Cultural identity in peripheral urban areas: the role of local and regional authorities - CG (12) 24 Part II rev

Rapporteur: Etienne VAN VAERENBERGH, Belgium,
Chamber of Local Authorities, Political Group: GILD

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

I - Introduction:

I am grateful to Mr André Iteanu for the study (doc. CG/CULT (10) 8) which he wrote on the issue addressed by the Culture and Education Committee, and to Mr Jean Hurstel, President of Banlieues d’Europe, for his contribution to the preparation of this report as an expert working for an association active at the grassroots.

This draft report seeks to identify some guidelines and to highlight the main points made in the various sources.

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Pressing issues are raised by the question of “cultural identity” in the peripheral areas of cities. Local and regional authorities urgently need solutions to the complex and multidisciplinary problems of these areas, particularly as a growing proportion of the population now lives in the fringe suburbs of European cities.

The first question to be addressed is the definition of “suburbs/periphery”. This may be taken to mean either the variety of people living there, or the area inhabited by minority population groups of low socio-economic status who are excluded from society to a greater or lesser degree. Suburban, peripheral areas are not homogeneous but culturally and socio-economically very diverse, and are inhabited by minority, vulnerable populations. They are often seen in a negative light, are often synonymous with marginality and problems, and are therefore frequently stigmatised.

Often inappropriate policy responses

In objective terms, the situation varies greatly from one city to another and from one country to
another. It has to be said that many peripheral suburbs of European cities are home to middle and upper class citizens who are well integrated into society.

This report focuses essentially on the problems of social groups in peripheral areas who are
excluded and stigmatised.

The population of the peripheral areas of many European cities is typically extremely diverse in both socio-economic and cultural and linguistic terms, as a result of rural exodus (the movement of populations from country to town) and international migratory movements. Peripheral urban areas attract these populations of low socio-economic status, who are usually from a variety of cultures and linguistic backgrounds, chiefly because of the availability of housing and affordable rents. This circumstance has a strong influence on the development of the cultural identity of these areas, which have truly become “cultural and linguistic mosaics”.

When they arrive, migrants feel that they still belong to their communities of origin, and cling to their own values. They frequently have great difficulty in adjusting to their new society, particularly because of the individualism that they come up against in major cities, which they find disorienting. Immigration used generally to mean that migrants and their children would sooner or later renounce the traditions of their community of origin.

Nowadays, “transmigrants” retain links with their country of origin and create new networks with the migrants residing in the country of immigration. This is a crucial phenomenon in the emergence and construction of cultural identity in peripheral areas because the languages and cultures of these different communities of origin keep their validity and their strength through these transnational networks.

Although situations vary and it is right to be cautious, it can be said that these peripheral areas face shared problems that recur – to a more advanced degree than in city centres – throughout Europe: cultural difference, economic insecurity, violence and illegal activities (theft, drugs, etc), and in the case of young people: juvenile delinquency, frequent drug and alcohol abuse, and lack of mobility (which makes the world outside appear dangerous). There are two alarming dangers which provide arguments for a policy of integration: ghettoisation (extreme isolation with cessation of the integration process) and insecurity.

Local and regional authorities, and society in general, thus face two acute problems when certain groups wish to preserve cultural peculiarities that are incompatible with the notion of integration and with the laws and values of the host country (such as circumcision of girls, for example). These groups may wish to integrate, but they do not want to transgress certain values or customs of their country or religion of origin. The debate about the wearing of the veil in France in recent months is particularly illuminating in this respect.

We should of course be sensible and not generalise or simplify the issues. Not all families in peripheral areas face these problems of violence and lack of cultural adjustment. For their part, migrants want to integrate into the society of the host country and to improve their level of economic well-being and education. However, a minority of families and young people do not succeed in becoming gradually integrated.

