Malagasy Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, off the south-east coast of Africa. Most of its plants and animals, including the famous lemurs, are found nowhere else. Its people speak Malagasy and French, and have roots in both Africa and South-East Asia. Malagasy people 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 Madagascar.

Working for Birmingham

Malagasy residents study and work in fields such as environmental science, conservation, healthcare and business, and many are multilingual. Madagascar's unique wildlife gives many Malagasy people a strong interest in biology and conservation, subjects studied at Birmingham's universities.

Birmingham is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in Europe, and its progress has always depended on people who chose to make it home. Its hospitals, schools and universities, its building sites, workshops, warehouses and kitchens all rely on skills brought from around the world. The Malagasy community adds its own share to that effort, and takes pride in giving back to the city that welcomed it.

Culture and community life

Rice is eaten at almost every meal, often with romazava, a meat and greens stew. Hiragasy, a form of musical theatre, and the valiha, a tube zither, are proud traditions, and Independence Day on 26 June is celebrated with fireworks and lanterns.

In a city where scores of languages are spoken, the Malagasy 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.