New exhibition to explore Britain's Empire and its legacy as city gripped by Commonwealth Games
ITV News Central Journalist Barnaby Papadopulos visited the exhibition to learn more about the relationship between the Empire and Commonwealth
Birmingham is buzzing with excitement for the Commonwealth Games - the biggest sporting event the city has ever seen.
But for some, the Commonwealth comes with historical baggage; a throwback to the time Britain ruled over an empire that stretched across the globe, whose history and legacy remain immensely controversial.
A new exhibition at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham is seeking to spark a new conversation about that controversial history, through specially commissioned artwork alongside photos on loan from the Bristol Archives' British Empire and Commonwealth Collection.
Signs in an Arabised font read: "We are here because you were there," and "there is something fulfilling about belonging".
The creator, local artist Faisal Hussain, explained that signage is "how immigrants introduce themselves and their businesses and how they're surviving on the High Street".
"The history of the Commonwealth is really difficult," he said.
"I think it's important that we re-respond and re-remember, not just through art, but whenever these kind of matters come up."
What was the British Empire?
By the early twentieth century Britain controlled India, Canada, Australia, and parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia.
The largest empire in human history, at its greatest expanse Britain held sway over almost a quarter of the world's population and land mass.
The empire was widely celebrated in Britain whilst it existed - but it was responsible for numerous atrocities in the areas it occupied.
After decolonisation - the process by which colonies of the empire gained their independence - many joined the Commonwealth of Nations as independent sovereign states.
Towards the back of the long gallery are three cricket pads, each painted with intricate designs. Carla Busuttil explained how she had got them from nearby Edgebaston Cricket Ground, and agreed with Faisal that the history of the Commonwealth is a difficult subject.
"It's a nice thing to see an all female cricket team," she said, speaking about the upcoming competition.
"But I have issues with the name Commonwealth Games and I think it comes with a lot of baggage and that is problematic."
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