The children of immigrants often have little or no knowledge of the society of origin of their parents, and feel quite at ease in the surrounding urban individualism. Nor do they share in the specific “sociality” of families in the host country, to which their own families do not have access. These young people frequently have only a superficial attachment to either community and experience problems of identity. They are in search of a community that will welcome them with their own peculiarities and their composite identity. The identity that they create for themselves is in a way a cross between their family inheritance and the culture of the host society, and they carry within them values that are often contradictory.

These young people are heirs to families of widely differing origins and create a “culture of the periphery” which comprises various forms of artistic expression. Some of them have little or no knowledge of their own city. They seldom if ever visit cultural venues in the city centre and often have a low level of education. Without wishing to caricature them, it can be said that some of these young people find it extremely difficult to join in the life of the community and gather in “gangs”. They are loath to accept hierarchy, which they invariably denounce as “unjust”, being hypersensitive to the issue of equality on account of their isolation and disadvantage. This extreme reaction to hierarchy becomes a factor in their exclusion, both at school and in the workplace.

These young people rarely have anything to do with politics and therefore seldom take part in elections. Their relationships and social ties are fragile, both with school and with their families, which they regard as incapable of protecting them against outside hindrances such as unemployment.

Nonetheless, this situation does not prevent many of these young people from leading satisfactory social lives and leaving the transitional periphery for calmer social waters, often with the help of public institutions, especially local authorities and professional educators and social workers.

Policy responses to these particularly sensitive and pressing problems vary from one country to another. But each country and each city is faced to a differing degree with the difficult issue of integrating migrants and their children. In some countries, policy aims at restricting how long immigrants stay and at encouraging or obliging them subsequently to return to their country of origin. In most cases, the children of these migrants defeat this policy by becoming permanently established in the host country. The result is growing racism and xenophobia among the native population. It is then necessary to rethink the modus vivendi between the native population and immigrants. The local, regional and national public authorities face a difficult political situation, which is widely exploited by extremist xenophobic parties.

The response to the issue in many countries is “integration” – economic, cultural, linguistic, and so on. The medium or long-term objective is always to blend the population of the suburbs with the rest of the population through gradual assimilation. The discourse that attacks this policy of integration in the name of the principle of “respect for difference” frequently remains theoretical and only provides a limited number of examples of policies that have succeeded. Is the idea that “integration” can provide a solution to the marginalisation of these population groups therefore illusory?

In the better-off European countries, “integration” is a continuous process of transformation whereby migrants living largely in peripheral areas are integrated into the general population, either by changing their place of residence or being obliged to move (as a consequence of gentrification, for example). Such movements, however, never do away with peripheral areas in themselves, since new populations settle there when these inhabitants move out. New areas further from the city centre become the new periphery.

In many European cities, therefore, the major peripheral areas are extremely diverse in socio-economic and cultural terms; they are “places of transition” for vulnerable populations usually of low socio-economic status, where lack of roots is not immediately replaced by a new identity and where problems of violence and cultural and geographical confinement are endemic. For these populations, the suburbs are places of transition and transformation marked by social fragility, a feeling of insecurity and a “closed” future. Generational ties are transformed, and a new system of cultural transmission takes effect, with the second generation, for example, not always speaking the mother tongue of the parents. Rather than being a place in which to become established, peripheral areas are thus, as André Iteanu suggests, “a place of diversity and transition which enables successive excluded populations to change their status by partially changing their identity”. The suburbs are therefore “integration machines” through which governments try to blend their inhabitants into the population, often by means of inappropriate policies.

Cultural policy in cities/regions for the development of new identity and successful integration

The peripheral areas of cities, which are cradles of composite, marginalised identities, harbour conflicts and contradictions that may explode in violent forms.

How can local and regional politicians deal with the problems raised by excluded, rejected minorities in new ghettoes ruled by violence and public disorder? How can these fringes of the population be integrated economically, socially and culturally, while being allowed to construct their own identity that is compatible both with their origins and with the society of their host city? Given the complexity and great political sensitivity of the issue, the Rapporteur can only put forward a number of suggestions, bearing in mind the widely varying situations in the 45 countries of the Council of Europe.

