Multicultural LONDON

Multiculturalism as any other notion has its supporters and critics. Its supporters often see it as a self-evident entitlement of cultural groups, as a form of civil rights grounded in equality of cultures. They often assume it will lead to rather important interculturalism - beneficial cultural exchanges, where cultures learn about each other's art, literature and philosophy, and influence each other's cuisine, music and fashion. Its opponents often see it as something which has been imposed on them without their agreement. They fear it will lead to cultural misunderstandings, undermining national unity. Especially in Europe, opponents see multiculturalism as a direct assault on the national identity, and on the nation itself.
Multiculturalism is an ideology advocating that society should consist of, or at least allow and include, distinct cultural groups, with equal status (Baker, 98). It contrasts with the monoculturalism which was historically the norm in the nation-state. The term multiculturalism is almost always applied to distinct cultures of immigrant groups in developed countries, not to the presence of indigenous peoples.
Multiculturalism began as an official policy in English-speaking countries, starting in Canada in 1971. It was quickly adopted by most member-states in the European Union, as official policy, and as a social consensus among the elite. In recent years, several European states, notably the Netherlands and Denmark, right-of-centre governments have reversed the national policy consensus, and returned to an official monoculturalism (Shaffer, 34). A similar reversal is the subject of debate in the United Kingdom. Some argue that the world is going into an era of conflict and war driven by a 'clash of civilisations'. The Mayor of London’s policies are based on the exact opposite idea — that the multicultural city is part of creating a new concept of world civilisation that corresponds to a globalised world.

London considers to be not only the capital of United Kingdom but also the capital of multicultural world. More than 270 nationalities make up the fabric of the city. Many have family roots in Africa and India, formerly governed by the British empire. Although predominantly white and Anglo-Saxon, more than a quarter of London's population is from an alternative ethnic background, making up half of the Britain's total ethnic minorities. This gives London the largest non-white population of any European city and is an important part of its cosmopolitan feel.
The whole world lives in London. Walking down Oxford Street you will see Indians and Colombians, Bangladeshis and Ethiopians, Pakistanis and Russians, Melanesians and Malaysians. Fifty nationalities with communities over 5,000 make their home in the city, 300 languages are spoken daily, it is estimated that by 2010 the so-called ”ethnic minorities” population will have reached almost 30 percent. Cultural diversity, racial mixing, cosmopolitanism and a gradual Europeanization characterise London at the beginning of the new millennium.
In the 2003, the population of London classed their ethnic group as the following (Lemelle, 56):
76% as white (classified as British White, Irish or "Other White"),
10% as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani,
5% as black African,
5% as black Caribbean,
3% as mixed race and
1% as Chinese.
It began under the Conservatives (1979-1997), when multicultural rhetoric and policies were confined to left-leaning councils. Since the election of the Labour government in 1997, multiculturalism has influenced government policies and statements. Precursors of present policy include the Race Relations Act, and the British Nationality Act of 1948 (Freeman, 41).
'Britain is a multicultural society' - the phrase is bandied about religiously, but the meaning is hardly examined. The whole panoply of multiculturalist clichés serves more to obscure than to clarify the situation. Some people really think that these glib pronouncements are now reaching the end of their useful life.
From an anti-racist perspective, multiculturalism was always a double-edged sword (McGregor, 46). At times, it was an effective riposte to the anti-immigrant politics of Powellism that began in the late sixties, challenging the myth of an ethnically pure society. The fact is those who were born and grew up here wanted to remake society, not just be tolerated within it. The uprisings of the early 1980s were the most obvious expression of this shift. And at this point, multiculturalism changed from a line of defence to a mode of control (McGregor, 54).
Multiculturalism now meant taking the variety of “bed”, inapropriate cultures off the streets - where it had been politicised and turned into a rebellion against the state - and putting it in the council chamber, in the classroom and on the television, where it could be institutionalised, managed and reified. Multiculturalism became an ideology of conservatism, of preserving the status quo intact, in the face of a real desire to move forward. As post-modern theories of 'hybridity' became popular in academia, cultural difference came to be seen as an end in itself, rather than an expression of revolt, and the concept of culture became a straitjacket, hindering rather than helping the fight against race and class oppressions (Freeman, 78).
