Save the date: Commonwealth Day
Learn more about the Commonwealth on Monday 14 March in the Great Hall!
Date: Monday 14 March
Time: 11.00am -2.00pm
Venue: Great Hall, Edgbaston Campus
Commonwealth Day is marked each year on 14 March. It’s an annual celebration observed by people all over the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe. Fun fact: we have many students from the Commonwealth here at UoB!
This year’s theme is 'delivering a common future'. The University understands the range of views and feelings about the Commonwealth in our diverse community. Which is why we want to use this day to reflect and celebrate our connections with the Commonwealth and explore some historic connections.
This is an exciting opportunity to get to know more about the 72 nations and territories in the Commonwealth Games and how you can engage with the Commonwealth and its history.
This year's Commonwealth Day is particularly significant for the University, as our city prepares to host the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in July and August!
As an Official Partner of the Games, the University will play a major role in delivering this summer's event, and we want to offer students the special opportunity to find out more about the history and the future of the Commonwealth.
Schedule for the event (Monday 14 March):
- 11.00am: doors will open and our Market Hall-style stalls, hosted by staff and students, will offer visitors the chance to find out about the Commonwealth through University-led research
- 11.30am: Welcome address by Professor Hugh Adlington, Director of Research in CAL. Followed by ‘Imperial University, Global University: Exploring Histories of Empire at the University of Birmingham’, a short talk by Dr Mo Moulton, Senior Lecturer in the History of Race and Empire in the Department of History
- 12.00pm: Commonwealth Day musical performance: written and performed by a former student
- 12.30 - 1.30pm: Professor Ruth Gilligan and Dr Kate Rumbold host ‘My Commonwealth Story’; a story exchange between participants designed to build empathy, cross-cultural understanding and insight
- 2.00pm: close.
Don’t miss out on this in-person event for your chance to explore the Commonwealth. Make sure you register your place today! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/commonwealth-connections-tickets-289292781497
On the evening of 14 March
Make sure to clear your schedule, as UBSport will explore the complexities of the Commonwealth in the present day through a talk about LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. You can register for this event here.