1. Cultural and education policies appropriate to the local/regional context

It is essential to take full account of the characteristics and identity of these populations in order to put in place cultural, educational and socio-economic policies that are truly effective and to find longer-term solutions. The main link that young people have with the community of the host country is through school, from which they have sometimes dropped out. It is therefore indispensable for this link to be maintained and reinforced until such time as the young person can leave his or her neighbourhood and enter active life. If young people are rejected at the end of compulsory education, there is a danger that they will have no further contact with institutional provision and will become totally cut off from the host society and city. Continuity may be maintained through vocational training or schemes of active involvement in social activities. It is obvious that families also play a key role in the socialisation of young people. Family ties should not be made more fragile by unintentional competition from social workers, for example. Care must therefore be taken, wherever possible, to leave parents with full authority over their children. Conversely, institutional authority is non-negotiable (especially that of the school), since it represents young people’s relationship to the state in the host country.

Taking account of the characteristics and identity of these populations is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition.
Three other steps are required:

These different steps may take the form of active partnerships (schools, voluntary associations, cultural institutions) and can help to reverse the frequently negative image of a district or a city.
This change in perception can bring hope for the future provided that it is shared by both the inhabitants of the suburb concerned and the population living in surrounding areas.

The list drawn up by Banlieues d’Europe covers a wide range of a hundred or so such projects, from workshops with writers to events that bring together thousands of participants.*

In policy terms, two types of activity would appear to guarantee that projects will survive and grow:

2. Youth policies appropriate to the local and regional context

I refer here to the “Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life” adopted by the Congress in May 2003, which provides a basis and an important point of reference for any local policy in this field.

Another key text on which local and regional authorities may profitably draw is Recommendation 153 (2004) adopted by the Congress on 27 May 2004, “A pact for the integration and participation of people of immigrant origin in Europe’s towns, cities and regions”.

Young people from peripheral areas need to be given the opportunity to become contributors to the overall culture of their host city and country. They do already play a part, but this is too often overlooked. It needs to be acknowledged in the eyes of the young people and the rest of the population. This is a way of acknowledging their identity and their usefulness, and in consequence of letting them take responsibility for their environment.

Carefully selected projects can be mounted in these suburbs by directly involving young people. There are numerous successful examples (of good practice).

Some were presented at the hearing on 16 October 2003 (CG/CULT (10) 7 rev.). They should be taken as an inspiration and adapted to the local situation.

For public authorities, and especially local and regional authorities, taking account of the characteristics of these young people means in particular:

Schools and local institutions (social workers, voluntary associations) have a major role to play.

They are in direct contact with these young people and can therefore teach them these essential values, can enable them to act for themselves and to take responsibility for their environment, and can give attention to young people who are in trouble or are failing at school.

They can also open young people’s eyes to the outside world so that they acquire a better geographical and civic knowledge of their city (exploring the neighbourhood, visiting local institutions etc), besides allowing parents from differing origins to become involved in local life, and thus to become integrated themselves.

Young people’s cultural practices are radically different from those of their elders and refer to different values and representations. Music, imagery and new technologies make up a symbolic imaginary world which is worldwide and has been taken up enthusiastically by young people.
In this context, it would appear crucial to acknowledge the scale, scope and durability of the Hip Hop movement which, despite having its own forms of expression (rap, break dance, graff), refers to shared values and attitudes (tolerance, being positive, etc).

Many groups from peripheral areas demonstrate the vitality of the movement and the great potential which it represents for young people from the suburbs:

In addition to this new form of popular cultural movement, projects are being developed in a number of European cities:

This wide range of projects matches the diversity of needs, and there are always more needs than there are projects and programmes enabling the inhabitants of the suburbs of cities to act for themselves rather than merely being spectators in the cultural and social life of their neighbourhoods.

It is in the interest of local and regional authorities to encourage such projects and, by means of a bidding procedure, to choose between the various projects that are likely to promote integration into the urban structures of Europe.

