Commonwealth Essay CompetitionReview 2006

Write around the World

This has been another highly satisfying year for theCommonwealth Essay Competition which is organised by theRoyal Commonwealth Society. We received more than 6000entries from 1350 schools in 54 Commonwealth countries and territories. We welcomed back into the Competition schoolsfrom Kiribati and Vanuatu. Our team of 24 Examiners awardedprizes to 21 winners from Australia, Cameroon, Canada,Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka,Tanzania and Trinidad & Tobago.Runners-up also came from India,Kenya and the Seychelles. Asalways, it has been a privilege anda delight to hear from so manyyoung writers. Their enthusiasticinvolvement in the Competition isan inspiration and we hope thatyou will enjoy what they have tosay in this review.

The 1st prize in Class A went toJason Choo from SouthridgeSchool in Canada. You can readan extract from his essay aboutliving in two cultures on p. 4. The extract was read aloud duringthe Commonwealth ChristmasCarol Service in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London by the Canadian HighCommissioner to the UK, HE Mr James Wright. Jason’s successwas also picked up by several newspapers in Canada and he was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Service.Other prize winners were featured on websites and in localnewspapers in Ghana, Mauritius, Singapore and Vanuatu. A Sri Lankan essay on the importance of preserving cultural history and a Singaporean essay about racial discriminationwere published in two Commonwealth Ministers’ ReferenceBooks.

In July, HM Queen Elizabeth II visited the Commonwealth Clubto mark the opening of the Club’s new extended premises.

Line Gissel, the project manager, organised a display illustrating both the historical depth and the geographicalspread of the Essay Competition. To show the historical depth,Line created a time-line composed of prize-winning essaysstarting with an entry from 1922. To demonstrate the geographical spread, she identified the whereabouts of the1,350 schools which took part in the 2006 Competition on amap of the world. For each Commonwealth country and

territory, she placed a flag showingthe number of participating schools.

During the year, Line also wrote a scholarly and prize-winning article for the Commonwealth journal The Round Table. Lineexplores the themes of imperialismand modernism. Her startingpremise is that entries will reveal the world-view of the candidates. In particular, she compares the essays written in the1920s with the stories and essayswhich we receive today. The article quoted many entrants in the2004-2006 Commonwealth EssayCompetitions and will be publishedin February 2007.*

Finally, I would like to thank all those of you who sent us photographs of your schools and your students. They contribute to a diverse and exciting photo library which we are developing. We aim to make use of these photographsin our publications.

With my best wishes,

Charles Kemp, Chief Examiner

* If you are quoted, please contact the Royal Commonwealth Society for a copy of the article (please do not enclose your request with the entries for the 2007 Competition). The entrants quoted (with the year of their entry in bracket) are: Sharanya Athithan,

Malaysia (2006), Fabianna Bonne, Seychelles (2006), Amanda Chong, Singapore (2004), Simone Dishaw, India (2006), Jacquelyn Kataneksza, Zimbabwe (2003), Alizeh Khaleeli, Pakistan (2004) Alizeh Kohari, Pakistan (2005), Chengetai Mahomva,

South Africa (2005), Noreen Masud, Pakistan (2005), Zaynab Mosafeer, Mauritius (2005), Nilusha Perera, Sri Lanka (2006), Jawad Qureshi Pakistan (2006), Ashwina Rangasamy, Mauritius (2006), Shaiba Sarkar, India (2003), Shamira M. Leon,

Seychelles (2006), M. Sridurga, India (2006), Jillian G. Toyad, Malaysia (2006), Elly Varma, India (2006) and Anika Venter, South Africa (2006).

Welcome to the 2006 Review

Line Gissel shows a map of the world with details aboutparticipating schools to HM the Queen Elizabeth II on hervisit to the Commonwealth Club in July.

2 Review 2006

Congratulations to the Prize Winners of the 2006 Commonwealth Essay Competition. Winning an award or commendation is

a considerable achievement for all entrants and something of which they can be rightly proud.

