Botswanan Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Botswana is a landlocked country in southern Africa, home to the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert. It is one of Africa's success stories, with a stable democracy and an economy built on diamonds. English and Setswana are widely spoken. Batswana in Britain include students and professionals.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 10,239 people living in the city had been born in Southern and Eastern African countries other than Kenya, Somalia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, a group that includes Botswana.

Working for Birmingham

Botswanan students and professionals study and work in fields such as medicine, law, engineering, business and public administration, often with government scholarships. Many return home to senior roles, and their time in Birmingham builds friendships and connections between the two countries.

Much of the work that keeps Birmingham moving happens out of sight: the night shift on a hospital ward, the early start on a building site, the plumber who fixes a boiler on a winter evening, the teaching assistant who helps a child learn to read. People from every community in the city do these jobs, and Botswanan residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Seswaa, slow-cooked shredded beef, is the national dish, served at weddings and celebrations. Traditional choral singing and dance are part of every gathering, and Botswana Day on 30 September celebrates independence.

In a city where scores of languages are spoken, the Botswanan community adds another voice to the conversation. Its members, old and new, are helping to make Birmingham the confident, outward-looking city it wants to be.