3. Appropriate language learning policies

Learning the language of the host country is essential for integration. However, experts agree (see the hearing of 16 October 2003) that encouragement should also be given to the younger generation to learn and master of the language of origin of their parents. There is no contradiction between mastery of the mother tongue and of the language of the host country.

Access to the language which provides a link with the origins of the younger generation of migrants, and to that of their present-day lives, is a tool for the development of the personality and the construction of an identity that should not be neglected. Moreover, the children of migrants who maintain strong links with transnational social communities and know the language of origin of their parents seem to be more motivated to integrate into their new environment and to have a greater likelihood of success in education.

In this field, voluntary associations such as “Banlieues d’Europe” actively support the creation of “languages centres”, which should be set up in European peripheral areas to provide teaching in both the language of the host country and the languages of the countries of origin.
However, it is necessary to go further. These “languages centres” should also encourage the population to learn other languages such as English, thereby becoming genuine focal points for cultural activities, with writing workshops and events showing off the cultures of countries of origin: centres of intercultural dialogue.

This type of exchange increases knowledge of the Other – the Other living on the same landing, in the same block, in the same neighbourhood. Interest needs to be encouraged in the culture and origins of the Other, so as to promote dialogue and mutual understanding.

4. Improving the image of peripheral areas of cities

Measures are needed to reduce economic insecurity and to improve social and cultural conditions in peripheral areas. But it is vital to combine these with measures aimed at improving the image of these social groups, particularly in the media. Suburbs frequently suffer from a poor image, even in the eyes of those who live there, and this image is amplified by the delinquent behaviour of a minority of young people that is given wide coverage by the media. In order both to help the young people concerned, and to improve the overall image of suburbs, it is essential to put in place preventative policies to combat delinquency and to make every effort to change the negative perception of peripheral areas.

Local and regional authorities should not confine themselves to policies aimed at improving the economic well-being of the populations in question, in the belief that this will automatically lead to cultural progress. Economic, social and cultural policies should go hand in hand with intensive communication via the mass media.

Specific local conditions need to be taken into consideration in order to “de-ghettoise” these populations since the terms “suburbs” and/or “peripheral areas” themselves are perceived and understood very differently in each city or region. Looking at how each population defines these groups, and what its relations are with them, is therefore essential if we are to appreciate why there is this negative perception and to combat it. The picture varies, but the two most relevant notions are:

It is right to mistrust clichés that dismiss an entire population by accusing it of intrinsic delinquent behaviour. We should in fact try systematically to avoid linking economic difficulties and delinquency, and to extend this association of ideas to all those living in peripheral areas. The more a neighbourhood is stigmatised, the harder it is to make contact with those who live there, and in particular to work with young people, and the harder it is for them to see any future for themselves.

There are many projects of different sizes which aim not so much at urban image promotion through public relations exercises as at encouraging wide-ranging cultural events that will indirectly but enduringly change the image of a neighbourhood. Examples are:

On a quite different level: the Soup Festival in Lille organised by the “Attacafa” Association which offers tastings of hundreds of soups from countries throughout the world; or Manchester, where the people who created a mosaic during the construction of a new cultural centre transformed the image of Britain’s poorest districts.

5. Recognising the culture(s) of migrants

Recognising the culture of migrants by doing such things as opening cultural centres (museums, etc) in peripheral areas and mounting projects designed by all those living and working in a suburb would seem suitable ways of combating negative views, which are often deeply held. Projects involving the entire population of a city, including those living in the suburbs, may provide an effective means of changing the image.

“Culture”, like sport, is one of the tools that can overcome the poor image of the suburbs and turn it from hostility and alienation into that of somewhere where “culture is shared”. Culture therefore seems to be one of the only fields sufficiently universal to allow artists to be recognised regardless of their colour and nationality. The levers of culture and sport can be exploited by schools in particular, which can encourage access to culture by arranging free sporting, scientific and cultural events.

Many projects carried out in the United Kingdom and Germany demonstrate that cultural activities of this kind can revitalise peripheral areas and provide a solution to both spatial and social exclusion, and can help to reduce crime while improving people’s level of education and employment prospects. Culture is also a good way of enhancing civic pride, involving young people in the life of the community and encouraging a feeling of local belonging.