Such phenomena as heterogeneous British multiculture, in which cultural and religious fragments and ideologies coexist as a simple fact of life, albeit reflected upon and questioned with openness without any doubt influences all the spheres of life. Investigations show that 75% of Londoners support "the right of all persons to dress in accordance with their religious beliefs"(Gilroy, 91), with 18% against. Plus, 82% said "everybody in London should be free to live their lives how they like as long as they don't stop other people doing the same"(Gilroy, 94); 76% balked at the idea of the government dictating how people should live their lives; and 94% expressed similar sentiments about media. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents said it was important that "there are regular events and festivals to celebrate London's different ethnic and religious communities"(Gilroy, 101). Over 250 languages are spoken in the city, making the capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world. 25% of London's population was born abroad (Gilroy, 104), where English is not spoken as the first language but a lot of people don’t speak their native language, fake or otherwise, but they don’t speak Cockney either. They speak with the help of some variants of the "multicutural London English". Of course we have to be aware that "Multicultural London English" is about as unlikely to become a popular piece of terminology as "African-American Vernacular English" was. Communication problems may arise - especially where complex language and technical jargon are used. These can be compounded by people’s lack of understanding of their cultural background and of the challenges for new and recent migrants in understanding how things work in the UK.
From its earliest days as a bustling centre for trade and commerce this city has been home to people of all races and creeds. Over the centuries, as London has grown, so too has the number of different nationalities, cultures and languages. Today this is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world with people from every corner of the globe living and working here in London. London's successful mixture of cultures and communities makes it a richer city in every sense of the word. It plays a huge role in making London such a thriving centre of business and commerce.
In today's global economy, people with talent and creativity move to the best location. London has always known that to be successful, a society has to be open. That's why I am proud that it is such a magnet for creative and innovative people from all over the world. Their talent and hard work bring new jobs, business and wealth to London. It rightly recognises that London's diversity helps it to compete in today's global marketplace and it has a vital job to do in communicating London's strengths as a multi-ethnic open and multi-cultural business location to the rest of the world. Of course in today's world, education is the key foundation to economic success. Many children from ethnic minorities do extremely well in our system, but often pupils underperform too. For that reason the Government already makes extra help available to local education authorities to help improve educational attainment among ethnic minorities.
London is an international centre of culture in terms of arts, music, festivals, museums and much more. The diversity of cultures within London is so great that easy definition is impossible. Because of the fact that the city is home to many nationalities that have over time moulded and shaped the city's culture into what it is today. London culture has evolved through a combination of its natural features, man made developments and cosmopolitan building blocks. It hasn’t escaped people’s notice that London isn’t known for its wildlife or breathtaking landscape, but nature, and by that I mean the weather, the river and the green spaces, has certainly shaped our way of life.
It’s the great diversity brought about by these elements which makes this culture difficult to make sense of but at the same time truly fabulous and unique. In this regard it is the model for all future cities. It even boasts some famous ex-patriot Americans: Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna to name but two.
All the word’s religions and cultures are represented with forty per cent of the population of the metropolis now not from these shores. The result is a rich, vibrant and sometimes troubled city where ethnic diversity means that you can eat, dress or be entertained in any language you choose.
London schools are fifty per cent mixed with a host of languages from Punjabi and Urdu to Kurdish and Greek found in the playground. Since their first arrival in the late 1948, ethnic groups (of whom Moslems make up the largest sector, with Hindus next) make up 2.5 million people, the equivalent of the population of Wales and 500,000 new arrivals from the European Union (especially Poland) make up the new faces.
Multicultural London has gained a reputation for not only being a melting pot of various cultures and people, but for its diverse range of restaurants as well. Serving an eclectic mix of Asian, Oriental and traditional English dishes, these London restaurants cater to all palettes and provide connoisseurs of good food with a chance to take their taste buds on a wild ride they will never forget. England's multicultural cities and towns are a testament to all the different peoples who have met and mixed there over time. One aspect of this is the prevalence of international cuisine in England, particularly Indian food. Birmingham, for example has more Indian restaurants than some major Indian cities! Few places in the world can boast as international a population, meaning that you can truly develop cross-cultural communication skills while still studying in an English-speaking environment.