Class A (16-18 year olds)

1st PrizeKyomim Jason ChooSouthridge School, Canada (British Columbia)

Joint 2nd PrizeMartika PercySt Joseph’s Convent, San FernandoTrinidad & Tobago

Joint 2nd PrizeSasha SaPoint Grey Mini SchoolCanada (British Columbia)

4th PrizeRhea ChatterjeaBangla Language & LiterarySocietySingapore

Commonwealth PrizeNabiha SaklayenColombo InternationalSchoolSri Lanka

Specially Commended asRunners-Up:Muhammad Ahnaf binAbdul RahimVictoria Junior CollegeSingapore

Sara FaruqiThe C.A.S. SchoolPakistan

Sarah PickettSummerland SecondarySchoolCanada (British Columbia)

Vikram SinghCathedral and John ConnonSchoolIndia (Maharashtra)

Class B (14-15 year olds)

1st PrizeScott WangUniversity of Toronto SchoolsCanada (Ontario)

2nd PrizeTan JuanheRaffles InstitutionSingapore

3rd PrizeDavid Inyene HundeyinOxbridge Tutorial College, Nigeria (Lagos)

4th PrizeAlina AhmadKarachi Grammar SchoolPakistan

Commonwealth PrizeGuy-Folly CheforCameroon College of Arts,Science and TechnologyCameroon

Specially Commended asRunners-Up:Pavithra IroshiniChandrasenaMaliyadeva Girls’ SchoolSri Lanka

Christmarine FernandoInternational SchoolSeychelles

Zohra NasirSpringfield SchoolPakistan

Stephanie PhangTanjong Katong Girls’ SchoolSingapore

Patricia Marie RodriguesKianda SchoolKenya

Class C (12-13 year olds)

1st PrizeFatimah Ashraf Lahore Grammar SchoolPakistan

2nd PrizeRejoice NtumyRidge International SchoolGhana

3rd PrizePeter L. JohannesenWest Point Grey AcademyCanada (British Columbia)

4th PrizeElizabeth Tan Su LinCHIJ Secondary School (ToaPayoh)Singapore

Special PrizeJesuthashan Johnson JoyMN/ St. Xavier’s Boys’National SchoolSri Lanka

Commonwealth PrizeMelody AkinyemiVivian Fowler MemorialCollege for GirlsNigeria (Lagos)

Specially Commended asRunners-Up:Henry AndersenApplecross Senior HighSchoolAustralia (Western Australia)

Rebecca GohZhonghua Secondary SchoolSingapore

Jhosy Ng Chu XiRiver Valley High SchoolSingapore

Class D (under-12 year olds)

1st PrizeLeow Tze Yan, ValerieChongfu Primary SchoolSingapore

2nd PrizeMadeline J. RodgersWest Moreton AnglicanCollegeAustralia (Queensland)

3rd PrizeChidinma JosakwekerLaureate International SchoolTanzania

4th PrizeMattie LandmanSt Katharine’s SchoolSouth Africa

Commonwealth PrizeTan Hua YangAnglo-Chinese School(Primary)Singapore

Specially Commended asRunners-Up:Uma GirishD.A.V. Girls’ Senior SchoolIndia (Tamil Nadu)

Jessica LeeMethodist Girls’ SchoolSingapore

Sheldon Lim Wei JieMaris Stella High School(Primary), Singapore

Nandita NairInternational SchoolSeychelles

Bhargavi PatelBloorlea Middle SchoolCanada (Ontario)

Prizes

3 Review 2006

I remember when I was twelve; I told my classmates that Ilicked dogs. I get kitchen and chicken confused. I sometimescall my 12 o’ clock meal lunchy. I could come up with manymore examples of my misuse of English. While my Englishspeaking friends may believe that they know the “whole”Jason, there is so much more to me than they see. BecauseEnglish is a second language to me, it is difficult for me to fullyexpress myself academically, socially, or emotionally. I am limited by the fact that idioms and expressions do not comenaturally to my lips, which forces me to speak in a literal manner. This is frustrating because I am a very funny andurbane person. You may now think that I am arrogant, but thatis only because I couldn’t think of any word that was betterthan “urbane.” I should have said “polite.” Many of the wordsand phrases that I use are “marked.” This means that althoughthey are usually grammatically correct, they appear awkward orout of place to a native English speaker. For example, I havecalled myself an “expert” hockey player when I should havesaid “skilled.” These errors are not huge, but they give me anawkwardness that I would not have if I spoke only Korean.