Appropriate local and regional cultural and sports policies can also allow young people to express, strengthen and even redefine their identities by drawing on more than one culture, thereby helping to create an identity for their own neighbourhoods based on a mosaic of cultures rather than a uniform homogeneity.

6. Complementary and co-ordinated local and regional policies

Cultural activities that have no connection with other fields will be ineffective. Instead, it would appear essential to establish links between cultural activities and other aspects of economic and social life. If policies are not restricted to cultural and artistic questions, but are also co-ordinated with considerations of equity, participation, employment and quality of life, they will be more effective. Such policies will only be possible if they are given strong political support. Their impact will be greater if there is collaboration both at national and at local and regional level. It is important that local and regional authorities are involved in funding and organising these activities, by opening libraries, schools, museums and cinemas.

7. Cities and regions need to manage their “cultural mosaics”

European cities/regions have become multilingual and multicultural. Populations are no longer homogeneous linguistically and culturally. Local and regional politicians are the first to confront these changes and have to find solutions so that our societies can cope with these developments as well as possible, especially in the suburbs.

Recent demographic changes in peripheral areas have required local politicians to redefine a way of “living together” which is compatible and acceptable to the different communities. This is very much a live issue, since all cities in Europe are becoming “cultural mosaics” made up of very diverse populations.
Cultural diversity should not be regarded as a threat but as an opportunity, a boon, a source of both economic and social and human enrichment. Establishing a dialogue between the different social groups may lead to better understanding and tolerance. This implies a long process of communication and coexistence between different cultures. It is vital to reintegrate the periphery into European cities, for the suburbs are frequently perceived in a negative light.

The linguistic and cultural diversity of the population is a considerable source of communication and enrichment for a city, region or country. European cities and regions must adopt balanced strategies to deal with the plurilingualism and cultural plurality of the suburbs, and must try to dispel the negativity which still too often predominates

Greater recognition must be given to the cultures of migrants in accordance with the principles known as multiculturalism, which means treating the suburb in question as a coherent whole, and interculturalism, which takes into account its relationship with other cultures.

One is no good without the other, because a peripheral suburb is made up of a number of cultures that are constantly interacting. Encouraging the culture of migrants only makes sense if a range of actions are taken to support the cultures in the neighbourhood. Otherwise, the danger of rejection and xenophobia can only grow. In this field, very many projects promote intercultural dialogue:

These are examples of a wide range of approaches, each of which is unique to the population concerned.

Conclusion:

These examples, chosen by the expert Mr Jean Hurstel, President of Banlieues d’Europe, illustrate and demonstrate both dynamism and awareness that culture is an excellent way of allowing local politicians to get to grips with this difficult issue.
A local and regional policy using the cultural lever can make it possible to revitalise areas (by refurbishing the housing stock, creating more green spaces and local centres for cultural events, etc) and hence to create new types of social relationship which can serve as a springboard for the future of suburbs with a potential that is often misused of completely ignored.
Developing the cultural identity of an area is a major step towards an identity for the inhabitants of peripheral suburbs who lack direction.

Activities such as writing workshops are important ingredients in helping inhabitants to reacquire means of expression and communication that have fallen into disuse in areas where access to knowledge seems to have become a luxury.

I shall end my report on this complex and fascinating subject with some recommendations and resolutions. However, we must go beyond these and all become actively involved in what I should prefer to describe as a process, so that we seize the opportunity offered us by the cultural dimension of overcoming divisions that are unworthy of a 21st century Europe.

“A suburb is not only a built-up area but a symbolic and imaginary string of islands to which culture can restore strength and dignity.”