A recent addition to multiculturalism of London in the spheres of cuisine are gourmet joints, bringing London's multicultural popular cuisines closer home now is the “Piccadelhi”', a food court opened by the ARA Hospitality group in the PVR Plaza complex. In short, it is the closest to being in the multicultural Piccadilly Circus - complete with the entire buzz that makes it one of London's most popular hotspots.
If the London-inspired décor provides respite from the usually loud fare at most of the city's restaurants, the cuisine offers a wide range, giving everything from Indian to Oriental and Italian to Continental. A popular London junction that forms the centre point of London's five busy streets, the Piccadilly Circus represents the multicultural spirit of the city. And much like the original streets that it tries to recreate, Piccadelhi offers more than a slice of London. From Southall offering Indian - the most popular cuisine in London as of today - to Soho that offers Oriental and Little Venice that has Italian delicacies on offer, there is a Victoria corner that offers mouth-watering desserts. Spread over 10,000 square feet, the restaurant has a cover of 250 and is all set to add a bar very soon. Adding to the ambience is the live music, another conscious attempt to keep the spirit of London alive. With the Soho area being the stronghold of the Chinese and oriental community in London, this section offers delicacies like prawns red and green chilly; crispy lotus honey chilli, dim sum baskets, drumsticks and spring rolls and an array of seafood.
Famous writer Orwell did as much as anyone to confer the trivial pleasures of multicultural British life – be it a "nice cup of tea" (Orwell, 61) or the enjoyment of English cooking – on serious cultural study. There can be no assemblage of these fragments into some stable coherent national identity. Rather, nationalism remains shattered regardless of the efforts of all the king's horses and all the king's men to put it back together. What endure are pieces that can be shared and combined that conduct identification without requiring a stable identity at its core. This patriotism of fragments breaks with the longing for stable or whole identities and foregrounds that such grand national identities are forever in pieces. The affinities that result are loose, changing, and open yet powerful like the photographs collected in the Millennium Dome exhibit. The patriotism of fragments contains incommensurable political energies and forces where imperial nostalgia can resonate alongside a future-orientated inclusive worldly diversity. I think it is here that we should look to both describe and valorise what others like Paul Gilroy refers to as a convivial culture in which "a degree of differentiation can be combined with a large measure of overlapping" (Orwell, 64).
London's population lives the eclectic reality of a truly multicultural city. It is not uncommon to find a flat (apartment) inhabited by four or five people from different countries, speaking different languages, cooking different food, celebrating different holidays and traditions, etc. It all works. People learn to communicate despite language boundaries, to operate combining different strengths, and to appreciate each other as well as the rich heritage represented by their varied backgrounds. Cosmopolitan London offers incoming students the opportunity to experience a truly multicultural city with people from all over the world working, studying, and living together. Over 58,000 of the 300,000 students in London are international students. The city also offers a host of cultural and historical treasures and you have only to wander through central London to encounter famous places like St. Paul's Cathedral, Covent Garden, the British Museum, and many more world-class offerings. It is one of the best places in the world for students interested in international business to get an internship, for example. Over 13,000 international companies from 92 countries are based in London, which is a major financial capital for the European Union and the world.
England's multicultural cities and towns are a testament to all the different peoples who have met and mixed there over time. One aspect of this is the prevalence of international cuisine in England, particularly Indian food. Birmingham, for example has more Indian restaurants than some major Indian cities! Few places in the world can boast as international a population, meaning that you can truly develop cross-cultural communication skills while still studying in an English-speaking environment.
London is also the principal business center for Europe and provides the best opportunities for those wishing to become involved in international business. It is becoming the world's second financial capital. Currently 13,510 overseas companies from 92 countries are based in London. The city is also home to over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies. With unrestricted access to almost 375 million European Union consumers, it is not hard to see why so many people are attracted to the city. Those wishing to explore the world of international business need look no further than London's intense, international business scene.
