Arts Council England
Inclusion, involvement and investment: Bangladeshi
heritage communities and the arts in the North West
of England
Prepared by Radhia Tarafder on behalf of Sonali Network
Commissioned by Arts Council England, North West
Contents
Authors’ note: definition of Bengalis/Bangladeshis
3
Foreword and acknowledgements
Executive summary
4
6
1
Introduction and background
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Aims and objectives
1.3 Policy context
1.4 The cultural heritage of Bangladesh
1.5 The Bangladeshi population in the
North West of England
10
11
12
13
17
2
Research methodology
2.1 Research methods used
2.2 Sampling and response rate
22
22
23
3
Findings and analysis
3.1 Organisational profiling
3.2 Bangladeshi artists
3.3 Community involvement
3.4 Barriers to participation
3.5 Communication
3.6 Women’s arts participation
24
37
38
55
68
72
4
Conclusions
73
5
Suggestions
5.1 Suggestions for organisations
5.2 Suggestions for community collaboration
5.3 Suggestions for marketing and publicity
5.4 Suggestions to Arts Council England and
local authorities and other funding bodies
Appendix I
Sonali Network
Notes and references
78
79
80
80
81
82
2
Authors’ note: definitions

Bangla is the language of Bangladesh

Sylheti is a dialect of the Sylhet region of Bangladesh

Bangladeshi indicates a person or a community from Bangladesh

First generation indicates members of the community who arrived in the UK as
adults

Bengali indicates a person or a community from India’s Bengal eg: Calcutta, and
also refers to the culture of Bengal which before the partition from India included
the region which is now known as Bangladesh

The Bangladeshi community, though not a homogenous group, means British
Bangladeshis including those who were not born in Britain as well as subsequent
generations and those who are citizens through marriage

Safe space is the opportunity to discuss issues of concern openly and honestly. A
non judgemental environment, where people can share, listen and be listened to
without fear

Arts, as defined by Arts Council England, include visual arts, crafts, literature,
public art, photography, new media, music, theatre, dance, festivals

Islamic art defined as artforms of geometry, pattern, symmetry as in tiling and
textiles, water and light through architecture and word through calligraphy and in
reviving, developing and promoting the civilised, rational, tolerant spirit of the early
Islamic intellectual tradition which retreated towards the end of the 14th Century
3
Foreword and acknowledgements
I am pleased to present the report Inclusion, involvement and investment: Bangladeshi
heritage communities and the arts in the North West of England, which has been
researched and produced on behalf of Sonali Network by Radhia Tarafder and funded by
Arts Council England, North West.
We can be proud of producing this report and undertaking such a big task. This was a
community level study undertaken to find out the reasons for the lack of engagement in
arts and the lack of engagement with the Arts Council by the Bangladeshi community in
the England’s North West.
There are some interesting results emerging form the study and I am sure you will find the
report very thought provoking and practical. Clearly the work does not stop upon the
completion of this study. The next step will be to road test some of the recommendations
and review working practices at all levels. I hope you will use this as a practical working
document, which will inform service delivery as well as developing appropriate and
culturally sensitive service and programme delivery for the people who matter - the
community.
I would like to thank:
Paulette Clunie from Arts Council England, North West for her encouragement, support
and assistance during the whole period of the project, which included early discussions,
advice on setting up the steering group, providing Arts Council England literature,
chairing the steering group and a lot of moral support.
Sheena Macfarlane for agreeing to be part of the steering group and providing valuable
insight during the questionnaire design and initial responses as well as being a committed
member of the steering group.
Dobir Miah for his enthusiasm, community knowledge of Rochdale and for setting up the
male focus group in Rochdale.
Sazzadur Rahman for providing us with a lot of support and background to issues around
the arts and the lack of involvement of the Bangladeshi community as well being a keen
member of the steering group.
Shelina Begum for agreeing to become a steering group member and setting up and
assisting with a number of the female focus groups in Tameside, Rochdale and Oldham.
Murad Choudhury and Shelina Begum for undertaking interviews with the Bangladeshi
organisations.
4
Jane Foody, research officer, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, and Abigail
Gilmore, research officer, Arts Council England, North West for providing valuable
feedback on the draft report.
Murad Choudhury for providing the photographs, members of Sonali Network for their
support and Radhia Tarafder for conducting the project from start to finish.
Thanks also to all the organisations and arts officers who gave their time and shared their
insight and experiences, without which this study would not have been possible.
Finally I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment to the
success of this study.
Muzahid Khan
5
Executive summary
Introduction and background
The artistic and cultural heritage of Bangladesh and its fusion with British artforms is a
central facet of today’s multicultural society. The active encouragement and participation
of all groups in this rich heritage is a clear requirement of Arts Council England’s policy as
well as central government’s community cohesion agenda.
Despite the rich cultural heritage of Bangladesh in terms of music and theatre, as well as
visual arts and textiles, little of this diffuses through to the British cultural scene.
Outside London, the North West and Oldham in particular has a sizeable Bangaldeshi
heritage population. This group is however one of the most statistically deprived in the
region, with high levels of unemployment, poor housing and mixed performance in
education.
The aims of this research were to:
 Identify the types of cultural activities taking place in the North West
 Identify local Bangladeshi heritage artists
 Identify the role of community and arts organisations in providing cultural activities
 Assess the extent of participation in arts and cultural activities by the Bangladeshi
heritage population
 Outline the barriers to participation
Methodology
A questionnaire, semi structured interviews and focus groups were used. The
researcher’s familiarity with the local community and ability to converse in Bangla aided
the research process. The approach was community based action research and the
researchers were able to involve the participants in the process.
A total of 26 organisations were surveyed and five focus groups were run. The
organisations were based in the North West and the focus groups were carried out with
men and women in Tameside, Oldham and Rochdale.
Key findings
Organisational profile and relations
The organisations interviewed covered a range of social and cultural services and
included those with membership of none to over 5,000. They also varied in terms of their
length of establishment, charitable status, funding stability and relationship to arts and
cultural activities.
Arts and cultural activities were often seen as peripheral to the main work of most of the
organisations, given the pressing social issues of the Bangladeshi community. However,
there was an expectation from the community that these organisations would provide
6
cultural events.
Only two of the organisations had arts as their main focus, but even these were directed
towards community development activities.
Organisations lack the capacity to engage effectively in arts and cultural activities and,
where events take place, these are often at the expense of already overstretched staff
and volunteers.
There is little to no strategic planning for recurrent cultural events such as Bangladeshi
national celebrations.
Despite the shortcomings these organisations do provide artistic events and activities for
the groups they serve and these are quite wide ranging, including poetry, music, fashion
and theatre.
There was a good awareness of Arts Council England among the organisations, however
only a quarter had secured any sort of funding from it.
There was much less awareness of local authorities as providers of grants for arts. Even
though over a quarter of organisations had secured funding from the local authority for
cultural activities, most other organisations were unaware that such a facility existed.
Community participation and involvement
There was a mixed range of responses about the demand for arts. Organisations felt that
they were under pressure to deliver on cultural activities. However, older men from the
focus groups felt not enough activity was taking place in their area. Younger men and
women felt excluded from the focus on Bangladeshi heritage, whereas they felt more
responsive to Islamic arts and culture especially young women.
The most popular events in terms of attendance were Bangladeshi national day
celebrations, such as Independence Day and Martyrs Day. This reflects the male bias in
our sample. Tt was not seen as appropriate for the women in our focus groups to attend
these events and they felt that there was not enough family cultural activity in which
women and children could participate.
The most popular Asian arts activity was watching Asian films; film watching was also the
most popular non-Asian activity.
Fashion shows were seen as events where women could attend freely without
disapproval from the wider community.
Asian melas were seen as family friendly, but often did not sufficiently cater for the
Bangladeshi heritage population.
Specific events for a Bangladeshi or Asian audience were valued if the participants could
7
relate to the subject material, if local artists were involved or they heard good reviews by
word of mouth.
Where specific events had targeted the Bangladeshi or Asian community we found that
potential audiences were still unaware of these events.
Barriers to participation
The two main barriers were, in order, 'not enough time' and 'prefer to spend leisure time in
other ways'. The problem of artform and of not feeling comfortable in an arts venue were
seen as the least barriers to participation.
For women there were additional barriers of family approval for participation and of finding
childcare to allow them to attend events.
The lack of availability of appropriate artforms was also seen as one of major barriers to
participation, particularly for women.
Publicity
Word of mouth still remains the most popular means of communication within the
Bangladeshi heritage community. However, this has led to audiences often being
restrictively male and of a certain generation.
Other means of communication such as flyers in supermarkets, telephone invitations and
advertisements in local free media are also effective and may reach a wider audience.
Organisations that have limited funding find it difficult to effectively market their events
due to lack of resources.
Women and young people
Though this research was generic at the outset, it was found that the issues of
participation and involvement for women and young people need to be tackled separately
as they have specific requirements which have to be addressed.
Recommendations
This report is titled Inclusion, involvement and investment because we recommend that
greater investment is required by the Arts Council and local authorities in initially including
Bangladeshi heritage communities and ultimately involving them in the mainstream of
arts and cultural activities.

Organisations that wish to develop arts and cultural events need capacity building
and this is a role that the Arts Council and regional bodies can take up

Bangladeshi heritage organisations need to be involved in breaking down the
barriers to participation in mainstream arts activities (which is at a woefully low
level)
8

Bangladeshi heritage organisations need a greater involvement of women and
younger people in their decision making bodies, to enable them access to
information about cultural events

The Bangladeshi heritage artists identified need to be networked into lists used for
selection at concerts, multicultural events and Asian melas

Greater liaison between Arts Council England, local authorities and community
organisations is required to target specific audiences. Greater regional
cooperation can link in potential audiences from Bangladeshi heritage groups

A communication strategy which takes into account the best methods of publicity
among the Bangladeshi community needs to be developed by the Arts Council and
local authorities in the North West

Capacity building with Bangladeshi heritage artists in order for them to be able to
engage in community arts work is required

Pilot initiatives aiming to encourage young men and women into the creative
industries will ultimately have an impact on audiences and participation

Informal artistic practices are widely prevalent among the male migrant
Bangladeshis. This area of performance and creativity requires further exploration
and development

More research is needed into the impact that Islamic arts is having on Bangladeshi
heritage communities, in particular the way it can access female and young male
audiences
9
Introduction and background
1.1
Introduction
Bangladeshi culture is celebrated through its various artforms across Britain. It is
perceived that this tradition is diminishing from the first generation to subsequent
generations in England’s North West bringing with it the emergence of different identities.
These cultural identities incorporate cultural influences from Bangladesh, the wider
community in Britain and in particular, the influence of the media.
Sonali Network (Appendix 1) has expressed concerns about the lack of involvement in
the arts (traditionally Bengali or otherwise) of the Bangladeshi community living in the
North West of England, whether as members of an audience, performers, exhibitors or
promoters of artistic activities. This research aims to examine some of the reason for this
lack of participation.
In August 2003 Sonali Network pioneered and facilitated the development of the first ever
festival of diversity in Oldham. During this time, it was clearly evident that the Bangladeshi
community was not engaging in arts and cultural events, art workshops or with arts
organisations. However, social and cultural activities do take place within the community
and are organised through good will or as part of the activities of community organisations
without public subsidy. For example: Peshkar Productions in Oldham had been producing
and promoting work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally for a number of
years, and is now regularly funded by Arts Council England, North West. There is some
evidence of Bangladeshi people participating and attending through Peshkar
Productions. It was also observed that people attend fee paying, community led events
but not mainstream events held in venues such as The Oldham Coliseum. This is
however, a rare example of a successful arts event.
Through anecdotal sources, Arts Council England, North West is aware that a
small number of grant applications are received from the Bangladeshi
community but these on the whole are unsuccessful whereas other Black and
minority ethnic communities have better success in engaging with the arts
funding system. During the Commonwealth games for example, some
organisations submitted unsuccessful applications. To counter this, with the
establishment of the new Arts Council England, community language leaflets
were produced to make specific communities aware of the new funding
programme. Arts Council England is aware it needs to gather evidence to
determine the leaflets’ success.
This report attempts to look into the present patterns of arts participation within
the Bangladeshi community and hopes to identify the main barriers to
participation, as well as to find out which artforms produced for consumption
outside the home, different members of the Bangladeshi community want to
experience. The research findings are placed in the context of general cultural
10
practices of the Bangladeshi community and the cultural tradition of Bangladesh.
A brief introduction to the cultural tradition of Islamic art is also included as this
was identified in the research as being of interest to the respondents.
The report is not attempting to look at informal involvement in arts and culture
such as reading, listening to music and preferences in film and television
viewing. Most people might reasonable prefer to meet some or all of their arts
requirements informally, but the concern here is to focus on formal and informal
public arts occasions, practices and events.
This is a community based study undertaken from a community angle ultimately
for the benefit of the community. Our hope is that it will begin the process of
involving more members of the Bangladeshi community in the arts.
1.2
Aims and objectives
This study aims to explore why there is a lack of Bangladeshi participation and
engagement with traditional and mainstream arts and to look at barriers as well
as support currently available from arts development agencies such as the Arts
Council and local authorities. The barriers experienced (or perceived by the
community) will be explored as well as current patterns of engagement in the
arts.
This report explores a number of issues:

Which arts activities and cultural events are taking place where

The role and status of Bangladeshi artists

Whether members of the Bangladeshi community access theatre,
galleries or museums in their local area and how they hear about events

Whether the Bangladeshi community have participatory experience of
established organisations and events such as Peshkar Productions, Rasa
Production, Chol Theatre, Multi Asian Arts, Milap Festival Trust, The
Circle of Literary Friends, Chaturangang, Shisha, Tara Arts, Moti Roti,
Asian Music Network, Sampad, Lychee Lounge and the Brick Lane
Festival

The underlying factors and barriers preventing individuals from engaging
with the arts as either participants or audiences