ANNEXE TO THE REPORT “CULTURAL IDENTITY ISSUES IN PERIPHERAL URBAN AREAS – ROLE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITES”

SOME EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

Les ateliers de la Banane, Brussels, Belgium

Description of the area: plastic arts and writing workshops are led by Marriska Forrest, sculptress, and Karine Wattiaux, educational counsellor for the association Lire et Ecrire in Brussels, who decided deliberately to involve a mixture of people in the workshops. The group varies in size as some people leave and others join, although all are very attached to the project. “When the project began, our aims were completely utopian: to reconcile artistic practice and citizenship. Today, four years later, the leaders and the participants take decisions by common consent and are working together to create and distribute a documentary film and illustrated books. What was once utopian takes concrete shape every Wednesday evening, it is happening, and this is no accident.”

The methods used to achieve these aims are worked out as the activity progresses. A number of safeguards have been put in place for this practice: mixing groups without regard to status or skills, or more explicitly, mixing the literate and the illiterate; learning collectively through practice, discussion and decision-making; developing a project step by step and showing what we produce outside; keeping a record of the work so as to draw shared lessons and to pass these on to others.

Each workshop is of limited duration but may lead to a follow-up if participants are determined to devise a new project. This is decided when the participants and leaders sit down together to sum up what has been achieved: “At these summing up sessions or evaluations, we list achievements, shortcomings and wishes. These times when we are all round the table to share our opinions, satisfactions and thoughts, are very fruitful. It is at these meetings and in the ensuing discussions that each member and the group as a whole declare what they have learnt and how they have changed, take ownership of the project and express a view on possible follow-up. For the leaders, this implies some flexibility. If the decision is made to continue, we also have to state our view, redistribute our roles, look for other leaders, and above all take the time to define and structure the shared follow-up to the work.”

Collectif Alpha, Brussels (Belgium)

Photo-writing workshops have been held since 1996 within various literacy groups of Collectif Alpha. The aims of these workshops are: to teach basic photographic techniques (taking shots and black and white processing); to learn to look differently at one’s surroundings; to facilitate the emergence of writing through its relation to photographic production; to analyse images; and to create opportunities to show work outside the association.
The workshops began in the St Gilles district, and were then expanded to the other 19 communes in Brussels, as well as to different populations, uniquely even to deaf and hearing participants working on a bilingual book.

Photography speaks to participants straight away, liberating their imagination without being obstructed by the need for decoding, as in the case of the written word, and it stimulates their imagination and their desire to write. To quote one of our participants, “you can’t understand a page full of words and you throw it away, but a photo talks to you direct and you understand it at once”. Photography also opens the way to the world of the arts, and it is a means of expression that is familiar even to people with no school education.
A specific example: Pinocchio Workshop linking two cultures
Context: Photo-writing workshops have been held at the Saint-Gilles Collectif Alpha for nearly six years and are open to all student participants, who form a group of ten or so trainee photographers who set out on an adventure that will take a whole year. The workshops are co-led by a literacy trainer and a support photographer (Jean Przyklek).

These experiments with photography have resulted in a number of exhibitions and publications, Le chemin de la Lettre (The road to reading) and Paroles de jardins (Garden sayings), to mention just two.

The last workshop which resulted in a publication, “Les aventures de Pinocchio dans Bruxelles” (Pinocchio’s adventures in Brussels), is in fact the outcome of a unique experiment mixing two very different populations: deaf and hearing literacy participants.

This workshop activity made it possible to tackle a new type of photography: stage performance. The “Pinocchio” puppet was the cue for meetings with people who were more than willing to enter into the spirit of performance.

The choice was made to combine deaf and hearing participants throughout the workshop, which created an opportunity to communicate basic ideas in sign language, and let hearing participants (and trainers) learn a new language.

Once the texts and photographs were selected and the story was put together, a deaf graphic artist was asked to record the signed version. The result was a book bringing together photography, written French and sign language, “Les aventures de Pinocchio dans Bruxelles”.

The principles applied to cultural development work are: interweaving grassroots activities with capitalisation of what is learnt, involving artists (who give the projects a purpose), developing partnerships around objectives, becoming more open to and aware of the city and life; and acknowledging the value of each activity. It is important that every operation should be recorded (this may take very different forms: photographic records, publications, CDs, films, meeting reports, summaries and evaluations, and press folders).