London also provides superb cultural exposure. The variety of arts, theatre, performances, and other cultural venues available in London is stunning, and almost all of them provide student rates. London has some of the best museums, historical attractions, and buildings in the world, and these places capitalize on the city's turbulent and varied history. From the violent past of the Tower of London to the stately grandeur of British Museum exhibits, London has much to offer.
London also acts as a great hub for those wishing to explore the rich history of Europe. From London it is easy to explore the United Kingdom or the European mainland, especially with the selection of low cost airlines quickly expanding to allow reasonably cheap access to most of that area of the world.
However, of all the benefits of London, the best ultimately remains the opportunity to meet and interact with people from around the globe. The inhabitants of London can claim that everyone ends up there eventually because the inhabitants are truly from everywhere.
For such extraordinary city even the new kind of literature is found. New concepts and new examples of world literature call attention to new horizons of language and text: to the explicitly ambiguous and negotiable cultural symbolizations. Contrary to the languages of global internationalisation, which express and support a growing assimilation of life circumstances, the decentralized literatures of the world are an important medium of difference. They go beyond the scope of traditional views of a pre-defined (Western) common language of a universal culture and literature. They require permanent mutual processes of translation by way of negotiation of cultural differences, as they are carried out in and are provoked by the literatures themselves. Big attention is paid to multicultural children literature to grow up the future citizens of the world, not single country. They even created games, which help to understand the sense of multi-consciousness. This is a fun, warm-up, cross-cultural activity. The group tries to come up the word(s) for "hello" in as many different languages as possible or haring the story of where your name comes from and what your name means. Helps to build intercultural respect and understanding or group activity, which explore and celebrate the rich diversity of people's past experiences.
Many people say about their voyage to London: : “It means travel the globe without leaving the country”. And they really mean it. First of all they talk about Shop South African. This store, found near Richmond Park’s Roehampton Gate, sells exclusively South African foodstuffs and has been operating for the past 20 years, supplying ex-pats with its unrivalled selection of biltong (a delicious form of spicy sun-dried meat) and boerewors (sausages). Other recommendations include Steers’ Monkey Gland Sauce (it’s made from fruit and spices, not monkeys), Ouma’s eminently dunkable rusks, and Nestle’s Bar One. They’ve got an online shop if Roehampton’s too far forpeople to travel to.
It is also a drive along the North Circular which doesn’t offer many sights, but the sight of the Hindu Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple rising out of the concrete is impressive enough to make you choke on your travel sweets. Sitting incongruously in a suburban steet near Neasden’s other main attraction, IKEA, the multi-billion rupee temple required 5,000 tons of marble and limestone for a building project unlike any seen in this country since the cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Artisans and skilled sculptors from Gujarat and Rajasthan chipped away around the clock to complete the largest Hindu temple outside of India. Definitely worth the trip, this fairytale, architectural feat really has to be seen to be believed. Modest clothing is strongly recommended.
The south end of Hackney’s Mare Street is home to a thriving Vietnamese community that was established in the 1970s when Vietnamese fleeing communist rule set up home here. Excellent groceries abound but this shop is a particular gem. Fruit is piled high and fresh fish is available on Thursdays. The chiller cabinets hold fresh goods like egg noodles, fish balls and pigs’ trotters, while a freezer at the back stores meat and dim sum. Look out for the kitsch painted tins containing biscuits.
Very welcoming family-run Spanish grocery has neat displays of reasonably priced cakes, biscuits, confectionery, oils, cheeses, wines, olives and much more. There’s also a good selection of salt cod, chorizo, tinned calamares, piquillo peppers in jars, canned vegetables like white asparagus – and even paella pans in different sizes. Particularly notable is a top-notch selection of speciality, region-specific El Quexigal honeys from Avila, in aromatic varieties such as eucalyptus and lavender. Staff are happy, helpful and very smiley.
