Saturday 21 February, 19:00
St Mary’s Church, Kingswood, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire
(Between 18:00-18:30 a limited number of meals will be served for £5.00 per person. Advanced booking encouraged, vegetarian and GF options available).
On Saturday 21 February, St Mary’s Church in Kingswood will welcome Khalid Sidahmed to talk about the Darfur Genocide of 2003-5 and the continuing violence in Sudan. The event is free and available to all and will be one of tens of thousands of events taking place across the UK to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2026.
Khalid was born in London to a Sudanese family. Like many in the diaspora, his relatives were targeted by the former regime, led by Omar al-Bashir, for their opposition. Since the outbreak of the war, they have been directly affected by conflict, displacement, and state violence.
In his talk, Khalid will discuss the history of the Darfur Genocide during which an estimated 300,000 people from the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit communities were systematically killed by the government of Sudan and Janjaweed militias. Khalid’s talk will also cover the ongoing violence being inflicted on the people of Sudan which has so far displaced more than 10 million people.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 is ‘Bridging Generations’, which invites us to honour each life lost to genocide, and honour those who left no family behind by carrying on their legacies and sharing their stories.
Event timings:
- 18:00 Optional dinner (advanced booking advised)
- 19:00 Welcome and Introduction
- 19:10 Talk by Khalid Sidahmed
- 19:45 Questions and Answers
- 20:15 Close
Tickets for the meal (£5) and the talk (no charge) can booked at
https://hmd-stmarys-kingswood-wue.eventbrite.com
Bob Copeland a member of St Mary’s Church said….
“Each year we mark Holocaust Memorial Day to show where hatred and racism can lead. In recent years we have heard from speakers about the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia at the end of the twentieth century but this will be the first time we hear about a genocide of the twenty first century. The dreadful events in Sudan show why we all need to work relentlessly to stamp out racism and hatred in all its forms, and how ineffective the international community has been in preventing genocide.”
Donations will be collected for Sudan Doctors Union
NB Holocaust Memorial Day is 27 January but this event is on a later date.
Learn more about Holocaust Memorial Day 2026
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