Opening Ceremony brings Birmingham to the world
The 2022 Commonwealth Games got off to an explosive start in an extravaganza that explored the rich history, culture and identity of Birmingham and the West Midlands – and what this future-facing region has to offer in a post-Brexit, post-Covid world.
Birmingham, UK - August 8, 2022. A landscape view of The Commonwealth Games 2022 Festival Site in Victoria Square, Birmingham with the ancient British architecture of The Council House and Town Hall
15 August 2022
This article is included in the Autumn issue of Think Global People magazine (5831k) .
The two-and-a-half-hour stadium show traced the strength of the Birmingham’s diversity and heritage from its roots in the Industrial Revolution.Taking in economic and cultural successes – as well as using the platform to address the past – Artistic Director Iqbal Khan’s Opening Ceremony celebrated the people and cultures that have come together to make Birmingham what it is and who will drive the West Midlands forwards in future.A cast-list of thousands on stage and behind the scenes – every single one named in the Opening Ceremony Programme – told the stories of newcomers to Birmingham, including those who came to the city to work in the NHS during the pandemic. Together, over the past two centuries they have strived to build their lives and help make Birmingham a thriving city and cultural meeting point.Fuelled by rapid migration, the city became the Workshop of the World during the first Industrial Revolution, a proud tradition that made the West Midlands renowned for motor manufacturing in the twentieth century and now a centre of finance and technology. Alongside the parade of Jaguar, MG Rover and Land Rovers and Red Arrow flypast, a key talking point of the Opening Ceremony was the The Bull. The raging mechanical creation symbolised the city’s famous bull-ring – a place for people to meet and speak – but most of all the injustices female chain-makers and people enslaved in the Industrial Revolution faced.That the organisers acknowledged these inequalities strengthened the message that Birmingham is a modern, forward-looking place to do business that can recognise its past to build a stronger future. It is one of the youngest cities in Europe, with almost 40% of its population aged below 25.“In the face of crisis, our response has been to build back bigger,” said the organisers of the show, which was “dedicated to bringing Birmingham to the world”. In the autumn issue of Think Global People, due out mid-September, David Sapsted surveys the economic initiatives and commercial relationships being built with Britain’s second city and the rest of the world.
This article is included in the Autumn issue of Think Global People magazine (5831k) .
The two-and-a-half-hour stadium show traced the strength of the Birmingham’s diversity and heritage from its roots in the Industrial Revolution.Taking in economic and cultural successes – as well as using the platform to address the past – Artistic Director Iqbal Khan’s Opening Ceremony celebrated the people and cultures that have come together to make Birmingham what it is and who will drive the West Midlands forwards in future.A cast-list of thousands on stage and behind the scenes – every single one named in the Opening Ceremony Programme – told the stories of newcomers to Birmingham, including those who came to the city to work in the NHS during the pandemic. Together, over the past two centuries they have strived to build their lives and help make Birmingham a thriving city and cultural meeting point.Fuelled by rapid migration, the city became the Workshop of the World during the first Industrial Revolution, a proud tradition that made the West Midlands renowned for motor manufacturing in the twentieth century and now a centre of finance and technology. Alongside the parade of Jaguar, MG Rover and Land Rovers and Red Arrow flypast, a key talking point of the Opening Ceremony was the The Bull. The raging mechanical creation symbolised the city’s famous bull-ring – a place for people to meet and speak – but most of all the injustices female chain-makers and people enslaved in the Industrial Revolution faced.That the organisers acknowledged these inequalities strengthened the message that Birmingham is a modern, forward-looking place to do business that can recognise its past to build a stronger future. It is one of the youngest cities in Europe, with almost 40% of its population aged below 25.“In the face of crisis, our response has been to build back bigger,” said the organisers of the show, which was “dedicated to bringing Birmingham to the world”. In the autumn issue of Think Global People, due out mid-September, David Sapsted surveys the economic initiatives and commercial relationships being built with Britain’s second city and the rest of the world.
Pursuing shared goals
As well as a story of challenging the past and forging a new future, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony was a moment of returning to each other and recognising and celebrating differences after the Covid-19 pandemic.Spectators arriving at the Alexander Stadium were met outside with campaigners peacefully highlighting the struggles of LGBTQ+ athletes from countries where homosexuality is still outlawed. Inside the Perry Barr venue, British diver Tom Daley carried the Queen's Baton alongside athletes bearing the Progress Pride flag to rapturous applause and Dame Louise Martin DBE, Commonwealth Games Federation President highlighted in her welcoming address how the Bull is being ‘tamed’ – here and elsewhere. This Commonwealth Games saw more medals from women being awarded than for men, with more para sports than ever before sharing the same stage.In sports, as in business and other arenas, the Games and its economic benefits brought people from across the world together in Birmingham and the West Midlands to find a common cause in humanity, equality and shared destinies. Campaigner Malala Yousafzai made Birmingham her home after receiving life-saving treatment at the children’s hospital after a Taliban gunman shot her while she was at school in Pakistan.Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, she said, “Birmingham, when I first came to this city, I had never heard its name, but I would come to understand it through the doctors and nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital; through the teachers who inspired me at school, the people who helped my mother learn English, and taught my little brothers to write. The beautiful library of Birmingham and my best friend, Alan, a lifelong Brummie, to the families who have come here from Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Pakistan and countries and territories beyond. For the people from the 72 Commonwealth nations, join the people of Birmingham to celebrate friendship across borders.”Related Articles
This article is included in the Autumn issue of Think Global People magazine (5831k) .
©2024 Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.