Do not think that I have a limited vocabulary. On the contrary, Ihave spent many hours, in fact, days, memorizing “SAT words.”Many Koreans applying to American universities are forced togo to Scholastic Aptitude Test schools to learn what is neededto score big and get into Harvard or Yale. As a result, I know themeaning of many big words: lugubrious means sad; corpulentmeans fat; lackadaisical means lazy; but, when I say, “the corpulent lackadaisical man appears lugubrious,” it just doesn’tsound right to native English speakers who would say, “that lazyfat guy sure looks sad.” Memorizing all those SAT words has

made me seem like a bit of a nerd, or, should I say, academician.I don’t believe that this is my true nature; I don’t talk so intellectually in Korean.

However, even though I cannot be fully myself when communicating in English, I am glad that it is the language I am learning. English has official status in more than 75 countries and is spoken as a first language by over 375 millionpeople. At least a quarter of the world’s population can speaksome English, and more people are learning it every day.English is the main language of literature, business, science,international relations, and entertainment. Learning Englishhas provided me with the opportunity to attend a very goodCanadian school and is giving me the chance to matriculate ata North American university. The fact that I am learning Englishas a second language will help me in the future.

The advantages of learning English are not just external.Learning a second language has been shown to cause thebrain to build more connections within itself. Culturally, I amlearning more about the world. I can see global issues fromtwo perspectives. This has made me more open-minded andempathetic with other people. The true me is no longer justKorean, but it will never be just English. I, like the countryI live in, am a mixture of two cultures and two languages. While I cannot be fully myself in English, adding English to mycommunication skills has made me a more complete person.

Jason ChooSouthridge School, Canada

1st Prize in Class A

Living in two cultures

Many of our young writers speak two or three languages. They also live in more than one culture. Here Jason Choo answers

the question “Does English allow you to be fully yourself or do you also need another language?” whilst Alina Ahmad explores

the topic “Crossing the boundary”.

4 Review 2006

Newspaper cuttings (left to right): The Province August 8 2006, The Peace Arch News July 29 2006, and National Post August 2 2006.

My parents come from two distant corners of the world, withcompletely different cultural and sociological traditions andbeliefs. My father is Pakistani and my mother is American. Myfather comes from a land where male figures dominate societyand my mother comes from a place where women and men areconsidered to be equals. My father comes from a backgroundin which religion plays a large role in life, while my mothercomes from a background in which religion is generally a private matter which doesn’t play a major part in daily life at all.My father likes spicy food for dinner at 10pm and my motherlikes bland dishes preferably at 7pm. Some differences aremajor and some are minor. I was born in the US but have livedin Pakistan for 10 years with trips back every summer, so I haveseen my share of both worlds.

I am often asked whether I prefer America or Pakistan as ahome. I find great difficulty in answering this question. In fact,to this day, I still have not been able to figure out which placeI like most. Pakistan may be dirty and corrupt and may be filled with chaos, but I really do love Pakistan, the country I call home. On the other hand, America is full of people whoare helpful and friendly, and everything is very beautiful andorganized. I love it just as much! I feel completely like anAmerican when I hang out with my friends back in Kansas, singthe national anthem and watch fire works on Fourth of July. ButI also feel totally Pakistani when I read the Quran, sing Paak SarZameen and watch Indian movies. In America, I’ll always be the

kid that has never been to prom, or hasn’t started driving lessons yet, or who has not been baptized. And in Pakistan, I’ll always be that girl who cannot recite some verse from theQuran, or who only owns three shalwar kameeses. When I amin Pakistan, I miss the joy and opportunity of America. Butwhen I am in America I cannot help missing the craziness ofPakistan...and the desi food!

The fact is that I am Pakistani...and American...yet neitherPakistani...nor American. There are times I feel sorry for myselffor not knowing where my real roots are. But I take consolationin the fact that there are lots of people who feel this way. There are Pakistani kids that have moved to America - andother American kids who are living in Pakistan. There are kidswho just visit back and forth often. I am sure we are all a little confused. There are other times, though, that I realize that I amreally very privileged. I have two places to call home, two setsof customs to choose the best from, two religions to help meunderstand God, two languages to communicate in and thelist goes on and on. This allows me to be a better person - tobe more understanding and less judgemental. I sometimesthink that if everyone could cross a boundary and look at theworld from a different viewpoint the world would be a muchbetter place.

