King Charles III Speech at The State Banquet; Mending the Past & Healing The Future

“Niaje.” Everyone broke into an unbelievable laughter at how he so easily and eloquently greeted the guests in Swahili with such concrete diction as though he’s been living in Kenya his entire life. His Swahili is impeccable.

It was indeed a graceful and majestic evening.

Of the Monarch’s visit, we are particularly happy that our director, Ms Mikaela Mwangura, was honored to be invited by the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E William Samoei Ruto and the First Lady, Rachel Ruto, to attend the grand state banquet in honor of King Charles III and Queen Camila, that was well attended by the who-is-who in Kenya, together with international delegates.

We peculiarly want to point out  how the highlights of his speech and overall visit was used to intrinsically make an effort to mend the past and kickstart the healing process of the future.

At Eminence Global we believe that Effective Communication is such a powerful tool in Mending the past, restoration of broken connections, in renewal of ties and charting a new solid course for the future. King Charles III speech was carefully written to humor, impress, make amends, show a sense of direction moving forward, strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries and make an effort to heal the future. Did he use the exact words ‘ I apologize’?  no. but the overall speech was apologetic. and one of the key aspects in restoring a brand’s perception is to definitely issue a resounding and sincere public apology.

With President Ruto, clearly calling out the historical injustices ‘ Monstrous in its cruelty’ and going ahead to say “Much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations,” we’ll be able to know the impact of his public apology and his visit through actionable steps that will be taken in the coming months.

Here goes the main highlights of his speech;

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However, we must also acknowledge the most painful times of our long and complex relationship. The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret.

 

There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged, as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty – and for that, there can be no excuse.

 

In coming back to Kenya, it matters greatly to me that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs, and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities were so grievously affected.

 

None of this can change the past. But by addressing our history with honesty and openness we can, perhaps, demonstrate the strength of our friendship today.

 

And, in so doing, we can, I hope, continue to build an ever-closer bond for the years ahead. As Jomo Kenyatta said, “Our children may learn about the heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves the architects of the future.” – King Charles III

The hot glowing coals on twitter about the atrocities committed to Kenyans during colonialism era in relations to the monarch visit, to some extent were slowly quenched with the apology and subsequent visit on Wednesday at Kariokor World War II Commonwealth Cemetery, where the king and queen met Kenyan war veterans who fought for the British in World War II.

Why his apology was important? According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC),  the colonial administration masterminded the extrajudicial torture and killings of 90,000 Kenyans during that period. It is a horrendous past that we can’t forget.

The most crucial step to refine a tarnished reputation and restoring brand perception is to measure the magnitude and impact of your actions to the subjects; Only then can you take actionable steps to mend the past, rebuild the broken relationship, and heal the future. As the Monarch comes to the end of their visit in Kenya today, we certainly believe that, whereas we can’t change the past, we certainly can shape a strong future together.

Kenyans are waiting to see the steps that will follow after his visit to forge us forward.

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