‘We’ve got other things to worry about’: former colonies react to platinum jubilee

In Africa, celebrations in honour of the Queen stir nostalgia in some, resentment in others

The jubilee has met with a muted response in much of sub-Saharan Africa, with commentators evoking the troubled history of the British empire, London's diminished influence and the distraction of deepening economic problems on the continent to explain the apparent apathy.

Buckingham Palace listed 18 official beacons lit in commemoration across Africa last week, and Seychelles president Wavel Ramkalawan described the Queen as a remarkable global personality whose legacy transcends national borders" who was loved and respected by the entire world". But such sentiments are not universal.