Alina AhmadKarachi Grammar School, Pakistan

4th Prize in Class B

5 Review 2006

The summer in Bombay is a torrid affair; it is not justhot, the heat maliciously partners itself with thehumidity to create an unbearable environment.Late on one such summer evening, I, all of eighteen years old, was at home, aimlessly flippingthrough the channels of the television. My motherwas in the kitchen cooking dinner while my fatherand brother were yet to return from their office.There was relative peace in the house, broken inter-mittently by the occasional sound of the pressure cooker. But all that changed in an instant.The phone rang and the voice on the other enddelivered a hammer blow to my mother. Shedropped the receiver, shrunk from the phone andcollapsed into a chair, eyes wide, tears rolling down her cheeks. In a panic I picked up the phoneand spoke to the man, a police officer. “Of course,we’ll be right there”, I said in a hoarse whisper.

At the police station, after we had identified thebodies, we were ushered in to talk to an officer,Inspector Rane, who elaborated on what had happened. To the best of their knowledge somegoondas, small time players of the gang war, went in to see my father. They beat him and my brotherup, broke their legs and then shot them till theywere dead. It was a dispute over some borrowedmoney. As I sat there, it felt like some dream, anightmare I just wouldn’t wake up from. A millionthoughts went through my head, mentally hurlingabuse at the murderers. Why them? I asked myself.

This can’t be happening, it’s just not possible, Irepeated to myself. I excused myself as my motherspoke to the police. She was, without a question,shattered, but she was strong and spoke with composure. The police needed to talk to her.

Walking outside, I sat on the stairs, not knowingwhat exactly I should think, not really wanting tothink. One of the younger inspectors on the caseemerged from the police station. He saw me andasked how I was doing. “Half my family has been murdered, how do you think I am?” I shot back. Henodded and apologised. “What happens now?” I asked the man. “We look for the men, when wefind them, they’ll be put on trial and hopefully convicted.” I sat quietly for a moment, and thenslowly asked, “What is actually going to happen?”He laughed, not because anything was funny, but because the truth was quite sad. It was a drydisgusted laugh. “Whoever has had to be paid offhas been. The rest will be threatened with theirlives. Case may not even reach court. If it does, itwill conveniently not have enough evidence for aconviction, and even if it reaches court, by the timethe verdict is out, your grandson will be there tohear it ... I’m really sorry.”

Vikram SinghCathedral and John Connon School, India

Runner-up in Class A

Creative writing and story telling

Every year, the Examiners have the opportunity to read fresh, exciting, moving, vivid and dramatic stories

from all over the Commonwealth. Some stories make the hairs tingle on the back of your neck. Others set

the pulse racing. Some make you smile or laugh out loud. A few wring tears from your eyes. Others still,

which are written from direct personal experience, tug the strings of your heart. Creative writing lies at the

heart of the Competition alongside academic excellence. Enjoy these extracts!

Vikram Singh’s moody and atmospheric story about revenge and the loss of innocence is set in

Bombay (Mumbai). In this extract, Vikram describes a visit to the police station after a murder

has taken place.

6 Review 2006

Illustrations by Amit Banda, Mangesh Mhatre and Anusha Putti, allfrom IES Jawaharlal Nehru Port Vidyalaya, India and Sara B. Grech,

student at Mater Boni Consilii St Josepth, Malta.

Suddenly on one Wednesday evening, we heardfootsteps in our building. I held on to Aditiya butluckily it was only Uncle Jay. We were delighted, butthere was something unpleasant on his face. Aditiyasensed it. Suddenly we heard footsteps again andbefore we knew it, we were surrounded byJapanese troops. They grabbed Aditiya and placedhim on a truck. I ran but just couldn’t go fast. Thetruck drove away but I still ran. It was too late. I gaveup Aditiya. I screamed and ran to our old house and dashed in. I held Mamma so tight before shecould say anything. “Aditiya, Aditiya... he, he... “, I stuttered. I told them everything and Mammabroke down. Pappa said that uncle was a traitor andthat he gave information to the Japanese to getextra money and food. He said that desperatetimes make people do desperate things. I did notunderstand what Pappa said and cried incessantlyfor days. Once again the days passed, this time withMamma and without Aditiya.

