Ugandan Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Uganda lies in the heart of East Africa, on the shores of Lake Victoria, the source of the White Nile. It was called the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill. In 1972, Idi Amin expelled Uganda's Asian population, and around 28,000 people came to Britain, many settling in the Midlands.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 241 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Ugandan; and 31 residents gave Luganda as their main language. Main language figures leave out the many bilingual residents who use English day to day, so the number who speak the language at home is higher still. Many Ugandan Asians, who came to Britain in 1972, record their ethnic group as Indian.

Working for Birmingham

Ugandan Asians who arrived with almost nothing built businesses, practices and careers that now employ thousands of people, and their story is one of remarkable success. Black Ugandan residents work in healthcare, social care, education and business, and Ugandan students study at the city's universities.

Every community that has settled in Birmingham has helped to shape it. Newcomers have filled gaps in the workforce, opened shops and restaurants, and raised children who have gone on to become the city's doctors, teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs. The Ugandan community is part of that tradition of hard work and ambition, and of the city's own motto: Forward.

Culture and community life

Ugandan food, including matoke, a dish of green bananas, and rolex, a chapati rolled with eggs, is a taste of home. Independence Day on 9 October is celebrated with music and dance, and churches and community groups are at the heart of Ugandan life in Birmingham.

The story of the Ugandan community in Birmingham is still being written, by students, workers, parents and pensioners who call the city home. It is a story of hard work, friendship and quiet pride, and Birmingham is richer for it.