Beyond the Clouds

Tonight's debate was the 2nd debate in a series on 'Multi-cultural Leicester' put on by BBC Radio Leicester.

We looked at whether there is harmony in Leicester. Fact of Fiction?
Pretty much all of the panel agreed that Yes, Leicester is ddoing well compared to other cities in the UK but it still has a lot of work to do.

I certainly felt like I was in the minority. A Buddhist, a woman, a young person, a Korean-Canadian (there aren't that many of this strange breed in Leicester, let alone the UK) And naturally, feeling very much outnumbered I felt timid, shy, unsure, and was very much alone. I wanted my voice heard but lacking confidence to do so, or maybe it was fear of being heard, whatever the case I certainly didn't feel at ease.

Perhaps, if I had been born in the 60s, Indian, and a man, I would have felt more comfortable there. As the majority seemed to be of that group, not surprisingly given that Leicester's biggest ethnic group are Hindus and Sikhs.

Is there a sense of comfort being around people who look like you? That was one of the arguments or rather comments made by the chosen audience in the front row. The problem that white Englishmen have is fear of change. Fear that other people, different people will come and take over. Fear of the unfamiliar. I'd say, yes, that's true. We are attracted to things that are similar to us, or our perception of us. If we percieve ourselves to be different then we would probably find ourselves surrounded by other people who were different or who we perceived to be different. And likewise, if we are white, working class English we would probably find it easier to hang around people with similar ideas and views of the world.

The danger that so many people talked about this evening was this segragation of different ethnic groups rather than integration. Leicester is definitely diverse. We've probably got all the religious festivals celebrated in some part of Leicester by that respective community. And yes, Leicester is inclusive. The Diwali light celebration is enjoyed by Hindus and non-Hindus, Christmas is the same, Eid, I'm sure you can take part in one way or another, but whether you feel like a participant or a citizen of Leicester looking in as an outsider of that community probably depends on how linked in one is with the community as well as how involved and included one wants to be.

So here we have a good examle of diversity of groups celebrating their own festivals mainly with their own communities.

Is that harmony?

Musically, I think I would say, no. I see that more as a random group of different notes playing at different times during a music score. Not quite harmony. They're not really trying to produce anything together. They just exist on the same sheet.

So how do we produce a harmony and is it possible with so many different beliefs, customs, and even laws? In Judaism, the Jewish community stick close together, they follow a common rule of life and in a way this creates a boundary between them and other communities. They are different, they are the chosen people and they (if they are very religious and strictly so) will follow a way of life that is prescribed. Islam, well, the Sharia law, which was briefly mentioned tonight is not without penalty to those who do not follow the muslim way of life. Muslims certainly have it much easier in Christian countries, than Christians have it in Muslim countries. One thing is for sure, the Sharia law is not very tolerant.

These laws are very important to their community and for them it is held with lots of respect and high regard. What sort of response should come from other communities? The panel was pretty much unanimous that diversity should be celebrated, that differences be respected and valued and that in acheiving this we would create harmony in our community.

Seems like, both two communities would like to stick to a pure note. Which on its own would be heavenly, but it would still not be a harmony.

In some respects, I feel that a harmony is produced almost by magic. What is it that causes us to listen to someone else? What is it that allows us, even the most opinioniated to let go of our viewpoints, our convictions, so that we can see a different one? What is is that increases our confidence to go beyond what we are comfortable with to a sense of ease with complete strangers so that we can talk about uncomfortable things?

Discrimination does exist. How many black people are given jobs as educators in leicester? How many women are CEOs of companies? How many women were on the panel tonight? Only 1.
Why is that?

This is what produces disharmony. The chords are struck and pain is heard. This is the pain of the people who are marginalized. Maybe too scared to speak, maybe feeling too insecure, maybe maybe there just isn't enough room for them in society? Or maybe the superior, the majority, the comfortable don't want to listen to their problems, their difficulties, the unfairness they have seen and experienced, the lack of support, lack of communication? One cannot have a musical harmony without gaps of silence. Maybe some groups are kept silenced for a reason unknown to us?

Another side of this debate that wasn't really addressed is conflict. Life is conflict and perfectly natural. Without conflict, we would be dead. Robots on autopilot. Not caring, not feeling, and not responding to another person's needs. When communities work together closely one feels friction and tension. There could be a dischord, and where there is dischord, chaos, tension, and lots of energy is produced out of which lots of creativity and beauty is seen and heard. This is harmony.

The debate will continue on bbc radio leicester.http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/local_radio/