BBC News Brazil – Queen of the II. Elizabeth’s International Jubilee: Countries looking to ‘get rid of’ British monarchy 02/06/2022 08:34

This year, Queen Elizabeth II. As Elizabeth celebrates her 70-year reign, have officials in some Commonwealth countries announced their intention to remove her as head of state? Although not everyone wants to see him go.

The Commonwealth of Nations is a collection of 53 countries (plus the United Kingdom) with about a third of the world’s population, almost all of which were administered by London in the past as part of the British Empire.

Today most have become independent from the United Kingdom, but the Queen remains sovereign in the 14 Commonwealth countries.

Barbados became a new republic in November 2021 and is now Queen of England II as head of state. He didn’t have Elizabeth.

There are movements in other countries that follow the same path. But some citizens still enjoy the tradition of monarchy.

“I can’t imagine Belize without the Queen,” says Jordana Riveroll. “I feel like she’s an important part of our country. She’s been this figure since we were born, and she’s still the queen now, and it’s hard to separate it from Belize. It’s very natural.”

Nearly three decades ago, nine-year-old Jordana and other young performers performed a traditional mestizo dance during Queen Elizabeth’s 1994 royal visit to Belize.

The short visit of two and a half days was seen as a great success. It is estimated that around 90% of Belize City’s population took to the streets to see the monarch when he arrived.

“The main thing I remember is the noise,” says Andrea Garcia-Riveroll, Jordana’s cousin and dancer, who was 10 at the time. “I don’t think I understood the magnitude of it, and mostly I remember there were a lot of people there. We were very nervous.”

Vanesa Vasquez Rancharan, who was 10 years old when she danced for the Queen, remembers being told “don’t mind it.”

“We did so many different performances that I really didn’t realize at the time that it was a normal occurrence,” she says. “I remember they were getting ready to make sure everything was great.”

The three of them still remember both the tension and the moves for their presentation, 28 years later.

“I still remember every step,” Andrea says.

“It was one of our most popular tricks,” Jordana says. “It would be an understatement to say we did it a hundred times. I was about to go on stage that day and I was so nervous I thought ‘okay don’t screw it up’. As soon as the music started, the movements started flowing and we forgot where we were.”

Memorial Park in Belize City is packed with guests. Others climbed trees and rooftops to see the queen’s passage.

This frenzy was not repeated in the latest royal visit to the country by Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.

“There were protests when Prince William came in. I don’t think that would happen in the 1990s,” Andrea says. “But don’t argue now [sobre Belize se tornar uma república] Greater than when the queen came.”

Decolonization of the Caribbean

In the Caribbean, Elizabeth II rules over eight countries. At least six of them, including Belize, have expressed a desire to become republics and remove it as sovereign.

Controversy has erupted in recent months as members of the Royal Family have visited the area to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

While there is some local support for the royal family, protesters in Commonwealth countries are demanding an apology and acknowledgment of how the family enjoyed slavery.

In Belize, Henry Charles Usher, Minister for Civil Service, Constitutional Reform and Policy, announced funding for a comprehensive review of how the country is run.

“The process of decolonization involves the Caribbean region,” he told the country’s parliament. Maybe it’s time for Belize to take the next step towards truly reclaiming our independence.”

The governments of Jamaica, the Bahamas, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis took measures to remove the Queen as head of state.

changing times

Protests during the most recent royal visit have forced Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to cut off some of their official Belize insignia at a cocoa farm.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the trip was canceled due to “sensitive issues of concern to the community”.

Residents of the Indian Creek area opposed the purchase of land by Prince William’s charity, Flora and Fauna International, and protested the use of their village as a landing site for a royal helicopter.

During the visit, Belize Prime Minister John Briceno said it was time to take a closer look at governance and democracy in the country.

“We change, the weather changes, things change and we move on,” he said. “We need to find the point where people feel they have real ownership of what’s going on in their country.”

Since Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1981, the country’s people have been treated by Queen Elizabeth II. He had not had the opportunity to express his feelings about Elizabeth becoming head of state.

The Constitution does not need a referendum to abolish it. Instead, a two-thirds resolution in the House of Representatives is required.

remembering 1994

However, when the Platinum Jubilee celebrations begin in the Commonwealth, Jordana, Vanesa and Andrea think fondly of the Queen.

All three are now mothers and shared the story of that day with their children.

“Talking about it reminded me of the whole experience,” Andrea says. “I said to my kids, ‘Did you know I danced for the Queen?’ I said. I’ve never told them before. Few people can say they danced for the queen.”

They danced together for about five years in a group called the Children’s Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

At the summit, the group had around 50 children participating in various presentations highlighted by a UNESCO report.

However, there was no such grand performance as the welcoming ceremony for Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1994.

Andrea’s traditional red and white dress she wore in 1994 still stands, and her daughter now wears it to cultural events at school.

All three agree that social media influences views on the royal family in a way that wasn’t there in the 1990s.

For now, however, the queen remains an important figure in the country, despite making only two official visits.

“I think he’s contributed a lot to Belize,” says Vanesa. “The important thing is that he was with us and we see him almost every day because he is on our banknotes. We could never forget him.”

Jordana agrees: “This may be my personal opinion, but it’s a proud factor in Belize that we have a queen, no matter how present. Few people hold that title and rule it for that long. It’s really impressive.”

“It definitely sets a new standard for old age,” says Andrea.