by Ian Xu One common thread linking your nation with the rest of the Commonwealth may be more perceptible than you think—in fact, it’s hard not to hear it. Embedded in communities around the world, bagpipe & drum bands (known as pipe bands) are a remnant legacy of British military origin that many nations have …

Pipe Bands – An unlikely Commonwealth musical tradition Read More »

by Victor Okechukwu Chimezie Nigeria, with a population of over 220 million, is a highly diverse nation with more than 250 ethnic groups practicing various religions. While this diversity can be a positive attribute for any nation, it can also be detrimental to growth and development without ethno-religious tolerance. In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed …

Fostering Ethno-Religious Tolerance in Nigeria Amongst Youths Read More »

by Jada Chambers I once saw a graveyard come alive. It’s also the biggest graveyard I’ve ever seen. This place is called Baliceaux, a 142.1 km² island in the Caribbean that is part of the nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Baliceaux has a haunting history surrounding the Garifuna people, as beneath the feet …

Baliceaux: A beautiful graveyard that must be protected (+video) Read More »

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has described a never-before-attempted musical feat as “uplifting and a powerful testament to the Commonwealth’s resilience”.

As a first-time attendee of the festival, Shomira Sanyal, 19, a Commonwealth Correspondent from New Delhi in India says that she was thoroughly spoiled in attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, Asia’s largest and the world’s biggest free lit-fest. The city of Jaipur recently saw literature enthusiasts from all corners of the world coming to attend …

“Festival offers the high-lit of the literary season!” Read More »

The disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines jet earlier this month gripped attention around the world. Muhammad Hafiz, 19, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, reports on the latest news briefings related to that mystery.    It’s 17 days and counting since March 8, 2014. The Malaysia-based Malaysia Airlines airplane which was supposed to …

"17 days (and counting)…. " Read More »

Behaviour can be a reaction to stereotypes, but as Harmanan Singh, 17, a Correspondent from Mumbai in India writes, there is much to learn from looking beyond first impressions. It was yet another crowded, packed day at the railway station. I scuttled with a million others as I took the eternal climb on the staircase …

"To the kid at the station: you taught me a lesson!" Read More »

Videos of people taking the ice bucket challenge are everywhere on social media, but Madusha Erandi, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Sri Lanka, asks whether other causes aren’t equally deserving of the awareness and money being raised. As all of us know by now that the Ice Bucket challenge has been viral on social media and …

"Ice bucket challenge – is it really that 'awesome'?" Read More »

Public libraries are usually considered to be temples of knowledge, but Harmanan Singh, 17, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Mumbai in India, argues that when it comes to author rights libraries are pirates. Piracy – we all know what it means, right?  Administrations around the globe will tell you that it is the illegal sharing of content …

"Libraries are pirates – we need public lending rights" Read More »

The popularity of Indian television and fashion is having an impact on Bangladesh’s language, film industry and even cultural celebrations, writes Abdullah Al Hasan, 23, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, who argues that response is in the hands of Bangladesh’s consumers. Globalization has opened many ways to explore extraneous cultures, and gives Bangladesh an amazing …

"Does Indian culture pose a threat to Bangladesh?" Read More »