Whether community organisations are aware of Arts Council England and
the local authority arts department, their services and the resources
available from them
11
Sonali Network would like to identify solutions for the community’s future
engagement in arts activities and further phases of development would be
needed to facilitate this.
1.3
Policy context
Arts Council England works to contribute to an environment where the arts
reflect the full range and diversity of contemporary society. Their hope is for
everyone to have access to excellent arts activities with the belief that the arts
have the power to transform lives and communities, and to create opportunities
for people throughout the country. (Ambitions into action, 2004)¹ Research
undertaken during the formation of a new council of Arts Council England
showed there was a huge unsatisfied demand for the arts, with people wanting to
attend and take part more in arts activities. (Ambitions for the arts, 2003)²
Arts Council England has made cultural diversity one of its key priorities
committed to delivering their race equality scheme by maximising opportunities
for Black and minority ethnic (BME) artists, audiences and communities. The
Race Equality Scheme builds on the success of the national decibel project. The
decibel programme invested £5 million to raise the profile and sustainability of
Black and Asian arts sectors, and to reach communities on a long term basis.
(The case for the arts, 2004)³
The creative economy is an important part of Britain’s wider economy. Arts
Council England research shows that employment in cultural occupations is
growing at a faster rate than in other types of employment. In 2000, almost
760,000 people worked in the cultural sector in the UK, an increase of more than
15,000 since 1993. (Arts Council England press release, 22 September 2003) 4
The arts are also playing a powerful role in realising the ambitions of those in
health, education, crime reduction, civil renewal, regeneration and other issues
that touch the lives of people throughout the country.
A number of reports have been written around the issues of cohesion. These
emphasise how cultural activities underpin community cohesion. (Ritchie, 2001)
5 and (Cantle, 2001) 6. These reports provide a useful insight into how
institutions could and should engage with different communities and by doing so
support the development of community cohesion. Oldham Beyond was
commissioned by the Oldham Local Strategic Partnership and the Northwest
Regional Development Agency to develop a vision and strategy for the
renaissance of the borough of Oldham. (URBED, 2004) 7 The report sets out a
way forward for Oldham’s regeneration, which encompasses its people and
communities, economy, transport, housing market and physical environment.
This research aims to understand the current situation in light of such reports and
the recommendations made.
Despite all the efforts being made by agencies and organisations the perception
12
that participation in the arts from the Bangladeshi community is comparatively
low still remains. It is generally assumed that the single most important
motivation for engagement is the participants’ interest in the arts. But
underneath this motivation could lie various barriers: perceptual and practical,
prior experience and cultural learning, social interaction and personal
circumstances. But sometimes there is even a greater obstacle - the sense that
the arts are 'not for me’. (New audiences for the arts, 2004) 8.
1.4
The cultural heritage of Bangladesh
The region of Bengal has a multifaceted folk art heritage enriched by its ancient
animist, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic roots. The Bengali culture, with its rich
heritage in art, literature, music, dance, poetry and creative expressions, is
renowned worldwide, as is the film making of Satyajit Ray (Apur Sansar, The
World of Apu and Ghare Baire, the film of Taogore’s The Home and the World).
Folk theatre is common in the villages and usually takes place during harvest
time or at melas (village fairs). The many forms of folk dance and classical dance
present in Bangladesh are largely borrowed from Indian models and are often
frowned upon by some religious leaders. However, folklore is commonplace
among Bangladeshis and serves as the unwritten literature of a people
expressed in tales and songs.
By the word folklore, a folklorist means legends, folktales, proverbs, riddles, folk
verses, folk beliefs, folk superstitions, customs, folk drama, folk song, folk music,
folk dance, ballads, folk cults, folk gods and goddesses, rituals, festivals, magic,
myths, witchcraft, folk art and craft, and variety of forms of artistic expression.
(Gupta, 1967) 9 This oral culture of originally rural and tribal folks or unlettered
city dwellers, binds each and everyone, enriching the daily life of most
Bangladeshis.
Festivals are observed and enjoyed throughout Bangladesh, mainly according to
religious denomination. Approximately 90% of Bangladeshis are Muslim,
according to the Bangladesh 1991 census. Muslim festivals include Eid-al-Fitr
which takes place after Ramadan, Eid-al-Adha after the annual Hajj pilgrimage to
Mecca, Miladunnabi which is the prophet Muhammad’s birthday, and Muharram
particularly for the Shias. Hindus observe Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja
and others. Baradin (Christmas in Bangla) is observed by Christians.
There are some common festivities which are observed countrywide by people,
irrespective of religion. Pahela Baishak, the first day of the Bangla year (14
April), is such a festival. Other national festivals are Victory Day (Bejoy Dibash,
16 December), Martyrs Day (Shaheed Dibash, 21 February) and Independence
Day (Shadinatha Dibash, 26 March).
Bengalis have a rich literary heritage. The earliest available example of Bengali
literature is about a thousand years old. During the mediaeval period, Bengali
13
literature developed considerably with the patronage of Muslim rulers; Chandi
Das, Daulat Kazi and Alaol are some of the famous poets of the period. The era
of modern Bengali literature began in the late 19th century, most famously
brought to the international stage by 1913’s Nobel laureate of literature,
Rabindranath Tagore. His writings are a vital part of Bengali culture. Kazi
Nazrul Islam, Michael Madhusudan Datta. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhaya,
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhaya, Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Kazi Ahdul Wadud
are the pioneers of modern Bengali literature.
Music in Bangladesh can be divided into three distinct categories - classical, folk
and modern. With classical music, both vocal and instrumental is rooted in the
remote past of the subcontinent. Ustad Alauddin Khan and Ustad Ayet Ali Khan
are internationally known in classical instrumental music.
The store of folk song abounds in the spiritual lyrics of Lalan Shah, Hasan Raja,
Romesh Shill and many other anonymous lyricists. The Bangla music arena is
enriched with Jari, Shari, Bhatiali, Murshidi and other types of folk songs.
Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Sangeet are part of Bengali’s precious heritage.
Bollywood hits have always been popular and modern music is also practised
widely with contemporary patterns inclining towards the west. Pop songs and
bands have also emerged mainly in Dhaka City.
Bangladesh has a good number of indigenous musical instruments. Originally
the instruments include: Banshi, a bamboo flute; Dhole, wooden drums; Ektara,
a single stringed instrument; Dotara, a four stringed instrument; Mandira, a pair
of metal bawls used as rhythm instrument, Khanjani, Sharinda and others. Over
the last 50 years however east-west music fusions have developed, which see
western instruments used alongside country instruments which are now more
commonplace.
There is a rich tradition of modern painting, pioneered by Zainul Abedin, Kamrul
Hassan, Anwarul Haque, Shafiuddin Ahmed and S M Sultan. Zainul
Abedin earned international fame for his sketches on famine of 1943 in
Bangladesh. Other famous artists of Bangladesh are Abdur Razzak, Qayyum
Chowdhury, Murtaza Baseer, Aminul Islam, Debdas Chakraborty, Kazi Abdul
Baset, Syed Jahangir, and Mohammad Kibria. Weaving, pottery and terracotta
sculpture are some of the earliest forms of artistic expression.
Art can be found everywhere. Rickshas are the taxis of Bangladesh and are
usually painted to a high level of sophistication. Ricksha art is highly political and
contemporary and often reflects past or current political passions and conflicts.
Bollywood actors have always been popular and with the rise of Islamisism in the
country, religious themes are becoming more popular than secular ones.
Such art, however, is not generally appreciated by the elite, who often consider
ricksha art to be vulgar or lacking true worth. But ricksha art is truly popular in the
14
broadest sense of the term. Ricksha drivers, passengers, and bystanders alike
find their dreams of love, wealth, power, sex, their delight in animals, their
nostalgia for the village scenes, or their love of religion all expressed in this
colourful artform. It offers a window on Bangladeshi popular culture and
contributes to our understanding of the wealth of Bangladeshi folk art.
(Kirkpatrick, 1994) 10
Drama in Bangladesh has an established tradition and is very popular. In
Dhaka more than a dozen theatre groups have been regularly staging
locally written plays as well as those adopted from famous writers, mainly of
European origin. In Dhaka, the Baily Road area is known as Natak Para where
drama shows are regularly held. The public library auditorium and museum
auditorium are famous for holding cultural shows. Dhaka University also plays a
pivotal role in the organisation of cultural activities.
Jatra - folk drama - is another vital chapter of the Bangali culture. It
depicts mythological episodes of love and tragedy. Legendary plays of
heroism are also popular, particularly in the rural areas. In the past Jatra was the
biggest form of entertainment for the rural Bangladeshis, who represent 80% of
the population of the country. Today live Jatra has been placed in the back seat
in the entertainment era since the popularisation of television Natoks (dramas).
Classical forms of the subcontinent predominate in Bangladeshi dance. The folk,
tribal and Middle Eastern traits are also common. Among the tribal dances,
Monipuri and Santal are particularly popular. Bangla songs, such as Jari and
Shari, are performed with dance by both men and women.
Textiles and the creativity involved in their design gives a national sense of pride.
Bangladeshi women habitually wear sarees. The Jamdani textile (popularly worn
as a saree) was once world famous for it's most artistic and expensive
ornamental fabric. Muslin, a fine cloth was well known worldwide. Naksi Kantha,
embroidered quilted patchwork cloth produced by the village women, is still
familiar in villages and towns. Embroidery, batik and tie dying are also to be
found on the traditional male attire of panjabis (long sleeved shirts), fatuas (short
sleeved shirts) and payjamas (trousers).
From textiles to literature, drama and music there exists a richness in
Bangladeshi artistic culture that remains largely unexplored in Britain.
15
1.5
The Bangladeshi population in the North West of England
The Bangladeshi community, although relatively small in the North West, does
have a very strong and committed internal community infrastructure and culture.
The community bonds and sense of unity are deeply rooted, with individuals and
families being connected by marriage, community and political affiliation,
sporting and social interest, spiritual and religious activities, education and
economic drive. Most British Bangladeshis come from the rural Sylhet region of
Bangladesh with which strong links are maintained.
The first settlers came as seamen working on steam ships, staying wherever
their ships docked. After the Second World War, the cotton industry attracted the
main influx of Bangladeshi workers as well as other Asians from the Indian
subcontinent. The local white labour force demanded higher wages and better
conditions of service, and this led to an increase in Sylheti workers arriving and
settling in Oldham and the northern mill towns, filling a gap in the market for
intensive, cheap and relatively low skilled labour.
The concentration of Asian communities in inner city enclaves has had both
positive and negative consequences. The social infrastructure in the form of food
stores, personal and financial services, places of worship and social centres has
developed providing a system that supports and meets their specific needs on
the one hand, but also perpetuates ghettoisation. A further consequence is that
once people settled in declining areas of the city with poor educational
achievement and therefore limited employment opportunities and then limited
access to better residential accommodation, deprivation and disadvantage are
further perpetuated. There then exists a vicious circle of general deprivation. The
concentration of Asian communities in inner city areas had for a long time denied
them access to good education under the local policy of catchment areas for
secondary school admissions, and poor housing can result in poor health.
This pattern of settlement is well known to be not conducive to the development
of a cohesive society. Heavy clustering reduces the interaction and
communication vitally needed for change, and reinforces the lack of
understanding that exists outside their communities, of the social and economic
deprivation, which Bangladeshis have suffered often in the face of racism and
exclusion. (Asghar, 1996) 11
This account of the settlement of Bangladeshis is not unique to the Bangladeshi
community or England’s North West but does go some way to explain the
characteristics of such inner city areas and the dynamics in play today. The
Bangladeshi community makes up 0.4% of the North West population, which
represents over 28,987 people, according to the census of 2001. The community
in each town is tightly knit and each town is tightly knit within the region and then
throughout the country. The largest Bangladeshi community in the North West is
in Oldham; with the next largest in Manchester, Tameside, Rochdale and
16
Burnley. Smaller numbers of Bangladeshi's live in almost all of the North West
towns and cities, from Cumbria, Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire to
Greater Manchester.
Local authority
All people
Actual number
93492
% of Bangladeshi
people
0.02
Allerdale
Barrow-inFurness
Blackburn
and Darwen
Blackpool
Bolton
Burnley
Bury
Carlisle
Chester
Chorley
Congleton
Copeland
Crewe and
Nantwich
Eden
Ellesmere Port
Fylde
Halton
Hyndburn
Knowsley
Lancaster
Liverpool
Macclesfield
Manchester
Oldham
Pendle
Preston
Ribble Valley
Rochdale
Rossendale
Salford
Sefton
South Lakeland
South Ribble
St. Helens
Stockport
Tameside
Trafford
71980
0.02
14
137470
142283
261037
89542
180608
100739
118210
100449
90655
69318
0.38
0.11
0.1
1.58
0.09
0.08
0.21
0.05
0.04
0.07
522
156
261
1414
162
80
248
50
36
48
111007
81672
49779
73217
118208
81496
150459
133914
439473
150155
392819
217273
89248
129633
53960
205357
65652
216103
282958
102301
103867
176843
284528
213043
210145
0.18
0.08
0.01
0.03
0.04
0.17
0.01
0.09
0.13
0.02
0.93
4.52
0.04
0.24
0.03
1.26
1.35
0.19
0.09
0.1
0.03
0.04
0.12
1.17
0.12
199
65
4
21
47
138
15
120
571
30
3653
9820
35
311
16
2587
886
410
254
10
31
70
341
2492
252
18
17
Vale Royal
West Lancashire
Wigan
Wirral
Warrington
Wyre
122089
108378
301415
312293
191080
105618
0.04
0.02
0.02
0.12
0.04
0.02
48
21
60
374
76
21
TOTAL
6,729,766
13.92%
25,987
Table i
North West statistics from 2001 census, UK14
The ninth largest ethnic group in the UK in 2001 were the 0.28 million
Bangladeshis, up from 0.17 million in 1991. In 1991, 22.5% of Bangladeshis in
the UK lived in Tower Hamlets. By 2001 that had risen to only 23.2%, despite the
number of Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets increasing by 70% over these 10
years, due largely to young adults having children and very few older adults
dying. Thus the proportion of Bangladeshis living outside of Tower Hamlets rose
faster in many places, with slight dispersal but growth in the core areas of
settlement.
A total of 58% Bangladeshis live in the 10 districts with the highest proportions, which, in
descending order are: Tower Hamlets (33.4%), Newham (8.8%), Camden (6.3%),
Oldham, (4.5%), Luton (4.1%), City of London (3.8%), Hackney (2.9%), Westminster
(2.8%), Islington (2.4%), Birmingham (2.1%). (Dorling and Thomas, 2004) 12 . As well the
North West and Tower Hamlets there are small but significant numbers of Bangladeshi
people living in the Yorkshire and Humber region and the West Midlands. There are 5144
(1.1%) Bangladeshis living in Bradford, Leeds (2861, 0.4%), Sheffield (2052, 0.4%),
Coventry (1805, 0.6%) (Census, 2001) 14
The Bangladeshi community is growing and expanding rapidly. In 1997, the
population projection for the Bangladeshi community was estimated at 15,000 by
the year 2011. (Oldham Policy Unit Report, 1997) 13 which is an increase by one
third on the 2001 figures (see table above).
The significance of the participation of the Bangladeshi community in the arts
needs to be placed in the context of social exclusion and poverty. The
circumstances leading to this are complex and include class, background,
cultural traditions, kinship patterns, residential location, educational experiences,
employment opportunities and institutional racism. Previous research has
consistently revealed that Bangladeshi communities experience
disproportionate levels of social and economic disadvantage.
According to Modood, Berthoud et al, while only 28% of white households earn
below half the national average income, in the Bangladeshi community the
18
figure is 84% (see table ii), and unemployment for Bangladeshi men is three or
four times as high.
______________________________________________________
White
28
Caribbean
41
Indian
45
Pakistani
82
Bangladeshi
84
______________________________________________________
Table ii
(Modood and Berthoud, 1997) 15
Women from the Bangladeshi community are characterised by their high rate of non
participation in the labour market. Less than one fifth (18%) of working age women work
outside the home compared to seven tenths of white women (70%). These circumstances
are compounded by the high level of Bangladeshi people who are of working age (64%)
and do not possess any educational or training qualifications. Racism and discrimination
acts to reduce both employment and educational performance. It can deter young people
and push them towards disaffection. (Oldham Policy Unit Report, 1995) 16
It may be the perception of racism in the labour market and the fact that many
Asian young people are employed within enterprises owned by Asian employers.
The occupational profile reveals that Bangladeshi males are overwhelmingly
involved in the catering trade. This would considerably limit opportunities to
participate in most art activities which are traditionally held in the evenings.
Over 90% of young Bangladeshi males have had some experience of working in
the catering trade with many beginning while still at school and continuing
throughout college. Many are travelling daily, not just locally but regionally, and
in some cases to other parts of the country. This kind of working practice leaves
little time and money to participate in any kind of art activity. This section of the
community is then, presumably, busy preparing and serving meals to the art
participating community.
Bangladeshi young women also seem subject to some pressure not to attend
college. They are the group least likely to take an educational route. The role of
peer pressure and the experience of others plays a crucial role in the formation of
young people's attitudes. Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness within the
Asian communities and especially among parents, about the options open to
young people. College and the academic route is something that is well known
and entrenched, whereas the complex nature and the perception of financial
instability in a career in the arts not only means that few people have a full grasp
of the system, they are also not encouraged or supported.
Bangladeshi women face multiple pressures when it comes to making career
decisions and the influence of family and patriarchal ideologies bear an equal
19
weight to the effect of institutional experiences. A large proportion of young
women are likely to be engaged in domestic activities, looking after an elderly
person in the household or in the process of being married. However, the views
of parents are not static and are influenced by their perceptions of the services
offered by local institutions in the area.
The isolation and ghettoisation of the Asian community acts as a deterrent to
their inclusion in the wider labour market. The significance of geography
therefore ties into employment and housing, signifying that the issue of
employment cannot be tackled on its own but needs to be considered within an
overall strategy of regeneration and social inclusion.
The younger generation is split in three ways with each group overlapping. There
are those who are educated, those who are disaffected and those who come
from abroad providing an interesting and exciting fusion of ideas, thoughts and
creativity, which is proving to be a thriving culture of high energy, which will need
to be channelled and nurtured.
Of the 0.4% (28,987 people) in the North West, who were identified as
Bangladeshi in the 2001 Census, 99.9% have identified themselves as of the
faith of Islam. Islam plays a central and defining role in the lives of the Muslim
population wherever they are. Islam, rather than being just a faith, is a complete
way of life and therefore directs its adherents accordingly from the way one eats
and prays to the way one experiences and participates in culture.
The report is Oldham centric because it is acknowledged as the hub for
Bangladeshi cultural activity. Major concerts with international artists are
regularly held in Oldham. Bangladeshis also come from all over the North West
to observe language movement day at the Shahid Minar, built in recognition of its
cultural significance for the residents of Oldham, as was the Shapla Flower at the
Tesco roundabout. Such monuments give community members a sense of pride,
ownership and belonging and shares with the wider community something of
their heritage.
2.0
Research methodology
The objectives of the research were to:





Map out the national situation regarding Bangladeshi participation in the
arts compared to all other ethnic groups
Map out artists, performers and writers in the North West region
Map out existing activities at community level
Map out how current activities are funded
Assess why members of the Bangladeshi community are not getting
involved in arts activities either as participants and or as members of an
audience
20


