Over four days, King Charles and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom visited Kenya to maintain relations and heal the wounds caused by British colonial authorities over sixty years ago. They visited ancient religious leaders and historical sites, mainly places of former British rule. King Charles expressed his “deepest regret” to the Kenyan people for the atrocities committed in the past, but never said he was sorry. With this visit being his first as King to a former British colony, he seeks to keep the two nations working together closely for economic ties, climate change, and international security.
Although this event will most likely not cause a full-on rejection of British rule from Kenya, it might’ve ensured some tensions between the Kenyan people and the behavior of the King during his stay. While his visit is on good terms, it’s important to note the nature of the visit: could it be that the King intends to improve their relationship, even though he didn’t outright apologize for the crimes of his ancestors, or that he’s merely there for business negotiations and self-interest. It’s likely the latter, but seeing it from this perspective can change your view on the nature of international relations—do states ever do things for one another when there’s no benefit for themselves? Although the UK was the standard for all this European in the past, German president Steinmeier was recently able to apologize to the Tanzanians for their suppression of the 1905 Maji Maji rebellion, proving no shame in the act. For Britain, their preferred method of compromise could simply include sending money to the victims as they did in 2013 for the 5,200 survivors of the Mau Mau revolt. This article is important because it not only demonstrates how African colonialism still affects international relations today, but how their former colonizers act towards them too: in a different manner, or somehow still the same?
In class, we’ve begun speaking about liberalism and how it takes a more optimistic approach to international relations. A particular aspect of it includes mutual relationships, where it essentially says that if one state does something for another, then that state will do something for the first. In this situation, we can see that the reason King Charles went to Kenya was likely not to sightsee and forgive, but to achieve something that both parties will earn something out of. Both countries are also democratic, a vital aspect of liberalism.