Three weeks later, the morning was beautiful, thesun streamed through our house, the birds sangmerrily and flowers blossomed. Yet still no newsfrom Aditiya. As night approached devastation was

around the corner. Today we faced it, Pappa’swords, Aditiya is dead. A month passed. A monthafter his death. The war was over and the Japanesesurrendered. Everyone cheered and clapped,watching the ceremony. I only thought of thedelightful times with Aditiya.

I’ve learnt that happiness isn’t the magical miraclesof life. There’s always a pin to pierce your heart inevery corner and there’s always family to sew it back for you. Mamma and Pappa kept us safethroughout the war. Uncle Jaya, well, he was a person I loved and admired. Yet now, I hate him asmuch as I loved him before. If only Aditiya was herenow, he would join us to celebrate new beginnings,to endure the path, to reach the pinnacle, and dwellin the happiness of life’s path. Fear once stood as abarrier and boundary that caged and crippled us.Crossing that boundary, I moved on with life. Fear however will always remain a faint, distantinseparable memory.

Sindhu RajindranSMK Convent Bukit Nanas, Malaysia

Highly Commended in Class B

Every afternoon except on Sunday, Vili would beseen on the bald playground with his cousins andfriends, playing their favourite sport, sevens rugby.The sport had become part of their lives. For themthe most important thing was God, then their family and third most important was rugby. Vili wasa star in the making. He was unique and had movesthat could sweep you off your feet. He was swift and flexible with his steps, just like a rattle snake,crawling through the desert. In most incidents hisplaymates would get so dizzy from chasing himaround that they would give up soon. Vili also hadspectacular foot work. Being supple limbed he hada bag of tricks that would stun the spectators andplayers all the same. Vili would step this way andthat, back and front, confusing the players andwhen he found a gap, he would make a run for it,leaving the opposing team either to scratch theirhead in confusion or to hide their embarrassment.

His skills developed amazingly when he was ayoungster. His father had a habit of hunting for wildpigs with bare hands and Vili had accompanied him

then. They would wind into the deepest forests that had tall trees, intimidating and virgin forestsand searched for their prey. When they found oneat last, they would slowly walk up to it, enduringcomplete silence, and pounce on their prey.However, Vili’s father was always the clumsy one. Hewould accidentally step on a rotten wood and thewild pig would make a run for it. All at once the twowould sprint after the wild boar. Step left, step right,jumping over the fallen logs, ducking below lowbranches and finally, making a dive for it. Aftersome time, Vili had gained his speed and skill andwhen this was taken to the ground, it was truly sensational to watch. His name had becomerenowned all over the district and was slowlyspreading over the ocean to the outer islands.

Vani TabudravuIndian College, Fiji Islands

Highly Commended in Class A

Vani Tabudravu tells the story of a young rugby player from a poor village family whose dream is

to play for the national side in honour of his late father’s passion for the game. In this extract,

Vani describes how the young man learned his skills.

Sindhu Rajindran’s bittersweet story about war-torn Malaya touches on the love and betrayal that

can happen when families are struggling to survive against the odds. Here, Sindhu brings her

story to a close.

7 Review 2006

I have been involved in the Competition for twenty years. In itsmodern form, it was built up by my late father, Stephen. In his quiet and unassuming manner, he believed passionately

in the Commonwealth and its potential to bring people together in a positive and creative way. I have sought to retain and consolidate

this aspect of the Competition, staying true to

my father’s vision whilst reaching out wherever

possible so that others, whether young writers like yourself or

your parents

and teachers or other readers, can enjoy the opportunity to bepart of this wonderful exercise in global communication.

Like you, I also believe in the power of “stories”. We each haveone to tell, with its various episodes and chapters, and themore we are able to hear and truly listen to the stories of others, then the world will become a more respectful, compassionate and less violent place to live. As a means bywhich young people can find their voice and share what theyhave to say, I believe no less passionately than my father thatthe Competition has a significant role to play in human affairs.Every year, when winter in the Northern Hemisphere finallyturns towards Spring, the entries begin to pour in from all over the world and the magic is rekindled as the Examinersread through all the essays and stories in their searchfor the year’s winners.