There are 27,000 Portuguese people living in Lambeth. Walk along the South Lambeth Road between Vauxhall and Stockwell in the early evening and you’ll find the atmosphere is almost as much Lisbon as London. It’s no wonder the area, a thriving barrio with many bars, cafés and restaurants, has been dubbed ‘Little Portugal’. Close by, the Madeira Pâtisserie, under the railway arches near Vauxhall station, supplies Portuguese baked goods to many of London’s cafés and its custard tarts, pastel de nata, are heaven.
A series of lectures, discussions and exhibitions organised by City University and continuing throughout June explores Balkan art and identity. Illustrious Notting Hill boutique Aimé offers a smattering of ultra-chic French designer labels under one roof bringing a little bit of jolie Paris to London. Run by two French-Cambodian sisters Val and Vanda Heng, the shop stocks coveted French brands such as APC, Isabel Marant and Claudie Pierlot. The elegant toiletries are also worth a look.
Of course, for politics such notion as multiculturalism has not only nice sides. Many politicians and media pundits appearing on television speak as apologists for liberal immigration policies, claiming multiculturalism gives the U.K. an advantage in international commerce. They claim having citizens from a variety of nationalities and ethnic groups will increase sales of UK products on the world market. Two of the founding grandes dames of British multiculturalism got into a fight recently. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, has been “pandering to the right”(Freeman, 56), spat Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London.
Phillips’s crime was to state that Notting Hill carnival “can hardly be said to represent the everyday culture of most of London’s communities”(Freeman, 57). A pretty obvious statement to make as most people in London are not black. But Livingstone had a hissy fit and accused Phillips of selling out black people. “He’d had a brief sort of black power fling,” said Livingstone, “dissing” Phillips’s past activism, “and ever since then he’s gone so far over to the other side that I expect soon he’ll be joining the BNP.” (Freeman, 57).
Like in America, Britain’s debate on multiculturalism is becoming an empty-headed bun-fight in which race is a convenient bat to beat your opponents with. The United States has always been fraught with individuals tapping ethnic anxieties to further themselves. The Rev Al Sharpton and his jerry-curled hair became famous throughout the country as he jumped on the flimsiest bandwagons to make hysterical overstatements about race.
Britain’s irony is that the person profiting most from exploiting racial tensions is not a glamorous funky demagogue but a white middle-aged nerd. But K Diddy is savvy to the way race is skilfully employed in America and has imported those techniques here.
It’s easy to disregard Livingstone as just another cheesy lily-white leftie associating himself with ethnic groups to prove his hipness and moral perfection. But there’s a sinister consistency in his approach to minority issues. Two years ago he welcomed Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the fundamentalist Islamist, to Britain, praising him as a “powerfully progressive force for change”(Freeman, 58). He canoodled with him for the cameras and compared him with the Pope, although the sheikh endorses suicide bombings, despises gay people and thinks it is acceptable for men to beat their wives. But Livingstone knows what potential there is in cultivating ethnic and religious support.
As so few people bother to vote in local and regional elections, Livingstone would love to garner the support of the hardcore element of London’s Muslim community. The value of the lumpen ethnic block vote was obvious in George Galloway’s victory at the last general election. The podgy ex-pugilist knew nothing about the people of Bethnal Green & Bow but ousted Oona King, a hardworking, wholly committed MP.
Galloway has rarely voted in parliament since his election and has achieved little of practical value for his constituents. But he exploited the anger over Iraq to get himself elected, although he was never going to remotely alter government policy.
Similarly, Livingstone smartly antagonises the Jewish community. He argues that he’s not an anti-semite, but anti-semites will warm to his snide remarks — particularly those who are hardline Islamists. He knew exactly what he was doing when he attacked David and Simon Reuben, the Jewish businessmen, saying they should “go back (to their own country) and see if they can do better”(Freeman, 58). He would never dare tell black people to go back to Africa and try their luck.
Phillips annoyed Livingstone when he challenged his declaration that the carnival had been a “triumph of multiculturalism”(Freeman, 59). As great as the event is, Phillips argued that combining diverse peoples into a cohesive society is a painstaking process that requires more than a day out in the sun shaking your booty. He touched a raw nerve when he undermined Livingstone’s attempt at congratulating himself for his cool exotic tastes, saying: “We wouldn’t, frankly, think of participation in a day’s morris dancing or caber tossing as a valuable exercise in building a modern multicultural society”(Freeman, 59). Let’s face it: the carnival is as outdated and irrelevant to a lot of black people as cheese and pineapple on sticks are to most whites. Hats off to Phillips for having the guts to say it.
