“The ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization” (Gandhi)
I thought of Gandhi’s words after the recent Notting Hill Carnival (NHC) in London, Europe’s largest street festival.
I was honoured once again to be one of the judges at the carnival. Read about the history of NHC which started in 1964.
The 50th Anniversary of NHC was celebrated from 2014-2016 with the different aspects of carnival: masquerade, sound systems, steel bands, calypso and soca – amazing creativity and diverse artistic excellence – including that of my brother, Anil ‘Speedy’ Ramdeen and his partner, Clary Salandy, who run Mahogany Carnival Design. They won first prize in their category on both days.
What a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the diversity that exists in London and to promote unity among communities – both in the UK and globally, particularly as the event draws people from around the world.
Sadly, very little of the positives of NHC make the news. Maurice McLeod’s article in the UK Guardian reflects the frustration that I and others feel. It is entitled: “Why is Notting Hill Carnival’s success always measured by its crime levels?”
Inter alia, he says: “No other event suffers this kind of biased media coverage… Carnival is one of London’s annual high points, attracting revellers from all over the world. Filling the streets of west London with up to 7,000 police officers costs around £7m, but this is dwarfed by the £93m the event generates for the capital… Carnival has always been a celebration of Caribbean culture: the music, the costumes and the general spontaneity. The brazenness of the parade’s originators in 1964, marching proudly through the beleaguered streets that had seen race riots in 1958 and the death of Kelso Cochrane in 1959, shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Over the years carnival has evolved from a protest against the blatant racism that my mother’s generation experienced to a showcase for the brilliantly diverse city that I know and love… In the intervening half a century, the Notting Hill slums and working-class black and white communities have been replaced by luxury townhouses and well-heeled residents. Carnival’s organisers are left with an annual fight against the party being moved to a sanitised Hyde Park or stopped altogether.”
There is always a need to review crowd control, crime and so on at such events. Commander Dave Musker, who was in charge of the policing operation at this year’s event, issued a press release in which he acknowledged that it is only “a small minority wishing to use the Carnival as cover for committing crime”.
Over the 2 days of the NHC, sadly, 8 police officers were taken to hospital and 454 people were arrested for various crimes. Sixteen people were stabbed, including a 15 year old boy who remains in hospital after being stabbed in his stomach.
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I do not have all the answers, but I am not sure that crime levels will be lowered if NHC is moved to a park.
I have noticed over the years that the number of youths attending the event has grown significantly. An analysis of the ages of those who are arrested, the nature of the crimes committed and so on, should inform the review of the NHC and assist in identifying strategies for change.
I urge those who are conducting the review, that, while we all want to reduce crime at NHC and create a safe space for the one or two million people most of whom attend to enjoy themselves, let us pay serious attention to Harry Belafonte’s calypso: “Don’t stop the carnival”.
Like T&T, Britain is irreversibly multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious. What a blessing! Let us use our energies to promote unity among those who live there.
Pope Francis’ words are apt: “Unity does not imply uniformity; it does not necessarily mean doing everything together or thinking in the same way. Nor does it signify a loss of identity. Unity in diversity is actually the opposite: it involves the joyful recognition and acceptance of the various gifts which the Holy Spirit gives to each one and the placing of these gifts at the service of all…It means knowing how to listen, to accept differences, and having the freedom to think differently and express oneself with complete respect towards the other who is my brother or sister. Do not be afraid of differences!” (Address to Catholic Fraternity of the Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship, October 31, 2014)
I am of the belief that often it is fear of the “other”, “the stranger” that leads some people to build enclaves and to shut out people.
During this Year of Mercy, let us open our hearts to welcome the stranger.
