Multicultural Britain.

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Multicultural Britain.
A report by Student X
Based on visits to Brick Lane, Brixton and China
Town all of which are in London, England.
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On the 8th of July 2008, the Who Do We Think We
Are? group consisting of Harry, Shannon, Ryan,
Danny, Miss. Rahman, Mr. Roberts and myself, went
on our first outing to the city of London to
explore Multiculturalism for Enterprise Week.
China Town was the first destination for our
group. We left in the morning, took the train
from West Wickham station, entered London and
made the rest of the journey by foot. When I
first arrived in China Town I immediately
realised the differences compared to Bromley in
terms of the buildings, shops and the general
skin colour of the people, that being the obvious
due to the name China Town. One of the first
things we did in China Town was walk about and
took photographs of the surroundings, absorbing
the cultural atmosphere. But before we went to
China Town we roamed first and visited The
National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, also taking
photographs of tourist sites such as Nelsons
Column, which made me realise that even though
this country is Britain, that British culture is
influenced by other cultures of the world. After
experiencing a small dose of Chinese culture it
was only natural to eat in a Chinese restaurant
in China town. Which was a great success. My
first theory is that Britain has always had
multiculturalism through out its history at some
point. Perhaps more subliminal in the past but
now openly due to it being the biggest haven for
multiculturalism in Europe - giving the country a
healthy reputation.
Who Do We Think We Are? China Town Report.
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Map location China Town
China Town
NelsonsColumn
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China.
Most China Towns buildings are decorated in
the colours of gold and red, the reason being is
that the Chinese believes that these two colours
are powerful and have important meaning referring
to their culture. China is also a divided land
with the Peoples Republic of China, being
recognised as the official mainland by the EU
from the Republic of China. The republics
capital being Tapi and peoples republic being
Beijing.
Chinese Population.

• China Town is stationed in West London with a
  concentrated amount of people of the same culture
  and ethnicity. China is a vast country, which has
  many extreme environments and is an economical
  super power in this day and age. China has a
  population size of over a billion, making the
  country of china having the most amount of people
  on this Earth.

Chinese and EU Politician Peter Mendelson at
international conference.
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Whilst In China Town.
A gigantic mass of people in the centre of
Londons China Town, a highly commercial and
popular district.
The Who Do We Think We Are Enterprise group,
marvelling at Chinese food products in front
window display. This showcasing a fraction of
Chinese culture.
From left to right Ryan, Shannon and Danny
enjoying Chinese cuisine whilst in south west
Londons China Town.
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Who Do We Think We Are? Brick Lane Report.

• On the 9th of July the Who Do We Think We Are?
  group went on the second outing to Bangladeshi
  Brick Lane, in east London to explore this time
  Bangladeshi culture and to compare their way of
  life to ours living in Bromley. We left school in
  the morning and arrived in east London some time
  in the early afternoon. As soon as we got there I
  immediately noticed how different it was to
  Bromley and South London in general once again. I
  found when walking through East London just how
  multicultural it was with a large Asian community
  and other nationalities and races strutting
  around, which I thought was fantastic because
  people often say that integration doesnt work
  but when seeing a Jewish synagogue next door
  neighbours with an Islamic Mosque it proves that
  view is totally wrong and shows the power of
  integration and multiculturalism. When we final
  reached brick lane after the agonising wet walk,
  we roamed into a hand full of Bangladeshi shops
  and one retro fashion art shop placed in Brick
  Lanes art scene which I first discovered and
  thought was brilliant (as an art head). Shortly
  after this we went back to the main part of the
  area, where the well known curry houses are, and
  had a Brick Lane Indian meal which lived up to
  its reputation. When we were in the Indian
  restaurant we interviewed a waiter and asked him
  a question, on the Dictaphone upon
  multiculturalism and coming to this country as a
  foreigner and knowing there is such a place like
  London, with a multiracial environment which I
  believe when applying, he summed up perfectly
  with his statement from the Bangladeshi
  perspective.

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Map location Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Spitalfields market and the area around it has
loads of art, fashion, food, second hand books etc
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Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a country in south east Asia, which
was officially formed in 1971 previously part of
its neighbouring country Pakistan and is boarded
by the super power that is raising India to new
international levels of importance.
The general national faith of Bangladesh is
Islam, making the majority of people of the land
practising Muslims.
The country of Bangladeshs political policies is
a free democracy allowing the people of the land
to decide outcome of their new political leader (
prime minster) and the future of their country.

