Graduation Address

"Encaenia Address by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Ceremony A." (24 May 1995). (UA Case 67, Box 3)

Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Vice Chancellor, Members of the Senate, Board of Governors and Faculty, Alumni and Graduands, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Let me being by congratulating all those who are receiving their degrees today. I do so sincerely but with a little trepidation. I am the recipient of an honorary degree, an award that comes to me as a gift from your university. You, the graduands, have endured years of pain, effort and cost—with I hope some pleasure as well—in securing your honour. The balance is in your favour which is why I stand before you as a humble visitor.

Humility, though, is rather difficult to sustain after hearing the very kind words that have been said about me. I have fortified my resolve in this instance by keeping in mind that wise bit of North American advice: "Flattery is fine providing you don’t inhale."

I fear you may have noticed that I have been breathing deeply throughout these proceedings! Nevertheless, the experience of receiving a degree from the University of New Brunswick is an honour that I have found wholly pleasurable.

This is my first such honour from a university in Canada and I am particularly glad to be receiving it from one that has a deep and enthusiastic association with the Commonwealth, reflecting not just the Commonwealth’s diversity but its commitment to improving the well-being of its peoples. Besides, the University of New Brunswick currently has in its Chancellor, Mr. Fredrik Eaton, a man who won great distinction and respect among all his peers during his tenure in London as High Commissioner of Canada to the Court of St. James.

To the graduands I would say: now that you have your degrees you will be leaving by and large a safe and lonely environment. And you will be entering a world where our lives—yours personally, and that of the Commonwealth as an institution—will remain subject to constant pressures and change. I am speaking, of course, in the broadest possible terms. But you should be aware that the certainties we once took for granted are no longer there. Our world, our neighbourhood, our expectations and our ambitions are being subjected to a continuing process of change.

As we approach the millennium, change seems to have replaced ideology as the dogma for governments and peoples. It has manifested itself in many ways: in economics, in politics, in diplomacy, and above all in technology. Each of you will have experienced in some way the information revolution which is sweeping the world and influencing so much of our lives. I imagine that when you started your degree courses few of you had laptops or instant access to the Internet. When next year’s freshmen and women arrive at New Brunswick their laptops will probably be as familiar as Walkmans were in your year and more common than briefcases.

On the international level, a stunning change has also taken place. The barriers of confrontation buttressed by the cold war that kept blocs of countries and their peoples apart have gone. In their place has emerged a new threat to peace in the form of conflicts fuelled by ethnic, religious, nationalist and communalist intolerance. Dampened for so long, these deeply nurtured feelings which we have come to define as divisive pluralism, broke through like spring flowers, releasing a potent force to threaten and challenge the established order.

Ordinarily, pluralism is a concept we believe in and support because it gives the nation states depth, strength and rich cultural diversity. But as we have seen, it can also become divisive, destructive and deadly.

Some of the worst consequences of divisive pluralism can be seen from the wars in Chechenia, in Bosina-Herzegovina and other parts of the former Yugoslavia; and from the human tragedy recently witness in Rwanda. The need for policies aimed at addressing divisive pluralism is fast becoming universal. Even those countries of ancient civilizations which absorbed and adapted each new cultural wave are today finding it necessary to consider policies for reinforcing national cohesion.

In our contemporary world where many nation states are multi-ethnic and where we are seeing movements of people that are affecting the ethnic mix of others, few countries can be immune to the potential for divisive pluralism. The movement may not be on the same scale that brought migrants to North America during the last century, and before and after this century’s world wars, but the trend is widely noticeable. People from one part of the globe are to be found living today in countries where few would have imagined them to be ten years ago.

Because we in the Commonwealth define our unity by our diversity, our association is proving to be one of the world’s unique instruments for effectively addressing divisive pluralism. It is a unity of 51 sovereign countries with vastly different social and ethnic traditions. It is this mix of cultures and races where tolerance and understanding has real meaning which marks out our association.

Our experience of working together, pooling our resources and making decisions by consensus so that our component states and peoples have mutual respect for one another is, I believe, a worthy example for the rest of the world. Of course we are not perfect but if we are to overcome the destructive impulses of an inward-looking world and to cope with the rapid change we meet today and can expect in the future, then we must try to understand our neighbours.

And so to all the graduands who will be putting their foot on the first step of a career ladder, I would urge you to use the skills and knowledge you have learned at this university to reinforce your ability to cope with the changes you will inevitably be facing. As you strive to reach the heights in your chosen paths, I would urge you to applaud cultural and ethnic diversity, to work for tolerance, to guard against complacency and to be mindful always of our common humanity. In this way you will be model citizens of your great country and of our Commonwealth.

To conclude, Mr. Chancellor, I offer again to this year’s graduands my congratulations and to the University of New Brunswick my thanks for the great honour you have bestowed on me.

I thank you all for your attention.