Arts & Culture
Cultural Renaissance
Today, it is a pleasure to experience a Black Arts and Cultural renaissance in the UK. Black British artists, writers, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, and on-stage and screen talent are gaining international acclaim. Their success challenges traditional mainstream perceptions and celebrates the Black British experience.
This renaissance reminds me of another era, nearly 45 years ago, when, as the Ethnic Arts Officer and later as the Head of the Race Equality Unit (1982-1986) at the Greater London Council (GLC), we provided funding and resources to support Black and Ethnic Minority Arts. We advocated for their inclusion and recognition in the mainstream. This period helped shape a vibrant and diverse arts scene and gave rise to many of the leading Black and Asian artists of our present generation.
History & Politics
The 1980s marked a particular conjuncture of social, cultural, political and economic events in the UK. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government was elected. The 1981 riots, or uprisings, erupted in over 30 cities across England. The ensuing Scarman Report highlighted the marginalisation of the UK’s Black and ethnic minorities.
The election of Ken Livingston as a leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) in April 1980, the establishment of the Ethnic Minorities Unit, led by Herman Ousley, in 1981, and my appointment as the Ethnic Arts Officer with a budget to fund Black and Ethnic Minority Arts in London in July 1982 were pivotal. Other significant events included the launch of Channel Four with its commitment to minority programming, the establishment of the Labour Party Black Sections, and the election of five Black and Asian MPs in 1987.
The decade of the 1980s saw the emergence of a Black political identity, with people from the Indian sub-continent, the African continent, and the Caribbean uniting to fight racism in Britain. We were Black British. The Black political arts movement was driven by our passion for addressing issues of racism, inequality, identity, representation, and social justice. This period represents a significant chapter in my career which I want to reflect on through stories from that pivotal moment.
BLACK & ASIAN CREATIVITY IN 1980s BRITAIN
The transformative power of art as a catalyst for social change ignited my passion. This led me to dedicate the first decade of my professional career, from 1979 to 1986, to empowering Black and Asian creativity in the UK. This was not just a job for me; it was a personal mission to leave a lasting legacy on the UK’s cultural landscape.
During my tenure as the Ethnic Arts Officer and later as the Head of the Race Equality Unit at the GLC (1982-1986), I spearheaded several initiatives to support Black and Ethnic Minority arts in London. This included providing funding and grants, organising cultural festivals and events, creating training and professional development programmes, and advocating for the inclusion and representation of Black and ethnic minority artists in mainstream arts institutions.
Throughout this period, established artists like Gavin Jantis, Anton Phillips, Yvonne Brewster, Jatinder Verma, Wilf Walker, Imruh Caesar and the late Menelik Shabaz, Balraj Khanna, Aubrey Williams, and Horace Ove consolidated their creativity to impact the mainstream. With funding and resources, this period also saw the emergence of many current Black and Asian artists like John Akomfrah, Isaac Julien, Chila Burman, Courtney Pines, David A. Bailey, and Keith Piper. We would not have many of the leading lights of today’s arts scene if they had not been funded and nurtured by the Greater London Council’s ethnic arts programme from 1982 to 1986. The success of these contemporary Black British artists is a testament to those efforts’ enduring impact as they continue to push boundaries and challenge perceptions in the art world.
This era was also marked by a celebration of creativity through Black arts initiatives designed to place Black and Asian artists at the forefront in mainstream venues, promote critical debate around politics and art, and push the boundaries of representation. Among the black arts initiatives I conceived and implemented during this period were Third Eye, London’s Festival of Third World Cinema, The Anti-Racists Mural Projects, Black Theatre Season, The Anti-Racist Arts Programme, The Business of Black Music, Paul Robeson Exhibition and the Black Experience Arts Programme.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Some historical moments have a significant impact at the time but are then forgotten – until they become relevant again. Today, when the arts are being threatened and defunded like never before, the GLC’s achievements have never been more relevant. So, what can we learn from how the GLC’s Black and Ethnic Arts programme was conceived, planned and organised?
Forty years later, I have finally opened my GLC archive boxes, which contain detailed accounts of the Black and Asian artists who were funded and nurtured through the GLC Ethnic Arts Programme, the Black arts initiatives I conceived and executed, and the race equality policies I developed for mainstreaming Black and Ethnic arts & cultural practices. As I write an account of my role in the Black political arts moment, I hope this will also answer the question the late Professor Stuart Hall asked me in 2011:
So, when will you write about the GLC moment when Black and Asian artists came together? What was it about the moment that enabled Black and Asian creativity to thrive in the period?
My journey to the GLC began with the Minority Arts Advisory Service (MAAS). I was sent to the West Midlands to map the ‘ethnic arts’. I then moved to the Commonwealth Institute, where I was appointed to programme Black and ethnic arts in its theatre and gallery. The programmes included the first Black American Independent Film Festival and the presentation of a major exhibition of the renowned painter Aubrey Williams. These experiences enriched my understanding of the arts and fuelled my passion to empower Black and Asian creativity in the UK.
I hope these stories and insights from inside the GLC will inform, educate, and ignite curiosity and anticipation in the next generation of Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority arts and cultural practitioners in the UK and worldwide.
