they mean. But in telling the story of what happened, meaning emerges and we are able to make connections with emotive significance.”

Referring to the story of the Philosopher Diogenes the Cynic who carried a lantern in daylight, walking up and down the streets of Athens, looking for humanity, Adichie explained that in this action he did not take the idea of humanity for granted and perhaps did not even presume he would find it:  “to read realist literature is, I think, to search for humanity as Diogenes did.”

Ms Adichie reminded the Commonwealth it is a common assumption that our collective humanity is self-evident, rather than needing searching for, explaining: “When we read human stories, we become alive in bodies not our own. Literature is in many ways like faith: it is a leap of imagination. Both reading and writing require an imaginative leap and it is that imaginative leap that enables us to become alive in bodies not our own. It seems to me that we live in a world where it has become increasingly important to try and live in bodies not our own, to embrace empathy, to constantly be reminded that we share, with everybody in every part of the world, a common and equal humanity.”

She went on to clarify that this is not a suggestion that we are all the same, instead, “Literature is indeed about how we are different, but also how, in those differences, we are similar.”

“I read human stories to be instructed and to be delighted. I also read to remind myself that I am not alone. That I, in the words of Pablo Neruda, “belong to this great mass of humanity, not to the few but to the many.””

Read the full lecture text >>

The celebrations were hosted by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma at Marlborough House – the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters – in London, UK.

The evening commemorated the Commonwealth Day theme ‘Connecting Cultures’ – observed throughout 2012 – which celebrates the diversity of the Commonwealth and its role in bringing together many different peoples on the basis of shared visions and values.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were joined by Australian Senator Jan McLucas, representing Prime Minister of Australia and Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, Julia Gillard; Sir John Major, former British Prime Minister and Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (QEDJT); South African musician Hugh Masekela; and multiple prize-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Mr Masekela – universally considered one of jazz’s greatest horn players – spoke about the power of music to cross borders and bridge cultural divides.

“I do not think there is any better international language than music,” he said. “It’s an amazing language, it just grabs the whole world, and I think in many places it has inspired people to examine their sociopolitical status.”

Commonwealth Day also marked the start of the Commonwealth’s celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – marking her 60 years as UK monarch and Head of the Commonwealth.

At the reception, the Queen met, among others, members of the QEDJT, the Commonwealth Working Group for the Diamond Jubilee, high commissioners, and Commonwealth Secretariat staff.

Sir John said it was a great honour to be asked to chair the QEDJT, which will fund pan-Commonwealth initiatives.

He added that by focusing on the Commonwealth, the trust is reflecting the Queen’s affinity and closeness to the association shown throughout her 60 year reign.

“The Commonwealth is a hugely valuable institution. It brings together big and small nations who meet on equal terms at regular intervals and I think that’s a good model for what the world should be doing.

“The more we celebrate the Commonwealth, the closer it can become.”

Dominican born Baroness Patricia Scotland QC said: “I think the Commonwealth is such a strong institution and we need to do everything we can to strengthen it. It’s good to be able to celebrate together, to learn from each other and to grow.”

Earlier that day, the Queen attended the Commonwealth Day Observance at Westminster Abbey in London, UK, where singer Laura Wright, performed ‘Stronger as One’, written to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and focusing on the Commonwealth.

At the Marlborough House reception Ms Wright said of the song: “I just think it’s fantastic for everyone involved and singing it and performing today for the first time in Westminster Abbey for the Queen was such a beautiful occasion.”

A remarkable insight we gain from such windows on the world is that, however different outward appearances may be, we share a great deal in common.

Our circumstances and surroundings may vary enormously, for example in the food we eat and the clothes we wear, but we share one humanity, and this draws us all together. The joys of celebration and sympathy of sadness may be expressed differently but they are felt in the same way the world over.

How we express our identities reveals both a rich diversity and many common threads. Through the creative genius of artists – whether they be writers, actors, film-makers, dancers or musicians – we can see both the range of our cultures and the elements of our shared humanity.

