Bridge the Diversity Gap – Combler la fossé de diversité
Amsterdam, 5 November – Confronted with the schizophrenic diversity gap progressive politicians should, if they want to use diversity as an asset, remove the inequalities behind it and promote and facilitate active citizenship in which all cultures participate, concluded the opening panel of the 9th annual grassroots’ meeting of the European Greens.
Face à l’écart schizophrènede la diversité politiciens progressistes qui souhaitent utiliser la diversité comme un atout, devraient, apart d’éliminer les inégalités derrière elle, promouvoir et faciliter la citoyenneté active de toutes les cultures, a conclu le panel d’ouverture du 9e seminaire annuelle des militants verts européens.
Follow-up: link to A Soul for Europe (report Berlin Conference ‘A Citizens’ Europe’ will follow.
report Ditte Gurack
Het Lieverdje, the statue that became the symbol of rebellion, painted pink by the Greens
With Amsterdam as the hosting city, the opening statement hardly needed proof. From Golden Age to Provo the Dutch capital has prospered most when its open-minded merchant spirit was stronger than religion-dominated intolerance that prevailed in large parts of the surrounding countryside. The current success of nationalist populists, however, proves that the pastor is back in town. As Halleh Ghorashi, professor Management of Diversity at the local Vrije Universiteit (Free University) said: ‘In the present ‘culturalist’ and anti-Islam dominated public discourse, cultural and religious diversity are approached as a problem.’ Such an attitude, she said, exacerbates the tensions and problems in society. Consequently,
‘If we want to find sustainable solutions for today’s problems and future challenges, we need diversity to be perceived as positive’.
How? ‘Broaden the definition of diversity’, said Birgit Weiss (Castellon). ‘Many people limit it to being from abroad, and hence perceive natives as normal and others as foreign. That is a simplification; diversity is also about social, gender/ sex and religion, and other characteristics. In the end, we all are diverse.’ ‘Look at what can be gained from diversity’, said Inti Suarez, a diversity management consultant from Utrecht. Most of the innovative initiatives in diversity don’t come from the public sphere, but from the private sector, like banks, who have understood that a long time ago.’
Schizophrenic gap
Mellouki Cadat
Meanwhile we are left with a ‘schizophrenic gap’ in society, said moderator Mellouki Cadat, a multiculturalism specialist from Amsterdam. ‘Higher educated progressive people like us ‘experience cultural diversity as rich’ (Selma Jansen, a local councilor in Amsterdam West), many others see it as a threat’. Which is not without reason, said Luc Lamote, headmaster of a school for ‘second opportunity’ education in Antwerp. ‘Many problems in today’s cities have a colour. In Antwerp a large and increasing percentage of the newborn is of migrant origin. But in universities they make up less than 3 percent, whereas in my school the non-Belgians make up the majority.’
Colonising Power
Yossie Yonah
Which isn’t surprising, said Yossie Yonah, who teaches diversity in education at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. ‘Migrants who come to the global city to find a better future, often depend on people from their home country for social networks and jobs, because the new society doesn’t give them as many opportunities as to natives. This partial exclusion causes frustration and even anger, even more so if the new society is a former colonising power, and may provoke a higher criminality rate among newcomers. So
If we want to put things right, we should start admitting that we have a debt towards the newcomers, and welcome them properly. ‘
‘We also should stop asking migrants just to take over our habits’, said Selma Jansen. Integration is a two-sided process and we also can learn from them. We should encourage that process, for example by creating possibilities for children meet and learn from each others cultures.’
Post-modern
Yonah: ‘Indeed multiculturalism should not be one-dimensional. If you want migrants to interact and take part instead of sticking to separate communities, you should allow newcomers and hosting society to influence each other. In this sense I am a post-modern. But I am also a modern citizen, because I believe in values like gender-equality and human rights and think we should not give those up. Or tolerate intolerance.’
Cultural wars
Didier Coeurnelle
Didier Coeurnelle, a councilor for Écolo in Brussels – Molenbeek: ‘The question of common values is one of the most difficult ones to address. I find it difficult to compromise on equal rights for men and women, l but don’t want people to live in separate communities either. But I think the real social problem isn’t the tension between Christians and Muslims – no matter how much attention the get. It is many people not being able to find a job. I quote: ‘Now the left has lost its socio-economic perspectives, it fights cultural wars – which is wrong.’
Church, Politics and Coal
Is it? Steve Austen, a theatre entrepreneur who was at the core of a series of European cultural initiatives – the latest being ‘A Soul for Europe’ – tackled the problem from the other side, by picturing the horrors of non-diversity. ‘I fled from Heerlen, my hometown, at the age of 17, because there was only one religion: roman-catholic, one political party, the catholic party KVP, and one industry: coal mining, which was dominated by a very powerful coalition of religion and politics.
State watchdog
My parents had to go to church regularly to avoid problems at work and their children’s’ schools.’ Monocultures like these, he said, led to a lack of democracy. Ever since I have believed that an independent authority has to watch over the state, and protect the citizens against such a monopolisation of interests – which isn’t the case in the Netherlands now. But equally important:
As active citizens we have to put a foot in the door, to prevent action being concentrated in unions, parties and religious groups. That citizenship has to include all cultural groups – which puts a responsibility with citizens as well as the creative sector.
And talking EU: if it EU wants to become a real society, citizens should have a far bigger role in shaping it – and there should be much more space for extra-parliamentary active citizenship.
‘Education has an important role’, he added: ‘it shouldn’t just prepare children for a professional life, but also in responsible, active citizenship – also on a European level. At the moment however, I see a lack of interest to cross borders and create a sufficient number of apprenticeships to educate people in different cultures.’
Coeurnelle: ‘The private sector is often far better at generating subsidies for such initiatives. The problem is, that it only addresses small groups, not the entire community.’
Austen: ‘I’m not pleading for a change of public to private subsidies; the private sector doesn’t take into account people’s financial means.’
Suarez: ‘The public sector is far from perfect as well; getting subsidies is so complicated that the money hardly gets to those who need it most.’
Yonah, citing a report about theatre visits in Israel: ‘Government subsidies should at least serve the poorest, which isn’t the case now. And more in general a democratic system always should support those who need it most.’ And there is a correlation between a lack of cultural recognition and a lack of redistribution and participation – politically, economically, and otherwise. We should understand that better and tackle it.
Subsidies or gifts?
Q.: ‘The cuts turned artists into very active citizens all of a sudden – and made people very aware of their value. So aren’t they in some respect a blessing in disguise?’
Austen: ‘The activism may be positive. But you can only ensure a group of musicians who give a concert for just a hundred people a regular income through subsidies form the state or gifts from private donors. The revenues of the concert won’t ever be enough. If the population doesn’t want to pay such forms of art, you have no other option than to look for private sponsors.’
Q.: How can political parties like ours open up to society and encourage active citizenship?
Austen: ‘Not by setting up yet another series of quango’s – heavily subsidised institutions – for citizenship, like they have done for diversity before, with a true diversity industry as a consequence. Go to local people, talk to them and open an entirely new potential that is not used now.’
By the way, he added when asked: : ‘When it comes to cultural initiatives I prefer the Christian democrats because they often have better connections with the cultural world and a more positive attitude towards it than social democrats. The Greens are quite non-existent in this respect, so make up your mind and do something about it.’
