Multiculturalism and the Arts
by Cy Grant
The world is an allegory of creation, it is the one and the many, the paradox
of matter and energy, of matter and spirit. Britain without wishing it
has become an allegory of the world- a multicultural society; and Britain
can learn something from the arts of these other cultures which do not
view art as being separate from life itself. As such they are intrinsically
about value. I am not sure that the message has come across.
Concord (a series of multi-cultural festivals held in the U.K. during
the 1980s) pioneered a new interest in multicultural arts. The trouble
now seems to be that multiculturalism itself has been consumerized. A culture
based on consumerism, competition and opportunism creates a materialistic
and largely hedonistic society - a culture without value. Eclectic and
superficial, it appropriates and devalues even those things which in themselves
have value. Hence 'multiculturalism', which is essentially about cultural
pluralism and respect for other cultures, is subsumed, trivialised and
incorporated into the prevalent fashionable pseudo -culture.
So too, the prevalent culture devalues as 'fads' any oppositional cultural
trends, as for instance those towards holism, ecology, natural healing
and reconciliation, ascribing its own face value image to them. The prevalent
computer-designed, global TV culture imposes its own spiritual impoverishment
on everything it encounters in an effort to perpetuate itself. The role
of the arts has likewise been trivialised.
And so this country has lost its best theatrical director. Peter Brook's
work has been long acknowledged for its quality yet his production of the
Mahabharata could not find a home in London. His long sojourn in Africa
showed an openness to the cultures of that continent. In his book The Conference
of the Birds, John Heilpern traced Brook's quest for something he could
not find in Europe.
Although hailed as an innovative theatrical genius Brook's work has
not changed the Eurocentric mould of the arts' establishment. Despite the
tame gesturing of the Arts Council (e.g.. The Glory of the Garden), the
arts still reflect the overall cultural bias of British society.
On reflection I now see that Concord' s work, important as it seemed
to me at the time, was only a start in the right direction. It is not the
arts establishment which will change attitudes which have developed over
centuries. Education could play a vital role, but this will require much
more that the narrow provisions of the new national curriculum.
Multicultural studies, per se, may help change attitudes but they do
not in themselves challenge the racism that, sadly, is inherent in European
culture. An antiracist education would be the best possible education,
for not only will it confront issues like racism and ecology but could
lead to a fundamental reappraisal of our perceptions and attitudes and
to a true understanding of our interconnected world. It could reintroduce
value into our lives and to a deeper form of knowledge showing the connections
between race and ecology.
Race will certainly have to go onto the political as well as the educational
agenda, and I believe that the arts themselves can play a useful role.
In the West the arts have not, since medieval times, been an integral part
of life. With increased specialisation taking place within our society,
and reflected in the education system, the arts are being marginalised
more and more. We are going further away from the role of the arts in the
traditional cultures of the world, where they are related to a meaningful
pattern of beliefs and values and not just 'art for art's sake' . Fortunately
for us, these non-Eurocentric arts are now available to us, although they
are not yet understood or respected. They are even being actively resisted.
The reason for this resistance is the prevailing view of black people,
fuelled by images in the media, that they are a problem, that there are
far too many of them, that they are responsible for much of the unemployment
in the country, that they are lazy and live off social security, that they
are not very intelligent, that they are oversexed, that they deal in drugs
and corrupt the young and mug the old. These misconceptions have contributed
to the racism that is now endemic in our society. But what compounds the
issue, is the great reluctance of people to face up to and challenge it.
To see that racism and the real human r- v damage it causes is the product
of our history. Multicultural studies and racial awareness training are
a real turn-off for all those who need it most. Racism, as distinct from
racialism ("prejudiced beliefs and behaviour not systemised into a philosophy
of superiority" as defined by the Institute of Race Relations -- Book I
"Roots of Racism") is not inherent in the human psyche but a social phenomenon
which has material causes. The historical roots are based on 400 years
of conquest and looting; on centuries of being told that Europeans are
superior to black people and that this has permeated European culture and
languages.