Identify barriers to and opportunities for participation
Identify the key issues which stop engagement with the arts funding
system and make proposals for the way forward
The approach to the research involved:








2.1
Desk research and literature survey including census information
Formulation of hypothesis to research questions
Identification of variables then indicators
Development of conceptual frameworks and questionnaires
Development of data gathering questionnaire including sampling
Empirical research:
Interviews with community groups and key individuals
Focus groups with men, women and young people
Questionnaires to local authority arts officers
Questionnaires to Arts Council England diversity officers
Analysis of data
Report conclusions and recommendations
Research methods used
Initially a scoping exercise was carried out exploring the key issues in this
research area and identifying gaps that could be usefully addressed. A literature
review was then carried out to find out what information was available from
existing research in this area and what light reports on community cohesion may
shed. This helped to identify relevant research issues and questions.
Once the fine details of the gaps in knowledge were identified, questionnaires
were put together and tested with the steering committee members. The
empirical research was conducted with surveys using questionnaires (assisted
and self completed), telephone interviews,
indepth interviewing and focus groups.
2.2
Sampling and response rate
In order to research art activity and participation within Oldham, it was necessary
to conduct research further afield to gain an understanding about arts activity
and attendance in neighbouring areas. Interviews and questionnaires were
therefore conducted in Rochdale, Tameside, Manchester, Chester, Burnley,
Liverpool and Rossendale.
In these areas the organisations contacted were selected from a database held
by Oldham Bangladeshi Association and a list provided by Arts Council England.
Further organisations were included after the scoping exercise and discussions
held with the steering group.
21
Twenty six interviews were conducted with community organisations and
community groups using assisted questionnaires and more indepth interviewing
where necessary. We acknowledge that this is a small sample. Five focus
groups were consulted in Rochdale, Oldham and Hyde in Tameside which
sampled responses from a broad age range and separately both men and
women. In Oldham there was a young women's group (aged 18-25), the Oldham
men's group was (38-50), the Rochdale women's group (18-25) and Rochdale
men's group (18-35), while Tameside was a young women's group (16-25). Two
individuals, the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Abdul Jabbar and Kabir Ahmed,
MBE, were interviewed indepth. They were chosen because they are well
established and well respected in the community and also have a long history of
encouraging and facilitating cultural participation in the Bangladeshi community.
Interviews and focus groups were conducted during July-October 2004. All
interviews with art and community groups and organisations were held face to
face. The aim was to have the questionnaire fully understood and for the
maximum completion rate.
Thirty questionnaires were sent out nationally to identified Arts Council staff
working within diversity, social inclusion, decibel and new audiences, of which
six questionnaires were returned. Twenty two questionnaires were sent out to
identified local authority arts officers in the North West, of which five were
returned. The purpose of the questionnaires was to ascertain the extent of
exposure and their experiences of working with the Bangladeshi community. As
arts officers they would also have known of the presence of Bengali or
Bangladeshi artists who had accessed funding in their area, and possibly, of
existing activities. Questionnaires to both the relevant Arts Council members of
staff and local authority arts officers were first sent out by email on 15 July 2004.
Allowances were made for the summer holiday period and reminders were sent
out on 9 September 2004 with a week to the date of final receipts. The rate of
responses from arts officers was far fewer than was hoped. It was not possible to
conduct face to face interviews with all the arts officers and so it was decided that
in order to maintain some consistency, emails would be sent. Follow up calls
were made where appropriate and more indepth questioning did provide better
information.
3.0
Findings and analysis
3.1
Organisational profiling
3.1.1 Organisations interviewed
Almost all of the organisations interviewed were involved in community
development work for the Bangladeshi community in their area. These
community organisations were originally set up by groups of immigrant men or
families who came to live in a particular area and wanted to organise a
22
celebration of a Bangladeshi festival, a social occasion or to provide a resource
for advice and information. As these groups became larger and families began to
arrive and grow, the community made more demands on them. They then
developed a constitution or memorandum of association and became more
formalised. This enabled them to draw down funding which facilitated a whole
variety of activities that served the needs of the community in an environment
that was deemed safe and familiar.
3.1.2 Organisational focus on work
The respondents were asked whether their organisation was mainly focused on:
i) Community development activities (non art activities) (CD)
ii) Improving their community using art as a vehicle (Art)
iii) Engaging individuals in the creative process/training new artists (CT)
Nature of organisation
Community development activities
Improving community using art as a vehicle
Engaging individuals in the creative process
and training new artists
Community development activities and art to
improve the community
Community development activities and
training new artists
Art to improve the community and
training new artists
Community development, art to improve
communities and training
Code
CD
Art
No of orgs
20
0
CT
0
CD & Art
3
CD & CT
0
Art & CT
2
CD, CT & Art
1
Table 3.1.2 Organisational focus on work Base: 26 organisations
Twenty organisations (76.9%) noted that they were solely involved in community
development activities. None of the organisations were solely holding activities
that used art as a vehicle for developing individuals or the community and none
of the organisations were solely engaging individuals in the creative process or
training new artists.
Three (11.5%) organisations focused on both community development activities
and art based activities. Two organisations (7.7%) were involved in activities that
used art as a vehicle for improving communities and engaging individuals in the
creative process as well as training new artists. One organisation (3.9%)
responded that their organisation was involved in all three.
Key finding
Almost all the organisations interviewed were involved in some arts or cultural
23
activities even if their main services were not. Arts and cultural activities are often
seen as optional or extra and this is reflected in how the organisations see
themselves. The Bangladeshi organisations are on the whole still struggling to
meet the basic needs of their communities and are mainly still at the stage of
community development. This is possibly due to the poor quality of housing,
education and employment in the majority of the community.
3.1.3 Services and activities provided
Organisations were then asked about the services and activities their
organisation provided. Most organisations that have been established within
community settings exist because of the needs and responses of the community
they serve. These needs are both for basic services as well as cultural activities.
Nearly all of the organisations interviewed were involved in such activities as well
as providing advice, information and training. These services are provided in
Bangla as well as English and training is predominantly English as a Second
Language (ESOL) and in information technology.
The majority of the Bangladeshi community organisations in the North West are
still involved in the process of community development. Over 50% of the
Bangladeshi community were not born in England and are at the stage of basic
skills development in terms of literacy and ESOL. Community organisations are
focusing on serving the basic needs of their community but are also managing to
provide some arts, cultural and leisure activities.
Cultural activities that were held depended on the capacity of an organisation
rather than the cultural sophistication of the community they served. Major
festivals and cultural evenings were hosted by the larger organisations and
smaller events for example, poetry workshops were held by both.
Respondents were asked to specify the sorts of activities, arts workshops and
other kinds of activities, cultural or otherwise that their organisations provided for
users.
Services and activities provided
Number of organisations
Provides information
1
Information and advice available
20
Training
22
Sporting activities
15
Mentoring
12
Daycare
6
Cultural activities
23
Arts workshops
9
Other arts activities
8
Table 3.1.3 Services and activities provided Base: 26 organisations
24
Twenty three respondents (88.5%) held cultural activities for their communities.
Nine of which (34.6%) put on cultural events such as Bangla music, singing,
dance and poetry and nine respondents (34.6%) regularly held cultural events
for the Bangladeshi national festivals.
Six organisations (23.1%) put on dramas involving community members. Five
organisations (19.2%) held arts and crafts workshops, four held sewing classes
and there were four dance and/or drama. Two organisations (7.7%) held
workshops for painting, two (7.7%) poetry workshops and two (7.7%) for
painting.
Other activities listed by organisations under other arts activities were:
Multi cultural events
Performances in community settings for young people
Interest expressed in salsa dancing
Alternative therapies
Batik classes in a school
Bangla classes
Reading classes
Involving young people in mainstream media
Cooking
Language publications in Bangla, to promote the arts and literature
Training in drama and music writing and all aspects of theatre production
Arts consultancy
Live and street theatre
Organising theatre and museum visits
Producing fashion shows and dance events
Promoting culture through trips to Bangladesh and training
Cultural events held for the Bangladeshi Medical Association
(Bangladeshi/Bengali Doctors and their families in the UK)
Key finding
Organisations that have been established for some time (20 years or more) were
more likely to have an established cultural programme or provide arts or arts
based activities. This might possibly be more to do with the financial stability and
the workforce capacity of the organisation rather than the stage of development
of their communities.
Organisations that provide daycare also have a sitting target for organised arts or
cultural activities. Some of the daycare centres regularly show Bangla films and
the existing audience may also enjoy events such as community theatre or the
performance of music and/or dance.
There appears to be a lot of cultural and artistic activity going on in organisations
that are serving the Bangladeshi community. The range of activities is broad and
25
organisations say they are catering to the needs and demands of their users.
3.1.5 Constitution or a memorandum of association
Twenty four (92.3%) out of the 26 organisations interviewed had either a
constitution or a memorandum of association. Organisations will have formed
constitutions as a way of becoming more stable and to sustaining the services
they provide. It is also an essential criteria for accessing money for most funding
bodies.
3.1.6 Number of directors or number of members of a management
committee
Fourteen organisations (53.8%) interviewed had either one or the other, ten
organisations (38.5%) had both. Only two of the organisations interviewed
(7.7%) were without the extra support of directors, trustees or a management
committee but these two still held cultural activities and some arts related
activities for the Bangladeshi community.
Size of management
0
No of directors or
trustees
16
No of management
committee members
2
Table 3.1.6 Size of management
Under 10 10 - 19
20 – 29
30-39
6
3
1
0
8
10
4
2
Base: 26 Organisations
3.1.7 Size of membership
Out of the 26 organisations interviewed, seven (26.9%) had no members
affiliated to them. Five of these organisations were funded for specific activities:
the Bangla Press Club, Peshkar Productions (theatre company), Sonali Network
(cultural exchange visits), Glodwick Bangladesh Association (advice and
training) and Bangladeshi Welfare Association (daycare and advice). Two of the
organisations without memberships were much like the other 19 organisations
with memberships, delivering services including cultural and art activities without
the extra funds that membership brings.
Nineteen organisations had memberships of 10 people to 5,000 people. Of
these, five organisations (19.2%) had between 10 and 20 members, two (7.7%)
were in the next category of under 50 members with memberships of 25 and 30
members, and two organisations (7.7%) had between 50 and 100 members and
between 50 and 60 members respectively.
There were five (19.2%) with memberships of between
100-500 people. One organisation had 800 members and the four largest
organisations (15.4%) had memberships of about 1,000, 2,000, 3,500 and 5,000
26
people respectively.
There are organisations that are well established and presently accessible to
large pockets of the Bangladeshi community. This presents opportunities for
collaborations as well as audiences for specific art participation initiatives.
Organisation
Number of Members
Oldham Bangladeshi Association
5,000
Greater Manchester Bangladeshi Association
3,500
Mersyside Bangladeshi Association
2,000
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
1,000
Bangladesh Association Community Project
800
Bangladeshi Community Council
500
Bondon Club
200
Chester Asian Council
200
Rochdale Bangladeshi Youth Society
200
Link Project
160
Glodwick Bangladeshi Youth Association
60
Rochdale Bangladeshi Youth Association
50
Khelagar Youth Association
30+
Ashton Bangladeshi Association
25
Bangladesh Association, City of Salford
20
Pothro Publications Group
20
Westwood and Coldhurst Women's Association
19
Oldham Bangladeshi Cultural Group
13
Megna Women's Association/Asian News
10
Peshkar Productions
0
Sonali Network
0
Bangla Press Club
0
Bangladeshi Welfare Association LTD
0
Wardleworth Women's Welfare Association
0
Oldham Bangladeshi Youth Association
0
Glodwick Bangladeshi Youth Association
0
Table 3.1.7 Numbers of Members
Base: 26 Organisations
3.1.8 Charitable status
Five (19.2%) of the 26 organisations had charitable status. Out of these five,
three organisations were providing regular arts related activities. The five
organisations had drawn funding from Community Chest (two organisations), the
National Lottery (two), Arts Council England (one) and the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) (one) alongside funding from their local councils.
Without their charitable status it may not have been possible to access these
funding bodies and subsequently provide arts related services.
27
Many funders and grant making charitable trusts are allowed (or choose) to only fund
registered charities and this could enable potential access to additional funding
opportunities such as lottery funds and other charitable donations.
In section 1.2 respondents were asked whether their organisation was mainly
focused on:
i) Community development activities (non art activities) (CD)
ii) Improving their community using art as a vehicle (Art)
iii) Engaging individuals in the creative process/training new artists (CT)
CD
20
Art
0
CT
0
CD & art
3
CD & CT
0
Art & CT
2
CD, CT & art
1
From table 3.1.2 Organisational focus on work Base: 26 organisations
Three organisations were mainly focused on community development (non-art
activities) and improving their community using art as a vehicle.
Two were mainly focused on improving their community using art as a vehicle,
engaging individuals in the creative process and training new artists. One was
classified itself as mainly focused on all three categories.
Key findings
Out of the six organisations that considered themselves to be focused wholly or
partly on arts related activities, four had charitable status. This again was five
organisations out of a sample of 26 that were registered charities.
3.1.9 Area of coverage: how and why they were selected
Organisations interviewed delivered work in the following areas: .
3.1.10 Languages spoken
Of the 26 organisations interviewed, all spoke in Bangla and English and some
used more than one working South Asian language. Five organisations (19.2%)
also used Urdu (19.2%) and two (7.7%) used several South Asian languages,
including Bangla.
Key finding
It seems that after more than 30 years of migration of the Bangladeshi people,
the community is still dependent on services delivered by Bangla speaking
people. This indicates the continuing need for linguistically appropriate
28
marketing and promotions of services and activities as well as linguistically and
culturally sensitive discussion.
3.1.11 Staffing profile
Eleven organisations (42.3%) had five or fewer full time members of staff except
for one which had eight and another which had 30. Thirteen organisations (50%)
employ part time staff, four of which have no full time members of staff. Most
organisations depend heavily on volunteers, 10 (38.5%) of which do exclusively.
Six organisations (23.1%) employ freelance or contract workers to deliver some
of their outputs.
Key finding
The majority of these organisations just do not have the capacity in terms of staff
and resources that could facilitate a move towards new areas of work. Most staff
work beyond their normal working hours and volunteers are overstretched, which
make the delivering of basic services a struggle. Events usually rely heavily on
volunteer time and effort.
If funding has not been received for calendar events such as the Bangladeshi
national celebrations the events are usually put together at the last minute. The
volunteers involved in initiating, planning and running events are usually
members of the management committee, directors of the company and their
friends or workers in the organisation who will be volunteering their time.
Unless activities are funded and staffed accordingly, the cultural and artistic
needs of the community are reliant on the good will of overstretched workers and
volunteers and will therefore be limited in terms of their achievement.
3.1.12 Funding status
Funding for the interviewed organisations came from various sources. Most
organisations had been funded by multiple sources. Nineteen organisations
(73.1%) had received funding from their local authority or council. The National
Lottery funded seven organisations (26.9%) and five (19.2%) received funding
from Connexions. Five organisations (19.2%) depended solely on voluntary
donations or funds received through membership, three (11.5%) raised their
money through fundraising and two were not funded at all. Only one organisation
(3.9%) held activities that were funded by Arts Council England.
Funding sources
Membership/voluntary donations
Self funded
Not funded
Fundraising
Various local authority/council
No of organisations
5
2
2
3
19
Percentage
19.2
7.7
7.7
11.5
73.1
29
Arts Council England
Connexions
National Lottery
New Opportunities Fund
Community Chest
Learning and Skills Council
Community Foundation
Childrens Fund
ERDF
Table 3.1.12 Funding status
1
5
7
1
4
1
2
1
1
3.9
19.2
26.9
3.9
15.4
3.9
7.7
3.9
3.9
Base: 26 Organisations
3.1.13 Activities or funding as drivers
The activities provided by 11 of the organisations (42.3%) were driven by the
nature of the funding they received. Nine organisations (34.6%) specifically
targeted funding according to the kind of activities they had wished to provide.
Six organisations (23.1%) did not respond to the question.
Of the six organisations that did not respond we cannot say how many also felt
the pressure of funding targets shaping their activities. There may be a question
of sensitivity here, which may have led to no responses.
Of the responses received, many comments made were that although some of
the organisations were driven by the nature of the funding they received, the
funding that they receive targets ethnic minorities and particularly the
Bangladeshi community in the local area and aimed to improve the quality of life
of its members, through education and learning or the skills development of
individuals.
Organisations are delivering art and cultural services through limited funding,
donations and fundraising. Many of them had commented on the difficulties
surrounding funding and therefore the negative effects this had in terms of the
services they provided and their ability to respond to the needs of their
community.
3.1.14 Awareness of Arts Council England, North West
At the start of the research it was thought that the success rate of securing Arts
Council funding among Bangladeshi groups and organisations was low. Two
respondents (7.7%) out of 26 organisations had not heard of Arts Council
England. Out of 24 (92.3%) that had, six (23.1%) had successfully applied for
and received funding for arts projects in the past.
Only one organisation (3.9%) believed that due to the nature of their activities
they had no need to apply to the Arts Council.
30
Two organisations (7.7%) felt they weren't established enough to consider Arts
Council funding that might be available. Another two organisations (7.7%) are
establishing arts activities and working on new projects and will be applying to
the Arts Council in the near future. Thirteen organisations (50%) had various
reasons for not having applying to Arts Council England. Many organisations just
did not have the capacity for concentrating on funding applications either
because of the lack of skills of current workers or not having enough paid
employees to cover the work. Four (15.4%) felt that they didn't have enough
knowledge about the Arts Council.
For three organisations (11.5%), the procedure was seen as lengthy and too
complicated. The paperwork and bureaucracy involved was perceived to deter
people from applying. For one organisation (3.9%) Arts Council England was
seen as too specialised and they believed their application would probably be
rejected anyway so 'why bother'.
Arts Council England officer comments
(Author’s comments in italics)
Arts officers around the country working for Arts Council England in the areas of
diversity, inclusion, audience development and decibel were contacted and
asked about the barriers they considered prevented successful engagement with
Arts Council England.
‘The obstacles exist on both sides. On Arts Council England's part, this may be
lack of contacts, lack of knowledge about the dynamics of the
groups/communities. For the Bangladeshi community, the obstacles are related
to the lack of capacity, contacts, knowledge about the process of the arts
management, marketing and the notion of strategic development per se. There is
not enough knowledge of the opportunities, initiatives available to culturally
diverse artists.’
‘Some organisations through previous experience have the impression that Arts
Council England is elitist and not engaging with communities. There is the
perception of it as a white middle class institution and/or as something to do with
government.’
‘Arts Council England is not seen but heard; therefore people find it
unapproachable, as many people have never met anyone working it. Although
Arts Council England can try to get messages out there, with limited resources
(one cultural diversity officer in the North West) it’s impossible to reach everyone.
Plus, the fact that there are many other pots of funding out there that are more
accessible and don’t have the high expectations in quality that Arts Council
England expects of their arts projects.’
Another arts officer commented, ‘A lack of communication, I think, is the main
31
reason why a lot of things fail.’
Arts officers believed applications, generally, are rejected on the grounds of:







Too short notice
No written proposals
Artists being contracted for their services by the organisation or group in
advance of the funding application being submitted and accepted
Budget not corresponding with the actual intentions of the project
Too afraid to ask for help or don't know who/how to ask
Application questions are misunderstood
Having poor writing skills ie: ‘not being able to write in funding language
even if the idea is fantastic’
The staff interviewed said they give detailed feedback, particularly to the BME
communities seeing the follow up care and explanation as vital to assist the
artists. The aim is also to help them to see the development opportunities and
work on the weaknesses identified within the application. One response said that
feedback and follow up care can be sought. This suggested that unless the
rejected applicant was proactive in their approach, they were not going to find out
how or why their application was unsuccessful.
When asked how potential applicants from the Bangladeshi community in their
region might find out about funding available at Arts Council England, the routes
were: newsletters, leaflets, websites, decibel roadshows, follow up outreach
surgeries (south east office) and funding seminars (north east office).
When asked what Arts Council England does or could do to support groups that
may not be aware of the funding opportunities or the processes involved the
following comment was made:
‘There needs to be a more proactive approach with direct contact and using local
media. The professional mainstream organisations need to work directly with
community workers/centres/groups.’
When asked to tell us about the support given by Arts Council England we were
told about specific targeting of underrepresented artists and communities (which
is the main aim of decibel) and contacting non-arts organisations, voluntary and
community groups who have art as part of their work. Outreach work is also
undertaken to assist groups with funding issues in the North West and by
attending funding fairs. There are also seminars, workshops and surgeries on
Grants for the arts, as well as one to ones and attendance at events to promote
the services of Arts Council England. Identifying and meeting with key
gatekeepers was mentioned more than once as a means to broaden contacts.
In certain geographical areas, such as the North West, there is a growing history
of doing fantastic work with culturally diverse artists. This is enhanced with
32
decibel supporting new and previously unsuccessful groups to the new Grants
for arts system in areas that had previously been under funded.
When asked whether they knew of any Bengali/Bangladeshi artists and arts projects in
their region, including non Arts Council England funded projects, the responses indicated
that there was either not much happening or not a lot of awareness. The arts officers were
generally only aware of groups or individuals that had been in receipt of Arts Council
England funding.
When asked whether in the last two years, they had funded any Bangladeshi
artists or Bangladeshi community organisations to put on an event, officers were
aware of two projects that have been funded: one in the North West and one
outside of the North West. There have been enquiries and surgeries with
potential Bangladeshi artists who have unfortunately not pursued an application.
This was partly due to the nature of the project, which was redirected to funding
that was deemed more suitable for the project.
Key finding
At the start of the research it was thought that Bangladeshi groups were not aware of or
were unsuccessful in securing Arts Council funding. Among the sample this assumption
was proven as otherwise. Although 92% have heard of Arts Council England, many have
not accessed funding from it.
Barriers were:
 A lack of knowledge of Arts Council England funding and processes
 The capacity of organisations
When probed further, it was found that the Arts Council was viewed with suspicion by a
few organisations, due to perhaps bad experience of the Arts Council either personally or
through reputation. They were also seen as restricting creativity and not valuing ideas
that did not fit in with Arts Council England’s preconceived ideas of art and culture. This
leads to questions of awareness of the needs of different communities and how they may
wish to experience art and culture. Satisfactory delivery of services would be achieved
through understanding the needs of communities.
One arts officer commented that applications have been rejected on the grounds
of the applicant ‘not being able to write in funding language even if the idea is
fantastic.’ This raises questions around the elitism of an institution that puts
diversity and inclusion at the core of their vision and activities. Surely it would be
a lack of vision on the part of the Arts Council to reject an application on such
grounds.
3.1.16 Involvement with the local authority arts department
Seven organisations (26.9%) out of 26 had applied to the local authority arts
department and had successfully received funding for arts activities. From the
33
18 organisations (69.2%) that had never applied to the local authority arts
department, various reasons were given.
Most people were not aware of their local authority arts department, and/ or what
support or funding might be available. Others felt that there was too much red
tape or bureaucracy involved. It was felt that the process would take too long and
the community moves on and/or loses interest before funding comes through.
One organisation approached them and was signposted more appropriately to
the Community Chest fund.
There was a feeling among two (7.7%) of the respondents that they would have
to provide activities according to the local authority's latest agenda. A feeling
came from comments made that local authority funding processes were viewed
with reservation and suspicion perhaps due to prior experience or hearsay.
There was also a perception that there would be restrictions in creativity and a
lack of understanding of the needs of the community.
Local authority arts officer comments
(Author’s comments in italics)
When asked what sort of support (financial or other) they could offer community
organisations wishing to undertake arts activities, the response was:
‘The local authority sees themselves as a key player in promoting activities and striving to
engage Bangladeshis. There is limited financial support but advice and guidance is
available. They can also provide access to resources.’
When asked how potential applicants from the Bangladeshi community in their region find
out about the support they offer we were told: ‘Mainly through self awareness: by going to
their website or calling them. Direct mail, newsletters and leaflets are often distributed.
There is also face to face contact at events.”
When asked whether in the last two years they had funded any Bangaldeshi artists or
community organisations to put on an arts event we were told, ‘There has been more
recent involvement in the last two years. Oldham is seen as very active. Elsewhere, there
are melas and cultural events and concerts taking place.’
When asked if they had tried to raise awareness of the support they offer to artists and
community organisations, we were told: ‘A common way was through partnerships,
through their own events and brochures and press releases.’ But when asked later in the
questionnaire about partnership initiatives that were set up or that have been planned
which aim to encourage people to get more involved in the arts, only Peshkar Productions
was mentioned by one respondent.
Barriers seen were lack of awareness of the department by organisations and what they
have to offer as well as the same ones as cited for Arts Council England.
34
One note was added:
‘Simply meant as a statement of fact, ethnic minorities form a small percentage
of the Cheshire population - our focus has been on bringing in culturally diverse
artists to work in the area for example through the rural touring network, rather
than working with minority communities. The county council works on a more
strategic level than districts so does not tend to facilitate local activity other than
as part of a more strategic programme.’
The Bangladeshi community is a minority within a minority and organisational and
departmental targets may not reflect the needs of such a small community.
Key finding
The local authorities generally consider themselves as a promoter of Bangladeshi arts
activities, but their resources are poorly publicised which was shown by community
organisations’ lack of knowledge of them and by the admission of arts officers. Other than
work in the Bangladeshi community initiated by Gallery Oldham there were very few
examples in the region of local authority arts initiatives. Partnerships and publicity were
methods by which awareness of the arts department could be raised. But the only
example that was given of a successful partnership was with Peshkar Productions, which
is again Oldham based.
3.2
Bangladeshi artists
The questionnaire requested organisations to name Bangladeshi artists that they had
worked with in order to:
 assess their awareness
 compile a list of names of individuals and groups involved in the arts
Sixteen respondents (61.5%) provided information that resulted in 43 groups or
individuals being identified. One respondent (3.9%) did not know of any and nine (34.6%)
made no response. For some of these nine, it may be that they couldn't name any or didn't
know of any, but looking at their participation in events it would seem that that nearly all of
the respondents had seen some of the artists perform at events. The nine groups that
responded negatively to the question had participated in events with arts present, which
may mean they did not fully understand the question.
This question wanted to find out about any other artists they knew of that were emerging
from their communities. Eleven organisations (42.3%) were aware of emerging artists.
One organisation (3.9%) did not know of any and 14 (53.8%) did not respond. It was
hoped that from this question, the responses received would give us a list of names of
artists who had not had wide exposure and maybe had not had the opportunities and
experience and recognition they need to develop a career in the arts.
Among arts officers there was some awareness of Bengali/Bangladeshi artists and arts
projects in their region including non-council funded projects. Those mentioned were:
35




