Multiculturalism has become a somewhat dirty word in this country, which is disheartening because it can and does work. I recently attended the opening of the ‘Pure Painting’ exhibition at the BAR gallery on Walm Lane near Willesden Green tube station. This small area in north London has a very relaxed feeling about it despite the massive cultural mix. In the restaurant we dined at after the opening (which served a cultural clash of food with a smile and politeness that some of our so called leaders of industry and politics would do well to learn), I heard well over half a dozen different ethnic voices eating and enjoying the ambiance. After the meal we moved next door and sat outside an open door café where a multi-ethnic member live jazz-funk band cascaded it’s vibes down the lane. What a terrific evening! (I realise that this is just a small picture, but a beautiful one.)
It seems we all ‘ghettoise’ ourselves in some way, but it is a shame that people ghettoise themselves in such a way as to create ‘no-go’ areas. I fully understand that people like to be part of a ‘gang’ (as a teenager in the seventies I was part of a ‘street gang’ that had no time for the ‘skinhead gang’), as it gives them security, commonality and a common purpose. However, as my mother always quoted to me…. ‘Variety is the spice of life Mark, embrace it.’ So, even though I may sometimes lose my way through the minefield that is multiculturalism, I will continue to try, both in life and in art.