What makes the Commonwealth EssayCompetition specialThe Commonwealth Essay Competition is both unique and special. It has a magic that is felt by many of the people who

come into contact with it. As Chief Examiner, it is always delightful to hear from a candidate who has been inspired by their

involvement in the Competition. Here we share extracts from two letters. The first letter we received from Nicola Lazenby,

a young South African student with a talent for writing powerful stories and a keen ear for the rhythms of the English

language. The second letter is my reply.

Reply by Charles Kemp, the Chief Examiner

8 Review 2006

I started writing for the Commonwealth Essay Competitionwhen I was thirteen. I was given a Commendation, with arepeat performance the next year when I turned fourteen. Andthen, you drew a picture for me that said I could do anything I wanted. I could shape a life and push it into the mouth of a character, who in turn would reach the part in people wherewe escape to. And I would reach people. I would tell themthings; important things and strange things, and they would be beautiful and new and old, and they were all made up ofwords that I wrote. I won Class B in 2004, turning me like a planet towards a sun that shone with something bright and reachable. The following two years brought me a Specially Commended and Highly Commended award in Class A. It was a taste of fresh fruit to my dry language. I began to know what it was I had to become so that I would never be hungry again.

I have been accepted to study English and Drama in the Humanities Faculty of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and

when I am done I will be a teacher. I will teach English, and I will press words into the ears of young minds so that they areaware not only of the gift of stories but also the world around them. I have been to every continent in the world, and one thing does not change; there is nothing if there is not language and communication. If the young people canknow this, they can write about it in stories and experience or facts and reports and ideally, eventually and with my greatest hopes, begin to understand one another in important

ways. Only then will the world (with so many things going wrong) reach the point you set out

to achieve. And these wordsare being spoken becauseof a fire you started in me

and no doubt in others “write around the world”.

Nicola Lazenby (left) and Dr Charles Kemp

(below left).

Teenagers as elected representatives

In Class C, one of the topics was “You have been accepted to an important position in your school or community. Write an

acceptance speech thanking your supporters and explaining what you will do.” By way of reply, we received some excellent,

informative and informed answers, none more so than this speech by Rejoice Ntumy.

“Nananom”, the elders, the chairman of the town developmentcommittee, fellow citizens, ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to stand before you today to thank you for voting for me during the elections, and also to announce my developmentplan for our community.

To start with, we have a saying that cleanliness is next to godliness. If we do not keep our community clean, we wouldbecome sick. Our community looks very filthy and dirty. The gutters have not been desilted fora very long time now. You wouldalso see a lot of rubbish in thegutters and a lot of mosquitoes inthe ones which contain stagnant water. These can cause diseasessuch as cholera, malaria etc. I would therefore make sure that the community is clean byorganising communal labour periodically in the community forthe cleanliness of the community. I would also send for the wastemanagement council to come toour community every week to clean there and also make sure thatwe have a place for dumping our refuse so that the communitywould always be clean.

Secondly, we have only one school and that school is not good atall. It is just a wooden structured house with only two windows andno doors. It is also a school that does not have any library. As it isa small school, all pupils are forced to be in one room. If peopleare too overcrowded, they can get skin infections like rashes,chicken pox, small pox, measles etc. They are also likely to getsome coughing diseases like tuberculosis, whooping cough etc.As we all know, education is the key to success and also children are the future leaders of the country. Therefore we must educate them well to a very high standard under suitable conditions. I would apply for the district educational fund from the local government to build three schools so that children would be educated in spacious and well ventilated class-rooms. This would enable them to learn hard to become great people in future so that if we are no more there to lead the country, they would do so.

Thirdly, there is no safe drinking water in this community. The onlysource of water in the community is the River Waya. This river isnot safe for drinking because people wash, bath, urinate andsometimes go to the extent of easing themselves in the river. Wehave heard about and seen a lot of water borne diseases around,which are killing our people, just because of the water we havebeen drinking. I would therefore make sure that we have gooddrinking water by asking the World Vision International to provideus with clean drinking water. I would also construct boreholes to

prevent waterborne diseases frominvading our community.