Dhamak Musicians Group, Positive Start, Burnley
Sur Sagar (a local Bengali Musicians Group)
Elements of Oldham Bangladeshi Cultural Group
Elements of Peshkar Productions
Arts officers were not aware of many of the Bangladeshi artists mentioned by the
community organisations, but clearly a lot of cultural activity is going on supported by the
community. This indicates that there is a reservoir of knowledge in the community groups
that is not accessed by arts officers for the main funding institutions.
3.3
Community involvement
This section sets out the responses from the Bangladeshi Community, as surveyed by
questionnaire, focus groups and interviews.
3.3.1 Demand for artforms
The questionnaire asked respondents both within and beyond their organisations, what
demand existed for Bangladeshi cultural artforms or other genres of art in their locality,
eg: dance, music and crafts. There was a substantial awareness of a demand for artforms
from their communities by 22 organisations (84.6%). Fifteen organisations (57.7%) out of
the 26 interviewed felt that there was a lot of demand for Bangladeshi artforms or other
genres of art in their locality. Seven (26.9%) felt that there was some demand and four
organisations (15.4%) did not know what the community they served felt about the
question. No respondent felt confident that their community had no demand for artistic
involvement.
We also asked the focus groups whether their needs for cultural activities were being met
by existing provision.
Focus groups (men)
The men felt that there was not much demand for artform from within the community.
Organisations with responsibility for arts were not seen to be showing the importance of
arts properly and the focus group were not aware of any organisation producing arts
activities, particularly in Rochdale. Arts activities that are held are not accessible to most
people in terms of understanding and appreciating the artform and are often held at
venues and institutions which seem exclusive. Also, events were seen as exclusive of
young men who do not have the same interests as older Bangladeshi men and in
particular to women and youngsters. It was said there was a need for good organisers
from within the community.
It was said that more funding needed to be made available. There was also a need for
training space and for community arts of religious and cultural relevance. When
organisations had put together events, there was awareness among the potential
audience and the lack of participants led to disappointing turnouts so there was a need for
36
better promotion by arts organisations.
Focus groups (women)
The women's groups felt that there were not enough arts activities in their area, which
they could attend or that were of interest to them. Those that did take place were
organised by local Bangladeshi organisations which were mainly male dominated and
therefore had a male crowd and they then felt uncomfortable about attending. There were
gatekeepers that determined and controlled community activity. Events need to be family
friendly; there were not enough activities aimed at women, especially younger girls and of
a more contemporary nature. The Rochdale group had said there was not a single
Bangladeshi women’s group in Rochdale, if there were maybe more events would be
organised for women to attend and then they would actually consider going.
There were no workshops they knew of for arts activities, for example that they would be
interested in batik, calligraphy, pottery and Islamic arts but did not know of any
organisation that provided them. They also said if there were opportunities to get
involved, they would at least think about it and consider them. They did suggest, however,
that people are not always talented or gifted in the areas of art, which could be a reason
why they might not get involved.
The women in the Tameside focus group felt there was little to access in terms of cultural
activities. They felt that a lot more was happening in other towns but they did not get to
hear about other events and when events took place, they were aimed at men rather than
women or families. There are also factional groups in Tameside who tend to compete with
each other. This can deter people in organising events or getting involved as they are
concerned what other people will do or say. It can get too competitive and this overrides
the original aims of the event. Faction groups either support an event or criticise groups
for holding events.
Key finding
Among the 26 organisations, respondents felt there to be a substantial demand for
Bangladeshi cultural artforms from both within and beyond their organisation. From the
focus groups there was not the range of views that can be usually expected. The male
focus groups were not aware of much demand however the men in Rochdale were aware
of the lack of opportunities that existed in their area compared to Oldham or Manchester.
There was a lot of criticism from all the focus groups about the lack of diversity in age and
gender at events that were organised by the Bangladeshi organisations and community
groups and of organisations generally. In contrast the female groups would all be
interested in attending art workshops in crafts such as batik, calligraphy, pottery and
Islamic arts if they were available and the men talked of a need for more training space
and community art that would be of religious and cultural value.
3.3.2 Cultural activities attended
One of the aims of the research was to see which activities people attend. This
was initially categorised in terms of size of audience for an event.
37
Activities which attracted large numbers of participants or audiences, (100+)
were festivals, cultural shows and events, performances, drama, fashion shows
and multi-cultural events.
Activities that attracted between 30-80 people were sporting events, some
festivals and cultural events, recitation of poetry, performance of song, drama
and a heritage evening.
Smaller groups of people (five and under) were involved in activities such as painting, arts
and crafts (six groups). There was a class of under 10 people involved in Batik printing as
well as those in singing, dance, drama and cooking. Groups of between 11–20 people
were involved in singing, music production, drama workshops, art and crafts, sewing and
writing workshops. Almost all of these activities were single gendered activities.
Although sport is not an arts or cultural activity as it is defined by the cultural sector of the
North West region and other commentaries in the local authority cultural service.
However, organisations that regularly provide sporting activities have a regular base of
users that could potentially be encouraged and motivated to use some of their leisure
time in additional ways such as an arts activity that would be of interest to a group that is
already formed and established. From the participation profile developed from the
questionnaire responses showed that sporting activities were very popular among young
men.
Key finding
Most of the activities undertaken by organisations were related to the culture of
Bangladesh. Sporting activities and some craft workshops were not necessarily related to
Bangladeshi culture but were, however, enjoyed in what would be a familiar environment
either in terms of location or with familiar participants.
Activities that are likely to be deemed leisurely, as opposed to learning with a view to
qualifications and/or better work opportunities, are more likely to be attended and
succeed in a community setting than if they were held in environments that are perceived
as elitist or alien. Galleries, theatres and institutions of learning are often not seen as
accessible. Perceptions do change, though, through good experience of participation.
Since many organisations have the capacity to engage smaller groups of people in arts
and cultural activities those that have ventured into doing so have found it a good
opportunity to branch out from basic needs provision such as ESOL, and engage the
community in a creative way.
Respondents were asked whether members of their organisations attend any of these
kinds of cultural activities.
38
1. Bejoy Dibash local
3. Shaheed Dibash local
5. Shadinatha Dibash local
7. Pahela Baishak local
9. Melas local
11. Asian festivals
13. Asian musicals
15. Asian concerts
17. Asian community theatre
19. Asian mainstream theatre
21. Asian museum exhibitions
23. Asian art exhibitions
25. Asian poetry events
27. Asian fashion shows
29. Asian dance
31. Asian film
33. Asian restaurants
2. Victory Day national (Bejoy Dibash)
4. Martyrs Day national (Shaheed Dibash)
6. Independence Day national (Shadinatha Dibash)
8. Bangla New Year national (Pahela Baishak)
10. National melas
12. Non-Asian festivals
14. Non-Asian musicals
16. Non-Asian concerts
18. Non-Asian community theatre
20. Non-Asian mainstream theatre
22. Non-Asian museum exhibitions
24. Non-Asian art exhibitions
26. Non-Asian poetry events
28. Non-Asian fashion shows
30. Non-Asian dance
32. Non-Asian film
34. Non-Asian restaurants
1
Bejoy Dibash is the Victory Day marking the winning the 1971 War for
Independence against West Pakistan, celebrated on 16 December
3
Shaheed Dibash is Martyrs' Day, the national mourning day for the East Pakistanis
who protested against language imposition in 1952 and in celebration of World
Mother Language Movement Day, celebrated on 21 February
5
Shadinatha Dibash is Bangladesh Independence Day celebrated on 26 March
7
Pahela Baishak is the Bangla New Year celebrated on 14 April
3.3.2
1. Bangladeshi national celebrations
Victory Day (Bejoy Dibash)
Martyrs Day (Shaheed Dibash)
Independence Day (Shadinatha Dibash)
Bangla New Year (Pahela Baishak)
Those that would travel nationally
No of respondents
15
14
13
9
9
Table 3.3.2i Bangladeshi national celebrations Base: 26 Organisations
The most popular events that were attended were the local celebrations of the four
Bangladeshi national celebrations Victory Day (15 respondents, 57.7%), Martyrs' Day (14
respondents, 53.8%), Independence Day (13 respondents, 50%) and the Bangla New
Year (nine respondents, 34.6%). Respondents were less likely, however, to travel
39
nationally to these events. Nine respondents (34.6%) had travelled or knew of members
who had travelled to London to celebrate the Bangla New Year in Brick Lane, East
London.
2. Melas
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2ii Melas
Local
4
8
8
6
National
11
3
8
4
Base: 26 Organisations
Melas were generally quite popular but not attended as frequently as Bangladesh
national celebrations and again it was thought that people were less likely to attend those
outside of their locality. Eleven respondents (42.3%) felt their members would never
travel to a mela in another part of the country. Four respondents (15.4%) had, however,
participated in the London mela and four in the Bradford mela. One respondent had been
to the Cardiff mela. Eight respondents (30.8%) had said that they would occasionally
attend a mela or travel further afield to attend.
The melas attended were in order of popularity: Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale
equally, Bradford and London equally, Aston and Cardiff.
3. Festivals
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2iii Festivals
Asian
8
6
6
6
Non-Asian
14
5
3
4
Base: 26 Organisations
Festivals were classified as those with a Bangladeshi or South Asian theme and had
average attendances. Six respondents (23.1%) regularly attend festivals and four
(15.4%) regularly attend non-Asian festivals. Fourteen respondents (53.8%) said they
had never participated in a non-Asian festival and eight (30.8%) had never participated in
any Asian festival. Six respondents (23.1%) had occasionally participated in an Asian
festival and three (11.5%) in a non-Asian festival. Six respondents (23.1%) had attended
an Asian festival once or twice and five (19.2%) in non-Asian festivals.
Festivals named (in no particular order) were the Commonwealth Film Festival (Bangla
film), the Bangla Arts Festival at the Brady Centre, International Women's Day, Cultural
Fusion Days in Ashton, film festivals in Manchester and London and the Queen's Jubilee.
Other festivals attended were held in Manchester, Oldham, Liverpool, Chester, London,
Newcastle and Brighton.
40
4. Musicals
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2iv Musicals
Asian
7
6
11
2
Non-Asian
20
2
4
0
Base: 26 Organisations
Local musicals were attended with 11 respondents (42.3%) having occasionally been to
an Asian musical and two responding (7.7%) as regular attendees.
Non-Asian musicals were less well attended with 20 having never been and four
respondents (15.4%) stating they were regular attendees. Musicals named were (in no
particular order) Miss Saigon, Wizard of Oz, Bombay Dreams, Unsuitable Girls, Jesus
Christ Superstar. They were attended in Manchester, Birmingham, London, Chester,
Oldham, at The Lowry and a musical by the Bangladesh Association Community Project.
5. Concerts
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2v Concerts
Asian
4
5
11
6
Non-Asian
21
2
3
0
Base: 26 Organisations
Asian concerts were classed as those of a Bangladeshi or South Asian theme and were
more frequently attended than non-Asian concerts. Six respondents (23.1%) said they
frequently attended Asian concerts, 11 (42.3%) attended occasionally, five (19.2%) had
attended once or twice and four (15.4%) had never attended. Non-Asian concerts were
considerably less popular with 21 respondents (80.8%) never having attended one. Three
(11.5%) had attended occasionally and two (7.7%) had attended once or twice.
Concerts named were Bollywood concerts, Amir Uddin at the Pennine Way Hotel in
Oldham and Ayub Bachu and Alaur Rahman at Richmond Hall and Wardleworth
Community Centre. Six respondents (23.1%) had attended concerts held in Manchester
and a few had travelled to London and Birmingham for a concert.
6. Community theatre
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Asian
12
4
6
Non-Asian
20
4
6
41
Regularly
4
Table 3.3.2vi Community theatre
0
Base: 26 Organisations
Community theatre was defined as theatre made and performed for the community within
community settings. This type of theatre is targeted at a certain population and was more
popular than mainstream theatre. More than half of the respondents had attended
community theatre, some more regularly than others, but 12 respondents (46.2%) %) had
never attended Asian community theatre and 20 respondents (76.9%) had never
attended non-Asian community theatre. There were no frequent attendees of non-Asian
community theatre but six respondents (23.1%) attended occasionally and four
respondents (15.4%) had attended once or twice.
Organisations that were named were the Young People's Theatre in Mosseley, Burnley
Youth Theatre and three respondents had attended their child's school play.
7. Mainstream theatre
Asian
Never
13
Once or twice
6
Occasionally
5
Regularly
2
Table 3.3.2vii Mainstream theatre
Non-Asian
17
4
3
2
Base: 26 Organisations
Mainstream theatre was unattended by over half of the respondents. Exactly half had
never attended Asian theatre and 17 people (65.4%) had never attended non-Asian
mainstream theatre. Nine respondents (34.6%) had attended
non-Asian mainstream theatre, two of which (7.7%) were regular attendees and half of
the respondents (50%) had attended Asian theatre, two of which (5.5%) were regular
attendees.
East is East was the only production mentioned for Asian theatre and venues mentioned
included the Oldham Coliseum by three respondents (11.5%) (and in no particular order)
the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Palace Theatre, the Bolton Octagon, the Lowry and
Contact Theatre, Manchester
8. Museums
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2viii Museums
Asian
10
8
6
2
Non-Asian
12
7
6
4
Base: 26 Organisations
42
Over half of all respondents had attended exhibitions in museums. Two respondents
(7.7%) regularly visited Asian exhibitions and four respondents regularly visited
non-Asian exhibitions. Equal numbers of six (23.1%) visit both occasionally and eight
(30.8%) and seven (26.9%) have visited Asian and
non-Asian exhibitions respectively, once or twice. One respondent (3.9%) said they
would frequently visit most exhibitions, Asian and non-Asian. Ten respondents (38.5%)
said they had never visited an Asian themed museum exhibition and twelve (46.2%) had
never visited a non-Asian exhibition.
The Bangla exhibition hosted at Gallery Oldham had been visited by four of the
respondents (15.4%), nine respondents (34.6%) named Manchester Museum as a venue
and two (7.7%) had visited Touchstones Rochdale. Chester was also named and one
(3.9%) respondent had visited the Asian Heritage Exhibition.
9. Poetry events
Asian
Never
8
Once or twice
4
Occasionally
10
Regularly
4
Table 3.3.2ix Poetry events
Non-Asian
20
4
1
1
Base: 26 Organisations
Eighteen respondents (69.2%) had attended Asian poetry events. Again, when we say
Asian we are talking about South Asia, in particular Bangla, and in some cases some
might attend an Urdu poetry event. Eight respondents (30.8%) had never attended an
Asian poetry event and 20 respondents (76.9%) had never attended a non-Asian poetry
event. One respondent regularly attended both Asian and non-Asian poetry events, and
another one respondent would occasionally attend a non-Asian poetry event.
The events named were mainly in Bangla with three respondents celebrating Language
Day at the Wardleworth Community Centre. Kobi Ilyas Uddin read at the Oldham
Bangladeshi Association and Ashton Bangladeshi Association held an event for the
children attending Bangla School. Contact Theatre, Manchester was also mentioned.
10. Fashion shows
Asian
Never
13
Once or twice
5
Occasionally
6
Regularly
2
Table 3.3.2x Fashion shows
Non-Asian
22
1
3
0
Base: 26 Organisations
Asian fashion shows were considerably more popular than non-Asian ones. Two
43
respondents (7.7%) would frequently attend an Asian fashion show, six (23.1%) have
occasionally attended and five (19.2%) had attended once or twice. Half of the
respondents (50%) had never attended an Asian fashion show whereas 22 (84.6%) had
never attended a non-Asian fashion show. Three respondents (11.5%) have occasionally
attended a non-Asian fashion show and one (3.9%) respondent had been once or twice.
Shows that were mentioned were those hosted by Millon (an Asian fashion clothing
boutique in Oldham), Grange Arts and the Asian and White Bridal Fair. People had been
to fashion shows in Chester and two (7.7%) had mentioned Manchester.
11. Dance
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2xi Dance
Asian
10
6
7
3
Non-Asian
22
2
2
0
Base: 26 Organisations
Respondents were less likely to attend a dance event that wasn't Asian. Twenty two
(84.6%) out of 26 respondents had never attended a non-Asian dance event whereas 10
respondents had never attended an Asian dance event. Three (11.5%) people frequently
attend Asian dance events, seven (26.9%) were occasional attendees and six (23.1%)
had been once or twice. There were no respondents who regularly attended non-Asian
dance events. Two (7.7%) respondents might occasionally go and two respondents
(7.7%) had attended a non-Asian dance event once or twice.
Venues mentioned were (in no particular order) the Green Room, Contact Theatre,
Manchester, the Lowry, Bangladesh Association Community Project and Richmond Hall.
An event in Huddersfield was mentioned, as was a Bangla Event held at Manchester
University. Chester and Oldham were mentioned as places where they had been for a
dance event.
12. Film
Never
Once or wice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2xii Film
Asian
9
5
7
5
Non-Asian
12
1
6
7
Base: 26 Organisations
Asian cinema would include Bollywood films as well as Bengali films. Out of 26
respondents, five (19.2%) said they would regularly visit the cinema for Asian film and
seven respondents (26.9%) were frequent visitors to the cinema for
non-Asian film. Seven respondents (26.9%) would occasionally go to see an Asian film
44
and six (23.1%) to see a non-Asian film. Five respondents (19.2%) had been to see an
Asian film once or twice. Nine respondents (34.6%) don't go to see Asian films whereas
12 respondents (46.2%) don't go to see non-Asian films. Four (15.4%) of the
respondents commented that they mainly watch Bangla films at home, either on video,
DVD, satellite or cable TV.
13. Art exhibitions
Asian
Never
11
Once or twice
7
Occasionally
7
Regularly
1
Table 3.3.2xiii Art exhibitions
Non-Asian
21
2
2
1
Base: 26 Organisations
Asian art exhibitions are more likely to be visited than non-Asian exhibitions.
Fifteen respondents (57.7%) had visited an Asian exhibition whereas only five
respondents (19.2%) visited non-Asian art exhibitions. One respondent (3.9%) attends
Asian art exhibitions regularly, seven (26.9%) go occasionally and seven (26.9%) have
been once or twice. One respondent (3.9%) is a frequent visitor to non-Asian art
exhibitions, two (7.7%) would visit a non-Asian art exhibition occasionally and two (7.7%)
have been once or twice. Twenty one people (80.8%) responded saying they had never
attended a non-Asian art exhibition whereas 11 people (42.3%) had never attended an
Asian art exhibition.
Venues visited included Gallery Oldham by four respondents (15.4%), Touchstones
Rochdale and a Bangla exhibition in London by two respondents (7.7%). Two
respondents (7.7%) also mentioned Manchester as a place they had visited exhibitions.
14. Restaurants
Never
Once or twice
Occasionally
Regularly
Table 3.3.2xiv Restaurants
Asian
3
7
5
11
Non-Asian
14
5
3
4
Base: 26 Organisations
Asian restaurants were classified during the questionnaire as South Asian cuisine,
understood by all to mean Indian restaurants. Respondents were more likely to attend an
Asian restaurant, with 16 people (61.5%) saying they dine regularly or occasionally. Only
three respondents never dine at an Asian restaurant compared to 14 respondents who
never dine at non-Asian restaurants.
Focus groups (men)
45
Most of the men in the focus groups were aware of and had attended events that
celebrated Bangladeshi national celebrations, but it was felt that there were few other
events available. For the first time in Rochdale a Bangladeshi amateur play was held at
the local community centre. It was entitled Shorbanashi Bonna, meaning Devastating
Floods. The event was well publicised yet less than 20 people attended. Participants said
because this sort of artform was new to Rochdale and the artists were unknown, people
didn’t think it would be worth going. Those who did attend enjoyed it and said if there were
more ongoing projects like theatre then, in time, people’s interest might grow and more
people would not only attend but also take part. The production was also held in Oldham
where over 200 people attended. The average audience was younger, ie: under 45 years
old and there was a good gender mix.
All of the men listen to Bangla music. Three of the participants, who are members of the
Rochdale Bangladeshi Professional Network, said they had even organised music
workshops for local people but when funding ended so did the classes. A lack of funding
was said to be a barrier to undertaking arts activities. A music workshop is held every
Thursday evening at the Bangladeshi Association Community Project, which is well
attended, but again very few are aware of it. Those who do attend are Hindu Bengalis who
were thought of as more liberal than Sylhetis by the focus group. It was felt that the lack of
participation in arts activities was not a Bangladeshi problem but more of a Sylheti
problem. UK Bangladeshis who originate from the main city of Dhaka attend more events
and celebrate their Bangladeshi heritage, but Sylhetis were culturally very backward,
according to this group.
Some events that take place happen behind closed doors. For example, a group of up to
40 men go to a restaurant in Littleborough every Tuesday morning after work, mainly
between 1-4am. They get together to sing folk songs, read poetry and stories. The event
is really popular but not many people know about it and the men do not wish to publicise it.
All of the men had attended Melas. Those that had been to the Manchester Mela would
not consider themselves to be regular participants, mainly because of the lack of
Bangladeshi artists performing. The experience of some of the Rochdale focus group was
very negative because the Bangladeshi artist was told to go on after all the other artists,
and was given little time to perform. By this time most Bangladeshis in the crowds had to
leave for work and didn’t get too see the performance and the Bangla artist left
disappointed. It was also felt that the Mela organisers get funding to bring over famous
Pakistani artists but do not make the same efforts to bring over Bangla artists.
Two of the participants had been to Touchstones Rochdale and one had been to the
Saddleworth Museum in Oldham for a Bangla song evening. All eat out at restaurants,
mainly with friends. None had attended Just before the Rain, Masala Girls or Shikor O
Phool. Nobody in the Rochdale focus group had heard of any of the events and said if
they had they would have gone.
Focus groups (women)
46
All of the respondents agreed that they had not attended many events. The main reason
for this was because events in their area were dominated by men and young boys.
Cultural events were seen as male arenas, even though every member of the focus
groups had attended melas. The main Baishaki mela held in London was only attended
by one woman. The trips organised had been aimed at men and the women felt that their
families would have disapproved had they gone. All of the women had attended local
melas with friends, although some parents disapproved. Families see melas as a place
full of boys and don't want their daughters being around them. Most of them were
disappointed with some of the melas, as they felt outnumbered and excluded by the
heavily dominated Pakistani crowds, as well as by the lack of Bangladeshi artists.
Despite going to museums when they were at school, none had been back as adults.
They said it had never appealed but those with children said they would encourage their
children to go.
Only one girl had attended Just before the Rain and Masala Girls because her friend had
taken her, otherwise she would not have heard about it and would not have gone. The
rest of the participants had never heard of the events; they were not sure that even if they
had heard they would have been able to go. One woman said she would have liked to
have seen Masala Girls if it had been local to her in Rochdale. None had heard about
Shikor O Phool.
Some of the participants eat out at restaurants frequently. The rest said their husbands
work at restaurants for most of the week and they can’t really go without them even if they
had the time.
Most of the participants attend fashion shows but these were not particularly Bangladeshi
events. They said they knew these events would be very mixed but they would not feel out
of place going. All members of the Hyde focus group had been to the Portland Basin
Museum in Ashton to see an Asian heritage event that was held two years ago. Some had
also been to watch an American Muslim Nasheed group called 786.
They had all watched locally made Sylheti films and their responses were mixed. Some
said they loved watching them as they deal with issues and problems within the
Bangladeshi community and also the dialect was familiar. Others felt the films
exaggerated real issues and were too critical of the Bangladeshi community in the UK,
which was a turn off, and they had watched for ‘the sake of watching’ with their families.
The presentation of these films needed to be more appealing and modern to be more
palatable. For example the format of B4U, an Asian music channel on satellite and cable,
was seen as more acceptable to a British Bangladeshi.
All agreed that they would want to watch or attend more Bangladeshi events but feel that
that these forms are not appealing, especially to the younger generation.
Key finding
Although the questionnaire sought to find out whether members of their organisations
47
attend any cultural activities, invariably respondents could only answer for themselves
and were not be able to provide a full insight into the experiences of members or users of
their organisations. They would however have a significant level of influence on
opportunities for arts involvement among Bangladeshi people, as they are either working
within or voluntarily and actively involved in the direction of organisations. The insight
gained from the focus groups helped in the analysis of the questionnaire responses.
The respondents were more likely to attend cultural and social events than the average
community member due to the nature of their work; one aspect of which is to encourage
people to participate in all spheres of community life. They are also the people most likely
hear about events as well as having the leisure time and money to attend them. This
selectivity also gives the leadership role in overcoming barriers and creating opportunities
for others to participate.
Out of the 26 respondents four (15.4%) were women. As a sample, this number is not
representative of the female Bangladeshi population but it is more representative of the
adult Bangladeshi female population that is participating in the labour market (Oldham
Policy Unit Report, 1997)13 We know from the responses made in the female focus
groups that their experience and views of artistic participation and attendance were
different from the men. What is of concern is how sympathetic these male dominated
organisations are to the needs and desires of the Bangladeshi female population in their
communities.
Another factor for the lack of participation of women was concern about what other people
in the community would say or that their families feel that the community would talk about
their wives/daughters/sisters and so don't allow them to take part in events. We heard in
the focus groups that sometimes husbands would not allow women to go because they
were afraid that people would speak badly about their wives. It was said, ‘These events
are not family friendly, if they were, maybe more women would go.’ The women said they
did not have a problem with a mixed audience, but if the number of men in the audience
outweighed the number of women, then women were likely to feel uncomfortable and this
would deter them from going again in the future.
Bangladeshi national celebrations are major diary dates that the participants anticipate
and look forward to. For many, they are the social events of their year. The popularity of
these events highlights the sense of patriotism the Bangladeshi community feel towards
Bangladesh, giving a sense of identity and belonging that they might not otherwise feel.
For many, it is about being passionate about being in an environment of Bangladeshi
culture, which evokes nostalgia, and a positive send of affirmation.
The events are mostly organised by mid generational men in a male dominated arena.
The events then become territorial and subtly exclude women. Because the events are
often patriotic in nature, they are not seen as relevant by younger British-Bangla males
and they are less likely to attend. There is quite often silent disapproval if women attended
such events. In one focus group a woman commented, ‘Families see melas as a place full
of boys and don't want their daughters being around them’.
48
Melas and festivals were also very popular. Nine of the male respondents had travelled
nationally to such events. Although women from the Bangladeshi community attend local
melas, and indeed some of the women interviewed in focus groups and the community
organisations had, these are still activities that feel uncomfortable for many women if
indeed they are allowed to go.
An Asian concert was considered to be more culturally acceptable than a
non-Asian one, although for girls and women neither was considered acceptable in their
community. There were anecdotes of girls being more likely to attend non-Asian concerts
simply because they were less likely to be seen at one and therefore sparing the family
gossip. Although many young women might feel uncomfortable at national celebrations,
festivals, melas and concerts, they were less likely to feel uncomfortable at fashion
shows. Middle aged, disapproving men didn’t generally attend fashion shows and so
women and girls wouldn’t be seen and therefore they wouldn’t be face disapproval.
Focus groups show a real interest in community theatre but from the sample of
questionnaires conducted it didn’t prove to be a popular form of entertainment. Perhaps
community theatre is at the development stage and maybe the questionnaire
respondents were more traditional in their outlook. Organisations and groups that run
them have been criticised for not being aware of community art needs by the focus groups
and this appears to prove the point.
Many people watch the Bangla satellite and cable channels that have popularised many
Bangladeshi artists and from this research we know there is a demand for them to
perform live. Disappointment was expressed in focus groups and in the questionnaire
about the lack of Bangladeshi artists at both national and international melas and
festivals. Organisers of events may not be fully aware of all the artists who are available
for events and although an international artist may draw crowds, many national artists are
well known and have a good following. There is also a growing number of artists that
could potentially appeal to younger crowds. Nurturing and exposure of their art would not
only help the artist but could also be a way of engaging broader groups of Bangladeshis in
arts participation.
When questioned about Asian poetry events it was found that this form of arts
participation proved very popular. People from Bangladesh and particularly from the
wider region of Bengal, for example Calcutta, have a strong regard for literature and the
creative literary form. Even those that do not personally have the literacy or creative skills
participate in such artforms. Younger generations have, generally, not acquired the same
regard for the arts in this traditional form as their parents may have had. Some members
of the Bangladeshi community also attend Urdu poetry events. Urdu was the national
language of Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) until independence from West Pakistan
in 1971 and some members of the Bangladeshi community are also able to understand
and communicate in Urdu.
‘We are familiar with music events and dance taking place late into the night and are
49
quite accustomed to the idea of 24 hour cities where there’s always somewhere to
go for something to eat and something to do, but mainstream art events are usually
during the day or early evening. So when a significant number of the Bangladeshi
male population are engaged in the Indian restaurant catering trade, catering for
people who are eating either before or after attending an art event, they are
inevitably excluded from such participation.’
We heard in the focus group of closed events taking place in restaurants after closing
hours for restaurant workers in the region. This is a great initiative and by all accounts
very successful. If the group are happy with the way things are there is no need to
broaden it. And indeed why should they? Closed, private events are just as valid and
beneficial to participants if not more than public ones. It’s about the opportunity of
participating fully in what we might call ‘safe spaces’ and ‘safe places’ and not feeling self
conscious and trusting others enough to take part and share literature, music and culture
generally. The nature of the business, however, leaves the rest of the family excluded
from such participation, as these are organised by and exclusively attended by men.
It was found that cultural activities that are prevalent in Bangladesh are often enjoyed
here. Bengali traditional cultural heritage appeals to many of the older Bangladeshi
people living in England. They are less appealing to younger generations but fusions of
artforms and of eastern and western culture are very popular. But participation might
depend on how comfortable a person might feel attending a certain event at a particular
venue and who else might be there. Mainstream arts activities are just as unlikely to
engage Bangladeshi working classes as they do the white working class.
3.3.3 Particular activities attended
In order to delve a little deeper into attendance patterns, four events were selected that
had attempted to attract previously untapped audiences. These were Shikor-o-phool, an
exhibition Just before the rain and Masala Girls, theatre and Park Life, a series of events
in Alexandra Park. We asked respondents their reasons for attending or not attending
these events.

