Hidden archives of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO): conspiracy, incompetence or loss of institutional memory?

By Mandy Banton, Senior Research Fellow, ICWS; formerly of the UK National Archives Despite rumours and half-truths long in existence, the official line that no locally created records of former colonial governments were transferred to London at independence was...

Nigeria celebrates its centenary

By Richard Bourne OBE, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Nigeria, put together by Lord Lugard in January 1914, has just been celebrating its centenary. This is slightly less of a hooley than the celebration of 50 years of independence in...

Lessons from the Past?

By Dr Sue Onslow, Senior Research Fellow, ICwS As an integral part of the oral history project on the Commonwealth, last week we organised a key note lecture by former Secretary General Sir Sonny Ramphal (1975-1990). This was deliberately scheduled for the eve of the...