Last and not the least, the bridgethat we have on the River Waya isnot strong. You can imagine if itrains and the river is in flood, foodstuffs always get rotten. Foodstuffsget rotten because farmers cannotcross the bridge because of theflood, so they would have to wait tillthe bridge is fixed and this leads tothe rotting of the foodstuffs and,also, the loss leading to poverty of

the individual farmer. A bridge would therefore be constructed sothat even when it rains, farmers or people in the neighbouringcommunities can come to buy our foodstuffs and vice versa.

I promise you that all that I have said will come to pass. But I need your hard work and co-operation. Thank you once more for voting for me.

Rejoice NtumyRidge International School, Ghana

2nd Prize in Class C

Ghana

9 Review 2006

The busy library (above) and students(right) at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Nigeria.

Madeline J. Rodgers

West Moreton Anglican College,

Australia

2nd Prize in Class D

and Queensland

Prize Winner

It was Saturday, the atmosphere of the one and only market in Seychelles, Victoria Market, was vibrant as usual, with anassortment of noises, smells and sights assuaging my senses.

It was crowded with people from all walks of life, a motley gathering of parents and children, farmers and fishermen, mothers and youngsters; all in their own world, doing differentthings. From the corner of my eyes, I could see an old man at astall, selling an artist’s palette of vegetables, vivid greens. Awoman with stuffed shopping bags pushed past me and madeher way towards the fish market through the bustling crowds.Although it was early morning, the market was as full as ever andcustomers were huddled together, in front of the stalls, waiting tobe served. “Bonjour Noeah”, I shouted to my good old friend, asI made my way to the oldest market seller, so prominent with hiscowboy hat and his loud piercing voice, enticing customers to stop by his stall. I then went towards the fish market, and thedistinct smell of fresh fish wafted across the early morning air.There were huge slabs of concrete, and on them was a variety offish, dazzlingly colourful, ranging from the small sardines to thehuge tuna from the warm seas of the Indian Ocean. Shark, RedSnapper, Shoemaker, it was all there, fresh catches from dawn.

The vegetable market is the area where most of the stalls are andthere were dozens, scattered across the cobbled streets. Theywere mostly make-shift stalls; a sturdy piece of wood laid overcrates and boxes, with an array of herbs, spices and all kinds of tropical vegetables scattered like a rainbow of colours, sopleasing to the eye. A few stalls had a beach umbrella to protectthe vendors from the oppressive heat of the tropical sun, othersstood in shaded areas. White cranes sauntered around, slowlyand stately, as if they did not have a care in the world and nibbled

on the remains of the fruits and vegetables that were on theground. The enormous palm tree in the middle of the marketrustled when the occasional wind blew.

There was a diversity of smells that one could not identify all atonce. Fish, coriander, thyme, cinnamon, green chillies, spinach, mangoes, papaya, peppers, even the smell of curries, grilled fish and burgers as there were eat-outs nearby. The bouquets of dahlias and roses for sale added to the diverse aromas. Amedley of sounds seemed to greet me as I walked through themarket; people talking and gossiping in Creole, laughing andgiggling, vendors advertising out loud, birds twittering, heavyfootsteps, the bang of the heavy five rupee coin hitting the wood.It was all a huge jumble and a welcome sound to my ears as Itried to absorb it all in. All my senses were alert and working infull mode! The sky was always a bright blue, with cumulus cloudsthat refused to rain on Market Day.

Saturdays at the market are always lively, vivacious and effervescent. It was humid weather in spite of the wind but thatdidn’t stop the Seychellois from being as exuberant as they couldbe. They greeted each other cheerily, “Bonjour”, regardless ifthey knew each other or not. The variety of noises, the range ofsmells, the mixture of sights, it happens every Saturday, at theVictoria Market, in a tiny island in the Indian Ocean: Seychelles.

