Written piece
One Thread, Many Strands
Josephine Amoako
Ghana
About this piece
We are continents, cultures, and stories held together by grit and grace. Rooted in a complex history and bound by collective ambition, we are competitors and cheerleaders, each other's keepers across the Commonwealth.
We are made up of continents bound beyond the colour of our skin
Defined by diverse languages and cultures
But connected by hearts of passion and grit
Created to endure and evolve, expand and thrive in cooperation
With a shared history of dark times marked by wars and regime changes
We held on by a thread
Until brave men and women rose to fight for their land, gifting us
The opportunity to rediscover and reclaim our unique cultures and identities
Our lands are homes to mountains and plains, forests and deserts, rivers and lakes
Sheltering wildlife in the jungles and fish in the deepest waters
Likewise, we have buzzing cities with buildings brushing against the skies
With our collective thirst for more, driving us to invent technologies our forebears could barely dream of
We owe how far we’ve come to those before us
For preserving the thread of innovation for generations to come
Not to be complacent with the status quo but to ask for more and strive for better
We may be divided by borders and seas but our common wealth is who we are as a people
Our collective identity and humanity
To be each other’s keeper; competitor, yet cheerleader
To complement each other with our unique strengths for the common good of all
This thread is our commonwealth and we are blessed to be its strands