The Commonwealth and Africa
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206201700204 |
| Published date | 01 June 1962 |
| Author | John W. Holmes |
| Date | 01 June 1962 |
| Subject Matter | Notes and Comment |
Notes
and
Comment
The
Commonwealth
and
Africa
John
W. Holmes
Canadian
Institute
of
International
Affairs.
That
there
is
a
useful
role
for
the
Commonwealth
in
the
immediate
future
was
one view on
which
there
was
general agreement
at
the
Commonwealth Studies Conference
held
in Lagos,
Nigeria, from
Janu-
ary
8
to
16
of
this
year.
The
problem
is
to
define
that
role
realistically,
with
due
consideration
for
the
changed
composition
of
the
Common-
wealth
and
rapid
shifts
in
international
alignment.
The
irony
of
the
gathering
was
that
at
a
session
at
which
all
participants
soberly
dis-
cussed
whether
or
not
the
Commonwealth
would
continue
to
exist
at
all, the
value
of
the
association
was
demonstrated most
effectively.
The
hopeful aspect
for
the
Commonwealth
is
that
members,
gathered from
almost
every
continent,
were
prepared
to
look
not
only
at
controversial
issues
of
the
day
but
also
at
the
very
function
of
the institution,
with
a
maximum
of
candour
and
a
minimum
of
rancour.
The
Conference
was
one
of
a
series
in
which
the
various
Common-
wealth
Institutes
of
international
affairs
have
participated
since
1933,
when
the
first
conference of
its
kind
was
held
in
Toronto
under
the
auspices
of
the
Canadian
Institute
of
International
Affairs.
The
last
conference
was held
in
New
Zealand in
1959,
and
the
next
is
scheduled
for
India
in
1964.
Because
of
the
importance
of
African
questions,
it
was
decided
to
hold
an
extra
conference
in
1962
in
Africa.
A
happy
aspect
of
the
occasion
was
the
establishment
during
the
Conference
of
the
Nigerian
Institute
of
International
Affairs
under
very
dis-
tinguished
auspices
and
the chairmanship
of
the
Chief
Justice
of
the
Federation,
Sir
Adetokunbo Ademola.
Delegations were
present
at
the
Conference
not
only
from
countries
like
Britain,
India,
Pakistan,
Australia,
New
Zealand,
and
Canada,
in
which
institutes
have
long
been
established,
but
also
from
Ghana,
Sierra
Leone,
Kenya,
Tan.
ganyika,
Zanzibar,
Nyasaland,
the
Rhodesias,
Ceylon,
Cyprus,
Malaya,
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