In order to break out of this 'culture trap'- the shameful legacy of
history, it will be necessary to ensure that our children have a right
to all the information which will enable them to make decisions about the
future based on truth, instead of the barrage of stereotypical images constantly
being projected by the media. They may then have a chance to hope for a
future not founded on lies -a future where values and the survival of the
planet will be more important that short term material benefits.
Learning the truth about our history and recent immigration policies
will not only challenge racism, but will allow children to understand how
it came about that black and Asian people now live in Britain; and that
40% of black people in Britain were born here and so are wrongly described
as being immigrants; which is not the case for white people regardless
of where they were born. The result of all these misconceptions is that
each new generation assimilates the racism of society and, one way to counter
this would be through education and the courage to face up to our past.
I do not really think that we can set about eliminating racism by treating
it solely as a problem unrelated to all the other problems which beset
our society. Most of the ills of society are not even perceived as such
in the prevailing culture. We have to see that all our so-called problems
are connected to each other -- that they all stem from the very nature
of the society itself. A society in which values have been allowed to erode
in the interests of the pursuit of purely materialistic goals. Racism,
like pollution and sexism, is a manifestation of an uncaring and unjust
system: pollution is only the most recent of these.
In the long term these issues can only be effectively challenged by
questioning the very nature of the education that is provided today - what
is the true purpose of education and For whom is it meant? For instance,
does the national curriculum relate to the realities and genuine needs
of society? Issues which so far have not been part of the core curriculum.
Is catering for the 3 R's enough? And if it is, does the hidden curriculum
harbour a fourth R -- Racism?
Education for a genuine multicultural society would mean nothing less
than the deconstruction of racism. It would mean implementing a fundamentally
different system of values, and thus acting as a catalyst for change in
the role of Education itself. Should education be solely geared towards
perpetuating the status quo, without questioning the concepts underpinning
class, the nature of power, industrialism and consumerism- concepts leading
from racial disadvantage to the conflicts of interest between the public
and those of producers and manufacturers, e.g.. the preservation of the
environment against pollution, the waste disposal business, trade with
South Africa, deforestation, the arms industry, nuclear power -- all such
issues.
Education for a genuine multicultural society, a non-racist education,
would be the very best way of analysing how this society both developed
and operates -gaining insights into the true nature of present day British
society and the political process itself.
It will allow children to think for themselves, to be involved in debate
and ask critical questions. For not to introduce a qualitative dimension
into Education will never provide a base for understanding the problems
which face the world they will shortly inherit- a world which is interconnected
and visibly shrinking every day. They might then be able to see their place
in a system which is responsible for so much injustice and human suffering,
a system which not only exploits people but also the planet without regard
for the future. Most of' the so-called primitive peoples of the world had
a deep sense of custodianship for the planet. The Inuit say "we should
do nothing today for which we may have to apologise to our grandchildren."
In other words a nonracist education would be the best possible education
you could give a child.
The need to change the fragmented nature of the present curriculum must
be taken on board. Any new curriculum for the future should incorporate
an awareness of the concept of the inter-connectedness of all knowledge.
This would entail what in medicine is called a holistic approach. A policy
of integrated studies within the curriculum can be done most effectively,
and indeed, cost-effectively, via the arts, particularly the arts of other
cultures. There is no end to the positive insights that can be gained by
inter-relating, say, African music to African geography, history and literature
and then on to a more global perspective.
Educational institutions would have to develop policies capable of being
implemented and monitored. Within the syllabus multicultural topics and
texts would have a logical and central place. Above all the will must be
there and the multicultural approach completely integrated into the life,
ethos and syllabus of all the institutions concerned. It is no longer possible
to act as if only our ideas and our culture matter.
Cy Grant is an actor, singer and writer.
He has appeared on BBC TV, in films, on stage and in concerts. This article
is an extract from his forthcoming book, Blackness and the Dreaming Soul.
This article was published in New Renaissance magazine Vol.4,
No.2
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