Shikor O Phool
Eleven respondents (42.3%) visited this exhibition that was hosted by Gallery Oldham.
Their reasons for attendance included four respondents because Bangladeshi artists
from Bangladesh were exhibiting (15.4%), one (3.9%) had been interested to go after
having read about it in Asian News, and two (7.7%) had heard good things about the
exhibition from other people. One respondent (3.9%) remarked that they were further
encouraged because it was in their locality. Fifteen respondents (57.7%) had not visited:
nine of these (34.6%) had been unaware of the exhibition, two respondents (7.7%) didn't
think it would appeal, one (3.9%) had no time and one (3.9%) had commented that there
wasn't enough publicity about it in other towns.

Just Before the Rain
Ten respondents (38.9%) had gone to see this production by Peshkar Productions, an
50
Asian-run Oldham based theatre company with good contacts in the community. Three
(11.5%) had said it sounded interesting and felt it appealed to young people, three
(11.5%) had heard good things about the show and one respondent (3.9%) had
commented that the event was well organised and the production covered contemporary
issues. This respondent further remarked that they had been impressed by the
involvement of local artists. Sixteen respondents (61.5%) had not attended this
production. Nine (34.6%) of which had been unaware and four (15.4%) had had no time.

Park Life at Alexandra Park
Seventeen (65.4%) of the people interviewed had participated in this event. Four
respondents (15.4%) had commented that it had been a nice day to go and or made a
good afternoon out and one (3.9%) had enjoyed the variety of events. Of the nine people
(34.6%) who had not gone to this event, seven (30.4%) had been unaware of the event
having taken place, two (7.7%) had had no time, one (3.9%) respondent wouldn't travel
out of town for a day out and therefore did not attend.

