Mr Multicultural
Mr Multicultural was a project based on fact, to highlight the common ground we all share, because by default we live in a Multicultural environment, call it, Metropolitan environment reflecting our own Cosmopolitan way of life. Being British makes us all Multicultural as they come, because when England united with Scotland in 1707 it was subsequently referred to as Great Britain. Even the word United Kingdom has a reference to being Multicultural with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who united other territories through the colonial era, hence, giving birth to Mr Multicultural.
The fact I am by default Multicultural, because I am biologically Arab as my Father is a Syed (Sayyid) and my Mother is a Quresh (Quraysh) as both their ancestors have originated from the Middle East, with migration over this period to the fertile lands of the Punjab, the evolution continued with a cultural influence. Enriched from a Mogul dynasty that expanded 300 years until the British Empire had then expanded its reign through the East Indian Company to a direct rule called the British Raj. The fact is, my own upbringing is very much a product of London influenced by British culture does mean that I am socially “British” with a distinct London character, as we have helped to shape what London has become today through its creativity and the EMMA show. However, the Far Right politic of White Power that led to racism, towards a Minority was never too far away.
Ironically, it wasn’t only a race issue, but also a class issue that had to be navigated for all Ethnic Minorities during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The person, who gave many a sense of hope by uniting communities, was Bob Morley, who was himself from a mixed-heritage background. The first ever performance of ‘Bob Morley’ in Britain, took place in 1973 at a school in Peckham. He promoted a message of “love and harmony” regardless of your race, creed or colour in the 70’s.
There were many other figures who were more direct and outspoken that gave many a sense of hope for equality, from the likes of Malcolm X, who visited Birmingham in 1965, due to the continued racism flaring up there to Mohammad Ali who boxed for the people, and happened to be a Muslim. However, the person who went on to then ultimately capture our imagination was Nelson Mandela – who fought the evil empire known as apartheid administered by White colonial migrants.
The other struggle we had to contend with during my childhood was the threat from the Soviet Union who had the ability to destroy London by their vast nuclear stockpile during the Cold War. My Multicultural duty led me to join the British Army as a part-time soldier, too young to be a regular soldier but still keen to train and defeat the Soviet threat. I was placed with the Royal Artillery and stationed at Highwood Barracks at Forest Hill. I had then regularly attended many army exercises, at many army bases across the country, for some strange reason even though the enemy (Soviets) were predominantly White; I had to play a role as an enemy soldier. The things we did for “Queen and Country”.
The first Generation Ethnic Minorities like myself were encouraged to pursue higher education; it was the only way to find employment by being over qualified. There is a real Multicultural purpose here, to build relationships through our education system at school, college and ultimately at university. I had started this journey after school by being President of Vauxhall College in the 1980’s then setting up a Multicultural society in South Bank Polytechnic (University), to then go on and undertake a Peace & Conflict degree at Bradford University whilst being an active member of the Student Union. This Multicultural journey led me to have the desire to unite our communities. As a Londoner whose family came from the Commonwealth, to help rebuild Britain after the devastation of the Second World War, ironically I ended up studying at the ultimate colonial college at University of London. The School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), at University of London, which was founded in 1916 as a school of Oriental studies, which has explicit colonial origin,
In serving to train the colonial administrator and military officers for the British Empire. However, I had wanted to introduce my own Multicultural twist to SOAS in the 1990’s, and successfully set-up the “International Studies & Diplomacy School” department after completing my Masters there in Area Studies. I had moved on to Saatchi & Saatchi after this work. After leaving Saatchi & Saatchi, I officially decided to champion Multiculturalism that even led to the ‘Multicultural Olympic Games’ in 2012, due to the EMMA shows that were broadcast on BBC & ITV.
The Mr Multicultural channel is a combination of one’s own British history, who supports a London based Football team, that helps to define the Creative Industries that by default relies on Multicultural creativity to be competitive and survive. EMMA was the first ever show that reflected this industry. If Britain is to be great again, it has to fully embrace those Multicultural values to unite a Nation that was built from the wealth of the Commonwealth countries and more importantly its people who migrated here during a time of great need after the end of the Second World War. The hardship they had suffered should never ever be forgotten even if bad decisions by politicians lead to another major recession. Giving rise to scapegoating politics, by labelling Ethnic Minorities in any term as somehow being alien to British culture – when the people from the Commonwealth had actually defined British culture as being Multicultural from those bad times to help build the good times enjoyed by many – the only way forward for Britain is to be Multicultural.