Livingstone clings to the myth that he is Britain’s Mr. Multicultural. In his view even black people can’t be less than euphoric about the carnival. He makes glib associations between Phillips and the far right, while snuggling up to dark-skinned fascists himself. The mayor pats himself on the back for an occasional street party while sneakily exploiting ethnic divisions.
People may only hope that London voters will forget their differences at the next mayoral election and join forces to show this clown the door. Now that would be a real “triumph of multiculturalism.”
The problem is also that immigrants have always tended to settle in parts of the city where there are significant numbers of persons who share their ethno-cultural heritage and language. This has given each district unique combinations of ethnic and racial communities. For example, there are large numbers of Englishmen of Chinese and South Asian origins in one place, whereas Englishmen of Caribbean descent tend to be concentrated in another. Because London attracts many French-speaking immigrants, it has the highest percentage of of Vietnamese, Haitian and Lebanese origins.
But everywhere in London, visible minorities are the fastest growing sub-group in Canadian society. By 2006, they will represent between 14.7% and 20% of the population nearly one in six persons living in london are expected to be members of a visible minority group.
One of the factors leading to this increasing diversity is youth. UK’s ethnic and visible minority population tends to be younger than the national average. Forty-five per cent of London’s children have at least one ethnic origin other than British, French or American. One of five citizen of London aged 18 to 34 are members of visible minorities and one of three aged 5 to 15 have visible minority origins. In another generation, a single racial group will no longer represent a majority of UK’ s population.
There is evidence of a stronger connection between multiculturalism and people living in London’s sense of identity. When these people were asked in 1999 about what contributes to their sense of identity and makes them different from others, multiculturalism came in second after the health care system (McGregor, 118). The multiculturalism policy itself, which provides a framework for nurturing and valuing diversity, contributes to citizenship acquisition, participation and quality of life, and a strong sense of pride in what London stands for internationally. The explicit recognition that diversity within a common citizenship is good, which is what multiculturalism is all about, encourages Englishmen to feel committed to UK, fostering a sense of belonging and attachment to the country and to one another, a collective state of being otherwise known as social cohesion. As London becomes increasingly diverse, efforts to strengthen social cohesion between and among all the many ethnic, racial and religious groups in UK society will be central to continued progress as a modern, united and democratic society. Ultimately, the challenges associated with ethno-cultural and racial diversity affect everybody. Racism, for example, is a pervasive problem. It makes no difference to an Aboriginal child whether the racial slur occurs in a public school lunchroom, a community childcare center, or a privately run amusement arcade. The pain for that child is the same. And ultimately, the damage is equally costly to us all. Multiculturalism is the first step towards real tolerance which must become the base of future world’s rules. Everybody must try it by visiting London. It also means to travel the globe without leaving the country!


Works cited:
1. McGregor, Jon. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, London: Bloomsbury, 2002.
2. Baker, Houston A., Jr. Modernism and the Multiculturalism Renaissance. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1997.
3. Shaffer, Murray. The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and Tuning the World, Richmond, Vermont: Destiny Books, 1994.
4. Freeman, Simon , "Maximum security as London bomb suspects appear in court", www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1726498_1,00.html.
5. Gutmann, Amy, ed. Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994.
6. Gilroy, Paul. After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture, London: Routeledge, 2004.
7. Orwell, George , "Notes on nationalism", in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters: Volume 3, eds. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus, London: Penguin Books, 1990 [1945] .
8. George Orwell, "In defence of English cooking" and "A nice cup of tea", in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters: Volume 3, eds. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus, London: Penguin Books, 1970.
9. Lemelle, Sidney J. and Kelley, Robin D.G. (eds.). Imagining home: class, culture and nationalism in the African diaspora. London: Verso, 1994.
10. Douglas, Ann. Terrible honesty: mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s. New York: The Noonday Press, 1994.