By adopting a transversal approach, experimentation and long-term action can be combined, not in a specific activity but through continual suggestions.

City of Reims – Cultural Development Department
(Examples of partnerships)

Selected cultural development activities:

Rap writing workshop (partners: municipal library, Wilson and Césaré Social Centre, musical creativity studio)
Principle: rap writing workshop with a writer-composer leading to the production of a CD containing ten or so titles, and concerts.
Public: young people from various disadvantaged districts

Autour du paysage (Around landscape) (involving the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Orgeval Social Centre)
Principle: exploration of the museum, followed by reappropriation in an artist-led workshop to create paintings
Public: women in a literacy workshop

Musique en Z.E.P. (involving the Conservatoire National de Région de Musique et de Danse (CNR) and the Orgeval Priority Education Zone (ZEP)
Principle: introduction to music for all pupils in upper primary and lower secondary education in the ZEP by teachers from the Conservatoire leading to 70 volunteer pupils learning to play an instrument
Public: pupils in elementary classes, some of whom will eventually learn an instrument outside school time

The project “Autour du paysage”, held at the Musée St Rémy, grew out of a suggestion by the sculptor Thierry Pertuisot that he should run a workshop on landscape. Since the museum has a large collection of landscapes, a workshop was then arranged, in partnership with MJC, and offered to a group of women on a literacy course in the Orgeval district. The work produced during these sessions was then shown at the museum.

ROYSTON ROAD PROJECT (Glasgow, United Kingdom)

The project arose out of the proposal to demolish the church cross situated in Roystonhill.

The area of Glasgow in question is the poorest in the city, in the extreme east. Thanks to the actions of a major Scottish sculptor, George Wilie, the City granted the people a delay to let them discuss solutions that would allow the cross to be preserved or restored. The idea that emerged was to create a park for the community right underneath the cross, and to find funding for the entire project.

Fablevision, a community arts organisation, became involved in the project at once. A nearby community, Blackhill and Provanmill, was contacted since it had itself built a park in a poor area with development prospects. Funding was obtained from the European Commission, the Scottish Arts Council and the National Lottery. The idea was to build two parks for the community, involving the population in the design and construction. The two projects focused on social regeneration. The programme involved both artists and local groups, schools and groups of young people in the opening ceremonies for the parks. A number of activities were carried out to gain the trust of the population, such as sending postcards to 10,000 households every two months to keep them informed of how the project was progressing. Through an artists-in-residence scheme, more and more people became involved.

The artists-in-residence scheme included:

Local people were convinced that the artists-in-residence scheme should not only create works for the park, but should above all involve everyone in the creative process. The artists were therefore fully informed of this objective.

The opening ceremonies for the park were a popular success, and the results were acclaimed through national Design Awards. But the press gave inadequate coverage to this positive project in a Glasgow suburb, and still focused on stories of misery in the area. The budget for the project was GBP 1.7 million, with another GBP 350,000 for restoration of the cross.

For the future, the Royston Road project is looking for opportunities to develop local community initiatives. We would like to create links with other communities. It should be stressed that work with groups in considerable difficulty demands a lot of time and long-term investment. We strongly believe that creativity and the arts-culture dimension must be at the heart of the process.

PARADA, Bucharest, Romania

PARADA is an independent Romanian foundation which uses art as a means of educating and resocialising street children in Bucharest. A young French clown, Miloud Oukili, came across these abandoned children, who were either orphans or runaways, and never left them again. He developed a programme to introduce and teach circus arts. “While using art as an educational method, Parada aims to develop children’s creative capacity so that they become accustomed always to dealing peaceably with the other members of society. When Parada was set up, the aim was to give these children the will to live and to integrate them into society so that they could look to the future with confidence. The goal of Parada is that they should decide to go back to school, to their families, or to institutions that provide ordinary education and respect their rights,” explains Miloud Oukili.