Masala Girls at Contact Theatre, Manchester
From the 26 organisations interviewed, nine (26.9%) had attended this production; two
(7.7%) of them had seen it in Oldham and commented that they had gone because it was
local, two (7.7%) respondents had gone because previous productions by the company
had been enjoyed and this production had good hype, one respondent (3.9%)
commented that it was popular among young women because of its subject matter.
Seventeen people (65.4%) had not attended this production, six (23.1%) were unaware of
the event, four (15.4%) had had no time and for three respondents (11.5%) the production
did not appeal.
Key finding
In an attempt to further explore what appeals and what does not in terms of arts
participation, likely participants were looking to attend something:
 they could relate to
 that had good reviews either through press or word of mouth
 that was easy to get to; people were also impressed with the involvement of local
artists
Of those that did not attend, lack of awareness was still an issue. This points to a need to
revisit the ways in which events are publicised and how widely they are publicised. Of
course, some events are just not going to appeal to everyone and many people have prior
engagements or would rather spend their leisure time in other ways.
3.4
Barriers to participation
Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with 17 statements that highlighted
barriers that might exist to prevent people from attending events. As pointed out earlier,
respondents were not able to provide an insight into the experiences of members or users
of their organisations. The questionnaire asked about the barriers that might prevent
51
other people from attending events. These observations were supported by the
responses from the focus groups.
Twenty two of the respondents were male; the under representation of women was
overcome by informal questioning in focus groups opened discussion and led to indepth
responses from women.
52
1. The nature of the artform does not appeal
Participation in arts events depends mainly on whether the artform was of interest. It may
be that potential participants had not explored or had exposure to particular artform and
therefore were not aware of its potential appeal to them.
For 18 respondents the lack of appeal was not a barrier to attendance; for them other
barriers prevented their participation. Seven respondents (26.9%) agreed with this
statement, with one (3.9%) strongly agreeing. Eighteen (69.2%) disagreed with this
statement, two of which (7.7%) strongly disagreed. One (3.9%) respondent didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree
2
16
Table 3.4i Appeal of artform
Don’t know
1
Agree Strongly agree
6
1
Base: 26 Organisations
2. It is hard to connect with the meaning or message of the work
Quite often an exhibition or performance will not provide connections to an individual’s life
experiences or the issues that are important to them.
Fourteen respondents did not see this as a barrier to attendance possibly because events
highlighted were seen as relevant for them and other barriers may exist to prevent their
participation. However, 10 respondents (38.5%) agreed with this statement, two (7.7%)
of which strongly agreed. Fourteen (53.8%) disagreed, two of which (7.7%) strongly
agreed and two respondents (7.7%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
2
12
2
8
2
Table 3.4ii Connection With meaning/message base: 26 Organisations
3. Would feel uncomfortable
Some events, although they may be of interest and might otherwise be an enjoyable
experience, may make participants uncomfortable for various other reasons. It may be
that they are not made to feel welcome or they are not familiar with the venue and so don’t
feel a sense of belonging among the other participants at the event.
Eight people (30.8%) agreed with this statement and 18 respondents (69.2%) disagreed,
one (3.9%) of which strongly disagreed.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
1
17
0
8
0
Table 3.4iii Would feel uncomfortable Base: 26 Organisations
4. Perceptions of elitism associated with the artform or organisation
Many arts events, either exhibitions, productions or celebrations, may be considered far
removed from the lives that potential participants lead. They may be seen as aimed at
people who are either more highbrow or intelligent, or belonging to an elite group, to
which the common person has no access.
Fifteen respondents (57.7%) out of 26 agreed with this statement, one of which (3.9%)
agreed strongly. Six respondents (23.1%) disagreed, one (3.9%) of which disagreed
strongly. It did not apply to one respondent (3.9%) and four respondents (15.4%) didn’t
know.
(does not apply = 1)
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
1
5
4
14
1
Table 3.4iv Perceptions of elitism
Base: 26 Organisations
5. Difficult to make time
The arts are considered a leisure activity which features low on the respondents list of
priorities. It requires a certain amount of free time and is thought to require a certain
amount of money to pursue. Many Bangladeshi people in the North West are heavily
committed to family responsibilities and work commitments and spare time for such
leisure activities is rare. There were calls for family friendly events both from the
questionnaire and the focus groups. Family friendly events would be very difficult to
arrange for those families whose members are involved in the catering trade. They finish
too late for the rest of the family and this issue is therefore closely related to work and
family responsibilities.
Twenty two respondents (84.6%) agreed with this statement, three of which (11.5%)
strongly agreed. Four (15.4%) respondents disagreed with the statement.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
0
4
0
19
3
Table 3.4v Difficult to make time
Base: 26 Organisations
6. Rather spend leisure time in other ways
Similarly to the previous question, 17 people (65.4%) agreed that they would rather spend
their leisure time in other ways, four of which (15.4%) strongly agreed. Seven (26.9%)
disagreed and two respondents (7.7%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know
0
7
2
Table 3.4vi Leisure time preferences
Agree Strongly agree
13
4
Base: 26 Organisations
7. Cannot find anyone to go with
Even when other barriers to participation are removed, those interested in theatres, if this
interest isolates them from their peers, might feel reluctant to participate alone. Just under
half of the sample interviewed through the questionnaire agreed with this statement.
54
Twelve respondents (46.2%) agreed with this statement, two of which (7.7%) agreed
strongly. Fourteen respondents (53.8%) disagreed, one (3.9%) of which strongly
disagreed.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
1
13
0
10
2
Table 3.4vii Cannot Find anyone to go with Base: 26 Organisations
8. Family or society would not approve
Quite often among traditional societies such as the Bangladeshi community in the North
West of England, members of the family and wider members of the society do not
approve of an individual or groups of their people participating in certain events or even
spending their leisure time in such a way. Male members of the community are less likely
to be questioned in their daily lives and ultimately their life choices and even though the
sample was heavily male dominated, 14 respondents felt their family or society would not
approve of participation. Looking at the responses in detail, it was found that out of the
four women included in the sample, two of the women responded agreed to this
statement (one strongly).
Fourteen people (53.8%) agreed with this statement, half of which (26.9%) strongly
agreed. Ten people (38.5%) disagreed, two of which (7.7%), strongly. Two people (7.7%)
didn’t know.
Strongly disagree disagree
2
8
Table 3.4viii Disapproval
Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
2
7
7
Base: 26 Organisations
9. Friends or family would not understand interest
Even if disapproval of participation at arts events is not a factor, a lack of understanding
about an individual’s desire to participate in the arts can still exist. This can lead to a lack
of support and discomfort in making the decision to participate. It may even mean a
decision not to participate because it ‘just isn’t worth it’. (Female participant, focus group)
Fourteen people (53.8%), over half of the sample agreed with this statement, two of which
(7.7%) agreed strongly. Eight respondents (30.8%) disagreed, one of which (3.9%),
disagreed strongly. Four respondents (15.4%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know
1
7
4
Table 3.4ix Lack of understanding
Agree Strongly agree
12
2
Base: 26 Organisations
10. Childcare problems
Many arts events are child friendly but a vast number of events are held in the evenings
and/or are not suitable for the participation of children. Our results again illustrate the
55
male bias in our sample, as all of the women agreed or strongly agreed that childcare was
an issue.
Thirteen respondents (50%) agreed with this statement, two (7.7%) agreeing strongly.
Twelve respondents (46.2%) disagreed with the statement and one (3.9%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know
0
12
1
Table 3.4x Childcare problems
Agree Strongly agree
11
2
Base: 26 Organisations
11. The organisation is not accessible
This question was designed to discover how accessible respondents felt organisations
involved in arts events were.
Ten respondents (38.5%) agreed with this statement, 13 (50%) disagreed, one (3.9%) of
which disagreeing strongly. Three respondents (11.5%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
1
12
3
10
0
Table 3.4xi Organisation not accessible Base: 26 Organisations
12. Not sure what the organisation does
Many potential participants, if they are not familiar with an organisation and the work they
do, might feel a reluctance to participate. An individual needs to feel confident that they
are likely to enjoy an event or at least feel comfortable enough to participate even if they
might subsequently decide they didn’t enjoy the event.
Twelve respondents (46.2%) agreed with this statement, two of which (7.7%) agreed
strongly. Eleven respondents (42.3%) disagreed, two of which (7.7%) strongly disagreed.
Three respondents (11.5%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
2
9
3
10
2
Table 3.4xii Unfamiliar with organisation Base: 26 Organisations
13. Hours of operation are inconvenient
Arts events have traditionally been arranged with the nine to five working day in mind.
Increasingly fewer people work in this way and in particular, a large number of the
Bangladeshi population do not. Business hours vary according to the nature of business,
the demands of which may also leave very little time to entertain the idea of participation
let alone attendance.
Fourteen respondents (53.8%) agreed with this statement, two of which (7.7%) agreed
56
strongly. Eight respondents (30.8%) disagreed, of which one (3.9%) disagreed strongly.
Four respondents (15.4%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
1
7
4
12
2
Table 3.4xiii Inconvenient hours
Base: 26 Organisations
14. The location is not safe
For participation to occur, events have to be in safe locations. On the whole, organisers
take this into consideration and try their utmost to ensure safety but sometimes the
physical location of an event is one that is not deemed comfortably safe. It could be that
parking is scarce or the route and distance to public transport networks makes potential
participants feel unsafe. Also unfamiliar surroundings lead to insecurity.
Eleven respondents (42.3%) agreed with this statement, one of which (3.9%) agreed
strongly. Fifteen respondents (57.7%) disagreed with this statement, of which one (3.9%)
disagreed strongly.
Strongly disagree Disagree
1
14
Table 3.4xiv Unsafe location
Don’t know
0
Agree Strongly agree
10
1
Base: 26 Organisations
15. The event is too far away or hard to get to
Even if the location of an event is considered to be safe, if it is too far for someone to
comfortably get to and return within a reasonable amount of time this becomes a barrier
for participation. If the event is in the evening and participants have to rely on public
transport, the logistics of attending would also be a major factor in potential barriers to
participation.
Fifteen respondents (57.7%) agreed with this statement, three of which (11.5%) agreed
strongly. Eleven respondents (42.3%) disagreed, one of which (3.9%) strongly disagreed.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know
1
10
0
Table 3.4 xv Unsatisfactory event location
Agree Strongly agree
12
3
Base: 26 Organisations
16. Costs too much
Event organisers often think that a reason for the lack of participation may be the cost of
entrance or a ticket. For many people, finances are an issue and costs could be a barrier.
Give that the Bangladeshi population is one of the most economically impoverished,
spare finances for arts could be seen as frivolous or an extravagant use of money.
Nine respondents (34.6%) agreed with this statement, three of which (11.5%) agreed
strongly. Fourteen respondents (53.8%) disagreed, of which two (7.7%) disagreed
strongly. Two respondents (7.7%) didn’t know.
57
Strongly disagree Disagree
2
12
Table 3.4xvi Costs too much
Don’t know
2
Agree Strongly agree
6
3
Base: 26 Organisations
17. They did not enjoy their prior experience with the particular artform
Negative experience of an artform will inevitably put most people off
attending a similar event. It can be argued that some artforms, like food, are a taste that
can be acquired. It takes courage and leisure time, however, to return and re-explore.
Eight respondents (30.8%) agreed with this statement. Fourteen respondents (53.8%)
disagreed. Four respondents (15.4%) didn’t know.
Strongly disagree Disagree Don’t know Agree Strongly agree
0
14
4
8
0
Table 3.4xvii Negative prior experience Base: 26 Organisations
The questionnaire gave respondents the opportunity to comment on their responses and
also give any other barriers that they were aware of.
It was found that most people were too busy to have an interest in arts activities or events
and that not all would feel comfortable in taking part for various reasons. Some also
commented that there was a lack of information and understanding. Information was not
being translated into simple Bangla and the events themselves use formal Bangla rather
than the more accessible Sylheti Bangla, which then makes events seem exclusive.
There was a criticism of the lack of quality artists and another that there was not enough
choice of events. It was believed by one respondent (3.9%) that were the public to
actually overcome the many barriers, they would be inspired to attend more regularly.
The main barriers for women were social and familial pressure against attending as we
have seen in section 2.4. Females may find it harder to get family approval to go out as
cited by five respondents (19.2%) and many people would prefer separate male/female
sitting arrangements. Two respondents (7.7%) said that older Asian women don't have
the transport and facilities to go out to such events. Events were not child friendly or not
seen as family orientated, which excludes many people.
Focus groups (men)
The main barriers were family, work, religion, lack of peer group interest and lack of
encouragement.
One participant, who was the youngest among the group, said one of the biggest barriers
was that events were not aimed at young people. He said young people between the
ages of 16-24 were more interested in music than attending events that were full of older
men and where the entertainment catered more for older people than young people. Last
year he had organised an Eid party, as did the local Bangladeshi organisation, yet his
58
party was full of young people from Rochdale and out of town. The main reason for this
was because he had provided what younger people want and that was youth music. He
even had Bangla music playing at the party yet the music was not traditional, but remixed.
However, he said the event was not held at a community venue but at a hired venue
outside of the known community facilities. He was afraid that if older people found out
about it, his event would be criticised and then nobody would attend. It was suggested by
other participants in the focus group that he must try and hold a party in the community, as
this would be the only way to break down barriers and get people more accustomed to
different events for young people.
All said they realised that there was not enough participation from Bangladeshi women
and acknowledge the cultural barriers that stop them from attending. A way forward could
be for their organisation to fund a women’s group and allow women onto their committee.
All agreed that events that are taking place, such as music workshops, must not do so
behind closed doors. Local Bangladeshi community groups were said to be always in
conflict with one another hindering development and participation.
A way forward, it was suggested, would be for organisations to work as one. They believe
if there are too many faction groups, people will only be interested in keeping each other
down - ‘to unite would mean a move forward’.
Islamic arts were becoming very popular and both men and women were attending them.
It was agreed that it would be great to hold an Islamic arts event in Rochdale. It was also
said that it would be a good idea to fuse Islamic arts and cultural artforms together as a
way of getting more men and women to attend and to encourage a broader range of ages.
Focus groups (women)
The two main barriers were parental disapproval and men.
They felt that parents were not aware of events and what happens at them and hence are
reluctant to let their daughters attend. Parents feel that all events are male dominated and
this is one of the biggest reasons why they discourage their daughters from going.
However, they said their parents would not have a problem if they went to events aimed at
women only, but even then they have to assure them that it is women only before they can
attend. They felt parents need to be educated and made aware of cultural activities. This
would make it easier for them to attend.
It was felt that Bangladeshi organisations should include more women in their committees
so that when events were organised women would be more involved as participants and
audiences. Men were criticised for being too controlling and making all the decisions
about where females in their household should or should not go. ‘They are afraid that if
women go to such events they will become educated and cultured – it's a power trip’.
Many young girls found that they couldn’t go to events because parents would not allow
them but it is an ongoing cycle, as the situation doesn’t change significantly when they get
married. Male community leaders disapprove of cultural events, which then influences
59
the decisions of husbands and brothers as well as parents about whether or not they can
attend. Beyond this, peer pressure also influences whether they attend or not; if their
friends aren’t going then they won’t go.
Arts officer comments
The main barriers are those of language, and for many, alienation from the rest of society
ie: not having a good grasp of English. On the other hand there is a lack of knowledge
about the Bangladeshi artistic culture, the needs of that community and understanding of
the dynamics in play.
Other barriers as seen from the perspective of arts officers were:
 Community pressure - not seeing art or related subjects/activities as an important,
valuable or respected thing to do. Strong community emphasis on business as
opposed to art, which is not seen as a good career choice
 Religious reasons – the arts are often generalised and people think its just drawing
people and animals or intimate interaction with 'strangers', the 'opposite sex'. It is
seen to openly contradict with the religious conservative values held by most
Bangladeshi families. There is a lack of knowledge of their artistic and cultural
heritage from both the subcontinent and Islamic art and architecture
 Fathers, brothers and elders in the family not approving of attendance or
participation in the arts and therefore not permitting permission
 Having religious classes to attend in the evenings or at weekends and family
demands and responsibilities
When asked about the existing barriers preventing participation in the arts generally, arts
officers said there was a lack of trust which needs to be established before potential
attendees might consider attending. Also that significant persuasion is needed. The
artform does needs to be relevant to attract audiences and encourage further
participation. They also said there was a lack of appropriate funding available to groups
and organisations.
Key findings – summary table
Barrier
Artform does not
appeal
-2
-1
Strongly Disagree Don’t
Disagree
Know
2
16
1
0
Agree
6
1
2
Strongl Rank
y Agree Order
1
-12
No connection with
meaning/message
Would feel
uncomfortable
2
12
2
8
2
-4
1
17
0
8
0
-11
Perceptions of
elitism
1
5
4
14
0
7
60
Difficult to make
time
0
4
0
19
3
19
Prefer to spend
leisure time in other
ways
Cannot find anyone
to go with
Family or society
would not approve
Family or friends
would not
understand
Childcare problems
0
7
2
13
4
14
1
13
0
10
2
-1
2
8
2
7
7
9
1
7
4
12
2
7
0
12
1
11
2
3
Organisation not
accessible
Unfamiliar with
organisation
Inconvenient hours
1
12
3
10
0
-4
2
9
3
10
2
1
1
7
4
12
2
7
Location is not safe
1
14
0
10
1
-3
Event is too far or
hard to get to
Costs too much
1
10
0
12
3
7
2
12
2
6
3
-4
Negative prior
0
14
experience
Table 3.4xviii Summary of barriers
4
8
0
-6
Base: 26 Organisations
Barriers exist in all communities when it comes to arts participation. The main barriers
were that it was difficult to find time, the event location was too far away or hard to get to
and the strongest response was that family and/or society would not approve of their
attendance. Factors that were least likely to prevent the sample from attending events
were that respondents might feel uncomfortable and that the artform does not appeal.
Event location being too far away or hard to get to was said to be one of the main barriers.
We have seen from the sorts of events people have attended that there are other parts of
the country where people of Bangladeshi heritage are drawn to in large numbers,
attending either specialist music, literary, theatre or film festivals throughout the year. In
May each year the Bangla New Year is celebrated in Tower Hamlets with coach loads of
people going from Oldham and the North West. They are drawn to the festival because it
is the only festival they feel fully connected to and they are proud and very passionate
about the festival. Digital satellite channels promote and also broadcast the festival.
Recent public policy has urged agencies to think in terms of partnerships and
61
communities. They are encouraged to broaden their networks and collaborate, but
agencies have a central role in making this happen. Too often agencies have to work to
political boundaries that are meaningless to the Bangladeshi community. For example:
Bangladeshis in Yorkshire and Lancashire do not see each other in the same way that
institutions do. For historical reasons they are less aware of the differences in counties
and such boundaries. You can get to a cross county venue within an hour and we have
seen from our responses that many do. Social patterns of the Bangladeshi community
include travelling widely to see family, distant relatives, friends and also to attend
weddings and other occasions. Events could be marketed jointly with neighbouring areas.
It might be less than an hour between two towns in two different counties but more than
two in the same county.
It may be that if an artform is not so relevant to potential participants that they may attend
if it was held locally but would consider it too difficult if it wasn’t. So although distance was
cited as a barrier, the real barrier could be that the artform does not appeal. The
contradictory results could be due to positive face syndrome where respondents give an
answer they think is expected.
Women in the focus groups said there was a concern as to what other people in the
community would say or how their parents would feel, in that the community would talk
about their daughter and so don't allow their daughters to take part in events. There were
elements of shame associated with acting and dancing, especially in front of an audience.
For those who were married, they said their husbands would disapprove of them
attending. Most women would just not be allowed to attend. Arts officers were very aware
of this.
The timing and location of events can be seen as problematic. Events need to be close to
home so they are easy to get to. In one of the discussions in the focus groups we heard
that if events are on too late, then it becomes a problem to attend because of domestic
duties and familial approval and so events should be held in the early evening rather than
late evening. But then again, if it’s too early husbands are at home and the family meal
needs to be ready before the husband goes to work (for many male community members
this may be in a restaurant).
From the female focus groups we heard Bangladeshis in general tend to have more
children and at an early age and therefore cannot afford to get a babysitter for all their
children. They find it difficult to get a babysitter and when families do volunteer they feel
that they could not get away for the full duration of the event and would have to return
early. Because of this they said they ‘might not as well not bother going.’ Although many
Bangladeshi families have an extended family network, if a woman wishes to participate
where there is disapproval there can often be a lack of support. It can be hard to take
children to an event as parents feel they could not relax and enjoy the programme. Many
events are not family friendly. Crèche facilities at events would be a good idea. There was
a strong call for family friendly events from both women and men.
For some people, not being familiar with an organisation or perceptions of elitism
62
associated with the artform or organisation were barriers to participation. There has been
a lot of talk of safe spaces and safe places within policy to promote the cohesion of
communities. Local authorities and local strategic partners can create the environment
and conditions necessary for community cohesion to be nurtured and grow, but
facilitation needs to take place alongside the physical creation of safe spaces for
participants to be able to explore the breadth of experience and participate in debate and
discussion.
When barriers to participation are considered, it is not surprising that most homes
subscribe to the Bangla channels and Asian film channels that predominantly feature
films from Bollywood. Bangladeshi dramas are very popular and films are also regularly
imported from Bangladesh. So much so that on trips back to Bangladesh, many are able
to share the experience of watching them. From the focus groups and general knowledge
of the Bangladeshi community, like other subcontinental Asians, we heard that watching
films at home is a very popular activity. Quite often viewings include friends as well as the
wider family.
3.4.1 Availability of arts activities
The questionnaire asked whether respondents considered there to be enough accessible
arts activities in their locality.
The majority of respondents felt there was a greater need for arts activities than was
currently on offer. Three (11.5%) felt that there were enough, one of which (3.9%)
believed the community were not accessing the existing services, and said, 'people don't
seem to be bothered'. One respondent (3.9%) did not know and another said, 'if [there is]
so, don't know about it.'
The comments and criticisms about current services received in connection with this
question were that present activities mainly appealed to older men and were not of
interest to youths who would rather play football. It was also said that there should be
more for young people to enable them to be positively engaged in something cultural.
It was also felt that there were not enough arts activities geared towards Asian women,
with five respondents (19.2%) making similar comments. It was said that men go to most
local events, but the events are never tailored for women or Asian women friendly. There
were difficulties for women in their communities to get out, especially on their own. There
were not enough events that mixed age and gender at the same time and therefore they
felt excluded.
One respondent (3.9%) felt there had been more activities in the past and presently felt as
though there was a vacuum. It was also thought that many organisations presumed their
community was not interested in broadening their cultural outlook and so events and
classes are not organised. There was a suggestion that different organisations could
achieve more if they would only work with one another.
63
Three respondents (11.5%) felt that there was a far greater need in areas outside of
Manchester and Oldham, namely Rochdale and Ashton; although people living outside of
the major cities might be interested and prepared to travel if they knew of events.
Key finding
There was a need expressed for more activities, however it was felt community members
were not accessing the existing services. Many events mainly appealed to older people
and were not of interest to the young or women, who were also generally excluded from
community organised events.
Many organisations were perceived either to presume the arts needs of the community or
to think their community is not interested in broadening their cultural outlook and so
events and classes are not organised or inappropriate workshops or events are held,
resulting in low participation. It was felt more collaborations were needed between
community organisations and that events were held mainly in Oldham and Manchester
highlighting the need for more events to be held in other areas.
3.5
Communication
3.5.1 Techniques used
Organisations were asked which techniques they used to publicise their activities. A
series of 16 choices were given, which are summarised in Graph 3.1.
1. Word of mouth
Out of the 26 organisations interviewed, 24 (92.3%) had said they used word of mouth as
a way of publicising their activities. One respondent had sometimes used this method and
one had never used this method.
2. Telephone calls
Fifteen respondents (57.7%) had always publicised their events via telephone and nine
(34.6%) had sometimes used the telephone. One had rarely done so and one had never
considered doing so.
3. Direct mail
Nine organisations (34.6%) always used direct mail as a method for letting people know
of their events. Eight (30.8%) sometimes used this method and six (23.1%) rarely did so.
Two (7.7%) had never done so and one had never considered doing so.
4. Community collaborators
Five organisations (19.2%) always collaborated within the community to let people know
of their events. Four (15.4%) sometimes used this method and 11 (42.3%) rarely did so.
Four (15.4%) had never done so and two (7.7%) had never considered doing so.
5. Internet
The internet was not used by any organisation as a frequent method for letting people
know of their events. Six (23.1%) sometimes used this method and seven (26.9%) rarely
64
did. Thirteen (50%) had never done so and none had not considered doing so.
6. Free local media
Twelve organisations (46.2%) always used their free local media as a way of letting
people know of their events. Ten (38.5%) sometimes used this method and one rarely did
so. Two (7.7%) had never done so and one had never considered doing so.
7. National free media
Two organisations (7.7%) always used national free media as a way of letting people
know of their events. One (3.9%) sometimes used this method. Twenty two (84.6%) had
never done so and one (3.9%) had never considered doing so.
8. Local handouts and flyers
Twenty organisations (76.9%) always used distributed handouts and flyers locally as a
method for letting people know of their events. Five (19.2%) sometimes used this method
and one (3.9%) had never done so.
9. National handouts and flyers n
One (3.9%) organisation always used distributed handouts and flyers nationally to let
people know of their events. One (3.9%) sometimes used this method and one (3.9%)
had never considered doing so. Twenty three (88.5%) had never done so.
10. Paid adverts in local newspapers and magazines
One (3.9%) organisation always paid to advertise in local newspapers and magazines to
let people know of their events. Four (15.4%) sometimes had used this method and five
(19.2%) rarely did so. Fourteen (53.8%) had never done so and two (7.7%) had never
considered doing so.
11. Paid adverts in national newspapers and magazines
No organisations paid to advertise in national newspapers and magazines to let people
know of their events. One (3.9%) sometimes had used this method. Twenty three
(88.5%) had never done so and two (7.7%) had never considered doing so.
12. Local television and radio
Six organisations (23.1%) always used their local broadcast media as a method for letting
people know of their events. Two (7.7%) sometimes used this method and one (3.9%)
rarely did so. Seventeen organisations (65.4%) had never done so and none had not
considered doing so.
13. National television and radio
One organisation (3.9%) always used national broadcast media as a method for letting
people know of their events. Twenty five (96.2%) had never done so.
14. Local billboards
Three organisations (11.5%) always advertised on local billboards to let people know of
their events. One (3.9%) rarely used this method and one (3.9%) had never considered
65
doing so. Twenty two (84.6%) had never done so.
15. National billboards
All 26 organisations (100%) had never advertised on national billboards to let people
know of their events.
Focus groups
The groups were asked how they heard about events. The main source was leaflets,
posters and word of mouth – which are said to be the most effective ways to get people to
attend. They said when advertising is aimed towards young women it should be in places
of their interest, for example a local boutique (eg: Millon Collections) rather than at the
local cash and carry. Other methods include local papers, TV, the internet, magazines
and schools and colleges.
The different Bangladeshi communities all work along similar lines in terms of their
publicity. Traditionally communities are tight knit and members are very involved with one
another. It is more effective to receive a personal invitation and have community
interaction than to expect people to know of an event and take themselves along to it.
Events lend themselves more credibility if attendance is encouraged through personal
invitation. These close knit communication lines also have their disadvantages as they do
not access those outside of the network, such as young people and women.
Key findings
The most popular methods used by community organisations were:
Always
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Word of mouth
24
1
0
1
Not
considered
0
Local handouts
and flyers
Telephone calls
20
5
0
1
0
15
9
1
0
1
Free local media
12
10
1
2
1
Direct mail
9
8
6
2
1
Table 3.5.1 Publicity methods
Base: 26 Organisations
Word of mouth was the most popular method used by 24 out of 26 organisations
interviewed. The next most popular method was distributing flyers. Many organisations
informed their networks through telephone calls and also utilised publicity opportunities in
free local media and 17 organisations used direct mail.
There are local, regional and national organisations that ensure that the community works
towards making progress within Britain as well as keeping its identity. There are
66
numerous newspapers and publications in Bangla and English that are run by
Bangladeshis both nationally and locally that are also a good source of identity and
communication. Ethnic press, generally, has grown and flourished out of a communities'
need for a voice and affirmation that had previously been ignored or misunderstood. Most
members of the community tend to have access to the ethnic press and so this is a
popular vehicle for advertising events.
3.5.2 Strategies to encourage attendance
After enquiring about publicity techniques that were found to be most effective,
organisations were asked which strategies they had found to be successful in
encouraging Bangladeshi people to attend arts activities and events. Three organisations
(11.5%) stressed the importance of catering to the needs of users and for activities and
events to be of interest to their community. These groups held a number of events that
had good participation and were developing arts provision accordingly. However from the
focus groups and other responses, it was indicated that this was not generally happening.
To encourage participation organisations need good local knowledge, as well as
determined efforts to find out, in particular, what young people and women would enjoy.
Community organisations, it was said, should also support artists and arts events and
promote local talents to get local people to come. There were calls for popular artists,
especially from abroad, as many in the community are familiar with these stars due to
satellite and cable TV and Asian print media.
Six organisations (23.1%) said that an effort should be made to explain what the event is
about and what is being attempted in a way that comes across as
non threatening to the community’s principles: respect for the traditional roles men and
women play and respect and honour for elders. From previous experience five
organisations (19.2%) felt their community were more likely to attend if the event was free
and if food was available. It was also noted in one organisation (3.9%) that having a
musical performance at any arts event seemed to attract an audience.
Childcare provision and suitable transport arrangements were said to encourage women
to come. Four organisations (15.4%) said the venue should be suitable in that it should be
local, safe, friendly and open to all. Timing was of particular significance and mentioned
by two organisations (7.7%). It was also said that people’s working patterns should be
taken into consideration and times and events should be family friendly. This was
particularly difficult to achieve however, as we have heard from focus groups that many
families, due to work commitments, have very little time together as a family.
Key finding
The most successful and popular way to publicise activities and events within the
Bangladeshi community was by word of mouth, with six organisations (23.1%) stressing
this when asked to comment further. This could, however, depend on the type of activity
in question. Leafleting was also mentioned with appropriate translation for the community
it serves. One organisation (3.9%) said that better marketing was needed and that there
67
wasn’t enough awareness about the activities and events that were held. Five
organisations (19.2%) said that leafleting homes and businesses was effective, as well as
advertising in the windows of local businesses.
Other suggestions were:
 to invite other organisations to events
 utilising community activists, organisations and venues
 effective outreach work; publicity within and through council sources and
community networks
 publicising activities at other events, restaurants and mosques
Funding limitations were said to be a major issue by one organisation. This affects
promotion and publicity. One organisation (3.9%) believes if funding were more easily
available people would be open to involvement more, as art is important to them.
Women’s arts participation
3.6
During the focus groups with women, many of the questions seemed to need further
discussion. Women’s participation in general arts events is very different from that of the
men in their community. The focus group was a welcome opportunity for women to
discuss this in a safe place.
Focus groups (women)
Women are not encouraged to become artists as it seen as an unsuitable profession.
Parents disapprove because the community are likely to talk about their daughter in a
derogative way bringing shame onto the family. Parents were considered to be the
biggest barriers when it came to their daughters choosing a career that is not academic.



