FLUENT IN LONDON'S VIBRANCE
Our Philosophy
Curativity challenges negative perceptions on migration and diaspora by providing a media platform that promotes alternative narratives through creativity. In 1966, Roy Jenkins, the Home Secretary at the time commented on two types of important cultural integration:
“I do not think that we need in this country a ‘melting pot’, which will turn everybody out in a common mould, as one of a series of carbon copies of someone’s misplaced vision of the stereotyped Englishman…I define integration, therefore, not as a flattening process of assimilation but as equal opportunity, accompanied by cultural diversity, in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance.”
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Today media attitudes towards immigration and refugees are more hostile than ever. Following Brexit, there is a division in UK politics that has given weight to assimilation in favour of the ‘stereotyped Englishman’. Our understanding of integration and tolerance towards others has broken down. Immigration, refugees and exchanges between different national/ethnic groups are now looked at negatively. Mainstream media represents these issues in narrow, one-sided ways.
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Changing attitudes
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the mainstream media does exactly that. Negative consequences in the press were then given a cultural spin, and messages of national intolerance towards multiculturalism were seen in most headlines. This ‘message’ was clear: assimilation, not integration.
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As Edward Said famously explained, dominant groups in society define other groups in terms of what they, themselves, are not: he calls this ‘othering’. This is similar to the treatment of ‘different’ cultures in the media - the interests and challenges of non-dominant groups are generalised for the sake of an us/them contrast. It would not be a stretch to suggest that dominant members of British society see ethnic minorities as a threat to their cultural dominance and group identity! A political split following Brexit has shown how there is a desire for notions of group/national identity to be preserved. Particularly in an age of dwindling international power and influence on behalf of the English government.
Media outlets have brought these ideas into mainstream public discourse, something that can be linked to a rise in xenophobia. Statistics from the government show that 85% of all recorded hate crimes committed in the UK between 2017 and 2018 were related to race or religion (of 94,098 crimes, 71,251 were racially/religiously motivated). Statistics have further pointed to a 14% increase in these crimes since last year, a figure which has doubled since the Brexit vote in 2016 .
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The medium of art, music, theatre, film, photography and food offer people invaluable insights into other’s lives, experiences and cultures. Considering that the current political landscape is fairly intolerant of diversity, Curativity offers a service that celebrates it.
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Where creativity comes in
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Sharing creative ideas also gives marginalised groups a voice, whereas the mainstream media picks the narratives it wants to reproduce, or dismiss. Where media outlets are selective, art is indiscriminate. There are fewer repercussions for agreeing or disagreeing with a creative piece of work, and less pressure to form an opinion on it. It provides a neutral space where groups of people can criticise and discuss without fear of subordination, allowing shared identities and experiences to come to the fore. We believe that creativity is something everyone shares, similar to being a Londoner. Instead of labelling each other through division and difference, us and them, the arts are cross-cutting and unifying.
“I do not think that we need in this country a ‘melting pot’, which will turn everybody out in a common mould..the stereotyped Englishman.."
Media attitudes towards immigration and refugees in the UK have changed over time to match the tone of political conversation. When photos of Alan Kurdi emerged in the headlines of the European press, attitudes of acceptance and empathy dominated broadsheets and tabloids alike. Articles focused on the emotions and experiences of those involved in the crisis, and did not just bolster stereotypes or incite fear.
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After the November Paris Attacks in 2015, however, the media environment in England took a sharp downward turn; a media coverage report published by the European Council pointed to how, following the attacks, a conscious effort was made by media outlets to place refugee, diaspora and refugee groups, as the dangerous and blameworthy parties, at the heart of the ‘crisis’. No evidence can strongly link the growth of different ethnic groups
in European cities with an increase in national insecurity, but
What we do
Where Curativity comes in - the reasons why the British Public prefer assimilation over integration have been laid out, and our response is that the framework needs to be different. There is lots of evidence that supports shared cultural experience as a means of understanding one another. In Sadiq Khan’s recent Social Integration Strategy for the Greater London Authority, he stated that London’s unique multicultural character can lend itself to a strategy of tolerance, and that having regular, positive interactions with different people from different backgrounds can only increase each Londoner’s understanding of one another (5). Sadiq Khan’s aim is to promote integration through understanding, and Curativity intends to extend this purpose.
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Politics can often be intimidating and inaccessible, and political views can influence media consumption, and vise versa. Instead of learning through the limited lens that media representation offers, Curativity seeks to promote earning through something that we all share - creativity.
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Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London addressing crowds.
PSYCHEdelight is a theatre company that provide dramas workshops as a place of expression and integration.
This image, created by Hani Shihada, a well-known artist and refugee was driven on trucks around the world.
Creative works and spaces allow individuals and groups to express themselves in a way that the media does not. Where media outlets misrepresent information and data to construct stereotypes and place emphasis on social norms and accepted behaviour, creative work gives an opportunity for individuals to own their expression and opinions. It is in this realm that refreshed ideas of inclusion and difference are made. Shared creativity provides an environment where the ‘parameters of national citizenship and identity’ can change over time. When listening to world music, going to art exhibitions or watching foreign films we are sharing in different cultures and experiences, without a stereotyped assumption lingering at the back of our minds. These experiences are initially value neutral, and it is only what we witness from then on that can influence opinion.
Bringing you the best of London's creativity
Renewing the collective imagination around migration.