Nandita NairInternational School, Seychelles

Runner up in Class D and Seychelles

Prize Winner

Local Prizes

Two of our Local Prize winners chose the Class D topic “Write a poem or description of your local market”. Nandita Nair vividly

brings to life the sort of market you can encounter all over the Tropics while Madeline Rodgers skilfully captures in the opening

three verses of her poem the feel of a market where second-hand goods endlessly circulate via car boot and jumble sales and

flea markets.

10 Review 2006

Australia, Benjamin Mylius Faith Lutheran School Class A

South Australia Camilla Birch Pembroke School Class B

Laura Goodwins Pembroke School Class B

Lucey Graney Marryatville High School Class B

Caitlin Morrison Marryatville High School Class B

Sebastian Tonkin Marryatville High School Class B

Joanna Palmer Pembroke School Class C

Alexandra Walters Pembroke School Class C

Emma Becroft Sunrise Christian School Class D

Caithlin O’Loghlen Lenswood Primary School Class D

Australia, Queensland Jacqueline Burgess St Teresa’s College Class B

Rosemary Skerman Dalby Christian School Class C

Madeline Rodgers West Moreton Anglican College Class D

Makeely Blandford Sunshine Beach State School Class D

Caillum Coleman St Maria Goretti School Class D

Bessie Doran-Smits St Joseph’s Primary School Class D

Tobias Locke St Elizabeth’s School Class D

Australia, Jenny Nguyen Mirrabooka Senior High School Class B

Western Australia Annalisa Filippone Mirrabooka Senior High School Class B

Jessica Warriner Applecross Senior High School Class C

Dominica Okara Bannis Convent High School Class B

Falkland Islands Marita O’Sullivan Falkland Islands Community School Class B

Jersey Katherine Cubbage St Michael’s Preparatory School Class D

Kiribati Arinteiti Francine Baaro Moroni High School Class B

Mauritius Rayda Aaishah Joomum Loreto College Port Louis Class A

Kiran Apsarah Mahadeo Loreto College Curepipe Class B

Arvind Luximan Mahatma Gandhi SS, Flacq Class C

Yashna Devi Ramjeet Forest Side (Girls) SSS Class D

Papua New Guinea Rebekah Ilave Port Moresby International School Class B

Scotland Kirsten Napier Sandwick Junior High School Class C

Seychelles Nandita Nair International School Class D

St Helena Louisa Francis Prince Andrew Community High School Class C

St Kitts & Nevis Calvin Duggins Basseterre High School Class B

Vanuatu Silas Hawa St Patrick’s College Class A

Congratulations to our 2006 local prize winners!

11 Review 2006

The Royal Commonwealth Society wishes to acknowledge the kind generosity of all those who gave their support or made donations to theCommonwealth Essay Competition 2006.

The Royal Commonwealth Society

25 Northumberland Avenue

London WC2N 5AP

UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7930 6733

Facsimile: +44 (0) 20 7930 9705

Email: essay@rcsint.org

Website: www.rcsint.org

Charity number 226748

Designed and produced by Quattro. Tel: +44 (0)20 7766 5225

Photo credits:

The hat photo (above) is from Durban Girls’ College, South Africa

Front cover (clockwise from top left):

Perseverance Tonghwoh,

Government Bilingual Primary School Ngaoundere, Cameroon

Hua Yang Tan, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Singapore

Mattie Landman, St Katharine’s School, South Africa

Students at Fazaia Inter College Islamabad, Pakistan

Nabiha Saklayen, Colombo International School, Sri Lanka

2006 Local PrizeSponsors

Barclays Bank (Mauritius)

Mr George Charleston(co-ordinator of theMary Jackson MemorialPrize for Scotland)

RCS Bath and DistrictBranch

RCS Bristol

RCS British Columbia

RCS Jersey Branch

RCS Montreal

RCS Queensland

RCS South Australia

RCS Western Australia

Prize Sponsors

Bob and Betty ThorpEndowment

British CouncilAssociation

Cambridge University Commonwealth Society

Margaret BestEndowment

Stephen KempMemorial

Sheila Ramsay LochheadMemorial

Other Supporters

Commonwealth High Commissions in London

CommonwealthMinistries of Education

CommonwealthSecretariat

English-Speaking Union, Mauritius

In RemembranceStuart Mason, a former Examiner in Class A, died last year. We remember his contribution to the Competition with gratitude.

Looking forward to2007