“Connecting Cultures”, our Commonwealth theme this year, encourages us to consider the special opportunities we have, as members of this unique gathering of nations, to celebrate an extraordinary cultural tapestry that reflects our many individual and collective identities. The Commonwealth treasures and respects this wealth of diversity.

Connecting cultures is more, however, than observing others and the ways in which they express themselves. This year, our Commonwealth focus seeks to explore how we can share and strengthen the bond of Commonwealth citizenship we already enjoy by using our cultural connections to help bring us even closer together, as family and friends across the globe.

To support this theme, a special song has been composed for the Commonwealth, ‘Stronger as One’. There are any number of ways in which that single piece of music alone can be played or sung anywhere in the Commonwealth. And by sharing the same music with our own personal interpretations and contributions, the wonderful human attribute of imagination is nourished, and we gain insights of understanding and appreciation of others.

The Commonwealth offers a pathway for this greater understanding and the opportunity to expand upon our shared experiences in a wider world. A world in which paths to mutual respect and common cause may also be explored and which can draw us together, stronger and better than before.

ELIZABETH R
12 March 2012

Download HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Commonwealth Day message 2012

HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Commonwealth Day message, 12 March 2012 by CommonwealthSec

Mr Masekela is a South African musician of legendary stature, having been at the heart of South African music for over half a century. His music illustrates the diverse ethnic culture that his country is home to. An outspoken advocate for civil rights on both sides of the Atlantic, he has spent his career pushing both social and musical boundaries and continues to speak out for his country’s people and their culture.

As part of a week of activites organised to mark Commonwealth Day and its theme for 2012, ‘Connecting Cultures’, the ‘Celebrating the Commonwealth’ concert offered a glimpse of the rich culture and creativity the modern Commonwealth has to offer.

The host for the evening, comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli, said: “This evening epitomises everything the Commonwealth is about, bringing a diverse range of talents together.”

The audience was lifted to their feet by Mr Masekela’s singing that undulated between a soft and deep resonance. Each crescendo and beat change in the music was reflected in his facial expressions.

He played and danced alongside each band member, before singing to the cheering crowd and encouraging their participation.

“I’m taking you with us everywhere we are going,” he told the audience as they joined in. 

“This could be your night to break out and let it rip. We know there’s people in here who’ve never screamed before so you’re about to change your whole life. Don’t bring down the ceiling,” he joked.

Joining him on stage were his band members: Cameron Ward on guitar; Randal Skippers on keyboards; Fana Zulu on bass; Francis Manneh Fuster on percussion; and Lee Roy Sauls on drums.

A child bounced to the rhythm produced on the fugelhorn as Mr Masekela filled the hall with its playful sound. Heads and bodies nodded and swayed to the beat.

“Surely you’ve had enough now?” he asked the audience.

“NO,” they responded.

The evening ended on old South African wedding songs with the entire crowd dancing, singing, clapping and waving together in unison.

Mr Masekela dedicated his performance to people looking for peace in their own countries and those affected by natural disasters.

“If it’s not too late, try to think about that [nature] and consider treating your environment a little better than you’ve been doing,” he added.

Preceding Mr Masekela was 28-year-old London vocalist Zara McFarlane, a rising star of the British jazz scene of Jamaican heritage.

With her band, Ms McFarlance danced as she sang vocals steeped in jazz with an undercurrent of rich, contemporary soul.

The audience was captivated by her voice, smoothly undulating between alto and soprano, and band members’ energetic solos.

Vijay Krishnarayan, Deputy Director, Commonwealth Foundation, said: “Tonight’s concert was a wonderful success. Hugh and Zara made from an impressive line up: two formidable artists engaging a packed house with rousing performances in celebration of the start of Commonwealth Week. We’re delighted to have had this opportunity to share a glimpse of the creative talent the Commonwealth has to offer and the power of culture as a force for social change.”

Visit the website throughout the week for more ‘Connecting Cultures’ events.