Kashee Mistry, 23, accountant from Solihull My grandparents moved here in the 1960s from Kenya. They were born in India and moved to Kenya for work, as many people moved to other countries in the British Empire for work. The Commonwealth Games is an exciting event, there is a lot of celebration around it, as it should be. But if you think about the history of the Commonwealth and why it came about, to me, it’s not all celebratory. When people from Commonwealth countries started moving to Britain after the war, they weren’t welcomed, they weren’t embraced. Birmingham was where Enoch Powell gave his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech and this directly criticized some of the mass immigration from the Commonwealth. I think these parts of history should be remembered, not just ignored because they are inconvenient and don’t fit our values today. I know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the British Empire. But while I was at university studying the empire for the first time – because they don’t teach us in schools – I learned about its brutal dark past, all the violence and subjugation, and how the legacy of the Commonwealth. I’m so excited that the games are in Birmingham, but they were in Scotland just four years ago. How often are they found in smaller, lesser-known Commonwealth countries? Kamani Anderson. Photo: Kamani Anderson Kamani Anderson, 23, graduate student I grew up in south Birmingham in Balsall Heath, but I’m from the Caribbean community. Most of us are from Handsworth and Lozells, where they all moved when they came here in the 60s and beyond. The city never had a great reputation. Everything from its looks, to its accent, people always have an opinion about Birmingham. But the city is absolutely buzzing right now, I’ve never seen anything like it before and I feel like it’s so worth it. The Caribbean is the powerhouse of world athletics. I think there’s a sense of that diaspora pride, especially in a place like Birmingham, which has one of the largest Jamaican communities in England. But they’ve taken the real Commonwealth out of the games, in my opinion. The political and historical aspects have been removed. We saw at the opening ceremony a celebration of how diverse Birmingham is. Almost the majority of the population is non-white and most of these communities come from Commonwealth countries, particularly India, Pakistan, Jamaica. But we don’t talk about why, what brought us here, why we’re here and all that we’ve been through as these communities. Zafar Hussain. Photo: Fabio de Paolo/The Guardian Zafar Hussain, 36, owner of Shababs restaurant in Balti Triangle My father came to Birmingham from Kashmir, Pakistan in 1961 to work in the factories. Then the plan was just to work for a few years and come back to Kashmir, but then my mother was allowed to come with him. My elder brother, who started this restaurant with my dad in 1987, was born in Pakistan and that’s how Shababs came about. It was the Balti complex in the early 90s – Ladypool Road was lined with balti houses side by side. The restaurant has pretty much been a part of my life since day one. The Commonwealth Games are certainly great for the hospitality industry – it’s a boost we really need post-Covid. It’s something that lifts everyone up and brings people back together. Saima Razzaq. Photo: Andrew Fox/The Guardian Saima Razzaq, 37, head of diversity and inclusion at Birmingham Pride I would say it’s a complicated relationship I have with the Commonwealth. The fact that we have such a major sporting event in Birmingham is really exciting. But there are still many countries where our existence is illegal. We still have a long way to go, but I think we need to recognize the progress that is being made in Commonwealth countries. Last year, Pakistan had its first national Trans Day. In India in 2018, the discriminatory Article 377 was repealed. We need a nuanced discussion. Sometimes, it’s a case of, “We’re so great here and they’re so bad.” In fact, we need to work with the communities to make them understand that many of these laws came at the hands of colonialism. My family migrated here in the 70s from Kashmir – they moved to Pakistan from India before partition. Migrating to the UK was not easy for my family. It has caused a lot of trauma that is still embedded in our family ecosystem. I am here now and I have a positive story, but many people have suffered to live this lifestyle. Suranjeet Singh. Photo: Andrew Fox/The Guardian Shuranjeet Singh, 26, community organizer in Handsworth My family moved to Handsworth in Birmingham in the late 1960s/early 1970s. They moved from Punjab, India to work in the factories and foundries in Smethwick and down in Hockley in Birmingham. We are very lucky to have the Commonwealth Games here in Birmingham, but I would have loved to have seen more effort from the city to address its relationship with the Commonwealth. A small feature in a particular program or project, which to me is not good enough. Having any kind of mass sporting event in a city is really important to local economies and local communities. I think my main question is about inheritance. How will this affect communities moving forward? You’ve just introduced a whole bunch of people to triathlon, for example – are they going to have opportunities to really develop those skills? Or is this something that happens and will just go away? It is so important for young people in Birmingham to see their city in the spotlight. Birmingham gets quite a negative reputation, so having the games here is very positive for young people to see things happening here.