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Whist in East Londons Bangladeshi Brick Lane.
The who do we think we are group in brick lane on
a another British wet and rainy day.
This is an amazing concept I and the group
witnessed whilst in East London, an Islamic
mosque and its neighbour being a Jewish
synagogue this showcasing the vast scale of
multiculturalism in the united kingdom.
Indian writing in the back streets of Brick
lane. This also being just another example of
integrated Britain.
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The Who do we think we are? South London Brixton
report.

• The Who Do We Think We Are Group? Went on our
  final outing to Brixton held on the 10th of July
  to experience black but mainly West Indian
  culture. When we first arrived in Brixton I
  automatically felt a sense of security and well
  being, due not just seeing many black people but
  a total mix of races. As soon we were in Brixton
  the group walked around the market and smelt, saw
  and heard strange new things that I my self have
  not witnessed before. Brixton Market really
  opened my eyes as a black person because I saw
  how it was not just a Caribbean black setting but
  also a South American, Portuguese and western
  African nationalities also there, stationed in
  Brixton. The two most bizarre spectacles I and
  the group came across in Brixton market were
  giant snails in a Ghanaian shop and an Asian male
  practicing Tia Chi, whilst reggae music was in
  the background opposite a Rastafarian restaurant.
  We also interviewed two West Indian men asking
  them questions along the lines of how can you
  compare the West Indies to Multicultural London.
  The final part of the trip was to taste West
  Indian Caribbean food which I think went down
  well as I could see from my peers faces. The
  final outing to Brixton was my own personal
  favourite compared to the two we had at Brick
  Lane and China Town, for this enterprise week.
  Due to myself coming from black Caribbean descent
  and seeing so many black people and others
  because of where I live in Kent, so as you can
  imagine it brings great pleasure to me to get
  back to my culture once again. What made me
  realise that this place London where we live can
  be one extreme to another with some places having
  high percentages of black or white and other
  nationalities, such as multicultural Brixton with
  a diverse mixture of religions, cultures, races
  and nationalities and therefore being the
  definition of multiculturalism it self.

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Caribbean/ West African/ Latin Afro American,
culture.
This is the continent all people of African
ancestry originate from. The people of western
Africa where separated through the process
slavery which occurred 400 years ago and was
officially abolished at turn of the early 20th
century. People of this land where sent to be
slaves in the America's such as the Caribbean,
South America and North America.
Africa is a the 2nd largest continent rich in
natural resources such as gold, diamonds and
natural minerals. It also has many extreme
environments such as rain forests, vast
ecosystems( Jungles) and in the north of the
continent (Saharan Africa) deserts. Making the
continent versatile to many creatures, customs
and cultures.
Variation of African landscapes.
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Britain and Black Culture.
In 1948 the first arrivals of mass black
immigration, sailed from the west Indies to the
Empire mother land Britain in search of better
standard of living on a voyage named Windrush.
Soon after the arrival of black Caribbean's,
western Africans followed in the same fashion
arriving in the masses during the late 1960s and
1970s.
Empire Windrush.
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Black/British influence in the UK.
After becoming tolerated by indigenously white
Britain, black people established them selfs and
culture upon the cities they were sent to work
e.g. south London Brixton. The destination having
a thriving market and is popular place to
explore, showcasing British black culture.
Brixton Market.
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Map Location Brixton
Brixton market
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Whilst In Brixton, South London.
The group and i when entering south London,
Brixton a multicultural Haven. Brixton is a large
inner city area which has a large Caribbean and
Western African community.
The who do we think we are? Group poising for a
photo whilst exploring Brixton market.
Brixton has a thriving market and this stall is
only one out of many.
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Conclusion.

• The purpose of this week for the Who Do We Think
  We Are? Group was to explore multiculturalism and
  how it has an effect on our own personal
  identity, deciding who we think we are now and
  what we will become in our futures. From this
  experience of multiculturalism I have discovered
  that the system can work and perhaps from the
  beginning when it all began in the late 1940s
  with the arrival of the Afro Caribbeans to the
  present with the new swipe of polish immigrants.
  Who are them self as those before them getting
  victimisation because they are here in Britain
  which in a sense is apart of the process in
  getting status and becoming accepted. People will
  always get threatened of a dramatic change in the
  system and therefore the obvious is that conflict
  and tragedy will occur.
• But multiculturalism can work and does bring
  people together. For example, when we were on our
  way to Brick Lane we came across an Islamic
  mosque next to a Jewish synagogue. The two being
  literally next door to each other which I believe
  shows the endless limits that integration and
  multiculturalism can reach, proving that old
  enemies can come together and live side by side.