The participants said there were not enough role models in the community to
encourage women into art. They didn’t know of any Bangladeshi female artists in
the North West of England. More female role models from the Bangladeshi
community may encourage parents to let their daughters participate in arts events.
If parents were to support their daughters that would encourage a development of
skills in this area and possibly a career in the arts
It was pointed out that women in the UK are firmly discouraged to enter acting,
even in an amateur capacity, by their families because it was thought to go against
Islam. There was however less stigma attached to involvement in such arts in
Bangladesh
It was also found that many young brides who come from Bangladesh are very
artistically talented. Although these women would have been able to develop their
talents while in Bangladesh, as soon as they get married to a Bangladeshi man
from the UK, they arrive here and become housewives. Generally, it was thought
their husbands and in-laws don’t understand their talents and don’t want them to
develop or share it with their family members and friends, let alone professionally
One possible solution to these issues is the promotion of Islamic events that would appeal
68
to both men and women, as community members approved of the events and considered
them to be a good idea. Respondents said they would quite happily go to Islamic events,
but had not heard of any events taking place. Parents would be happy for women to
attend Islamic events as such events would promote Islamic values. Islamic events have
a better image than other events in the area. They would feel more encouraged to go as
the events are more appealing and interesting and it is safe to attend. Young women felt
that Islamic events would not be completely male dominated and it was felt that those
males that are in attendance would be there because of the event and ‘not to check out
girls’. This would make girls and women feel more comfortable going and would make
parents feel more comfortable as well. It was said that they would not only go to an Islamic
event but would even consider participating in Islamic arts activities. Islamic arts would
interest them more than Bangladeshi artforms because of this or a good idea might be a
fusion of both.
4
Conclusions of research findings
Although a Bangladeshi community has been present in the North West of England for
the past 40 years or so, there are always new members arriving and settling, usually
through marriage. According to the 2001 Census, of the 0.28 million Bangladeshis living
in the UK, 152,000 (54%) of the community were born in Bangladesh. (Census, 2001)14
Many of the organisations interviewed were heavily involved in the role of community
development and depended on workers and/or volunteers to organise events for the
community, for which there exists a demand on top of providing basic services such as
English classes and advice sessions.
At the start of the research there was a feeling from mainstream art providers and various
agencies that the Bangladeshi community were not participating in mainstream arts
events. There did however appear to be a lot of cultural and artistic activity happening for
the Bangladesh community and it has generally been assumed that the community were
accessing and participating in community arts. Although organisations said they were
catering for the needs and demands of their community, many subsections of the
community were not participating in some events for various reasons such as lack of
interest in the event or that they felt they were unable to. There was a substantial demand
for more arts activities and events by the community, revealed in discussions during the
focus groups and acknowledged within the community organisations.
A programme run by Arts Council England has looked indepth at the different ways of
encouraging people to participate in the arts. One of the most compelling conclusions of
their programme is that organisations that understand, trust and value their audiences are
more likely to thrive. (New Audiences for the Arts, 2004)17
Low levels of arts participation among the Bangladeshi community may be due to the fact
that the Bangladeshi population in Britain is predominantly working class and as such
their responses to cultural events (or lack of) is no different from other working class
groups, including white ones. We heard from focus groups that a negative response to
arts participation is prevalent within the Sylheti community. There seems to be the belief
69
that art in most forms is not compatible with Islam. Focus groups felt that for more
educated Bangladeshis from Sylhet and other regions of Bangladesh as well as Bengalis
from India, for whom education is a priority, art and culture is seen as central to their
identity and lives.
Larger events such as National Day celebrations and concerts featuring Bangladeshi
artists were almost exclusively attended by men, aged 30 and above. The research found
a good number of performance artists regularly appearing nationally at these events as
well as international artists. Such events saw few young people or women from the
Bangladeshi community attending. For the young these events were not seen as relevant
to their interests and for women there was disapproval about their participation from
family members and the close knit society at large.
Events that had successful participation in terms of numbers and a diverse audience
were Asian fashion shows, which the older male members of the community were not
likely to attend. The chance of disapproval or being talked about in their communities was
small and therefore encouraged participation by women, especially young women.
Another example of successful event participation is the daytime Bhangra Scene of the
1980s, where it was acceptable for a young person to be out during the day but not late in
the evening.
Smaller events and workshops were successful and proved that many people might be
more inclined to get involved if the artform was suitable. Women of all ages as well as
young men tended to participate if the events were organised as single gendered
activities. Arts activities that need a certain level of commitment over time were less likely
to succeed unless they led to something else such as qualifications or better work
opportunities, but even then they were viewed by participants’ family members as a waste
of time.
The younger generations have moved from the traditional forms of entertainment their
parents may have enjoyed and are developing their own. They are also more open to
different artforms particularly those that fuse east and west. We heard of a group of
young men who put together a music night catering for the musical taste of their peers
which proved to be a success. Unfortunately they weren’t confident of local community
reactions and held it in a venue at a distance from community residents. We also heard of
a local drama performance depicting the effects of the floods in Bangladesh named
Shorbonashi Bonna in an attempt to raise funds for the disaster. The director was a
visiting artist from Bangladesh who was able to inspire and take a group of young people
through the dramatisation process. This proved to be a real success in exposing these
young people to drama and inspiring them to be more involved. It was also successful in
that parents felt more confident in approving their participation as Bangladeshi drama is
familiar to them.
The play was held in Oldham where over 200 people attended. The audience consisted
mainly of Bangladeshi women and young people - the very groups that tend generally not
to participate in large community events. When the event was held in Rochdale there
70
were only 20 attendees. For the Rochdale community it was unfamiliar territory and there
was some apprehension resulting in low participation numbers. It was received well by
the ones that did attend, however, and one member of the audience had commented,
‘Nothing of this kind has ever happened before’. In the focus group discussions, the
people who had seen it said there needed to be more events of this kind held more
regularly.
We also saw that there was a real opportunity for broadening cultural experience on all
sides, through drama and filmmaking. It can raise and explore issues and inspire debate
in a non threatening way.
We heard mainstream event organisers saying that they had lowered costs for entrance
in order to encourage attendance with little or no success. The research also found that in
consideration of non participation some respondents cited ‘costs too much’ or ‘too hard to
get to’ as barriers to participation. But some respondents were found to be among large
groups of people who regularly attended concert events and celebrations quite often
paying up to £30 or £40 for a ticket and in some cases travelling some distances to get
there.
This leads us to imagine that if an artform is not so relevant to potential participants then
they may attend if it was held locally, but would consider it too difficult if the extra effort of
travel was involved. So although distance was cited as a barrier, the real barrier could be
that the artform does not appeal sufficiently to prevent participation.
There are organisations that are well established and presently accessible to large
pockets of the Bangladeshi community in different areas of the North West. This presents
opportunities for collaborations as well as audiences for specific art participation
initiatives. Databases could be shared in terms of publicity and events could have a
regular touring circuit of community venues. It was also found that out of the six
organisations that considered themselves to be focused wholly or partly on arts related
activities, four had charitable status. For organisations to be able to set themselves up as
charities they need to be well developed and established and not many of the
organisations were at that capacity yet.
The undeveloped capacity of a lot of the community organisations also proved to be a
barrier to their potential engagement with local authorities and Arts Council England
funding, due to a lack of knowledge of their processes. They were also viewed with a little
suspicion due to bad experience or through reputation. They were seen as restricting
creativity, ie: not valuing ideas that did not fit in with the agencies’ preconceived notions of
art and culture.
The local authorities generally consider themselves to be a promoter of activities as they
have access to resources. But these resources are poorly publicised, which is proven by
their own admission and the lack of awareness within community organisations. Other
than work in the Bangladeshi community initiated by Gallery Oldham, there were very few
examples in the region of proactive engagement with the community. It could be that
71
other officers have been more involved in such work and those we talked to were
unaware of this.
Partnerships and publicity were suggested as ways in which awareness of the arts
department were raised but the only example of this method in practice given was that of
Peshkar Productions. This raises the question as to how far the theory and
recommendations of working with minority ethnic organisations is put into practice.
The most popular events were found to be concerts with Bangladeshi artists, melas, and
films. The least popular among the sample were mainstream theatre, fashion shows, art
exhibitions and dance events. Almost in all cases respondents were less likely to attend a
non-Bengali or non-Asian event by a large margin. The only instance where this was not
the case was film.
In an attempt to further explore what appeals and what does not in terms of arts
involvement, likely participants were looking to attend something they could relate to, that
had had good reviews either through press or word of mouth and was easy to get to.
People were also impressed with the performances of local artists. For non participation
of named events the main reason given was that they did not know the event was taking
place. Publicity around such events needs to be rethought as present practices are not
proving successful.
Barriers exist for all communities when it comes to arts participation. The main barriers to
be found were that it was difficult to find time, the event location was too far away or hard
to get to and the strongest response was that for women family and/or society would not
approve of their attendance. It has been generally assumed that many people may chose
not to attend an event due to the lack of appeal of the artform or for whatever reason may
feel uncomfortable. But from the survey these factors were least likely to prevent the
sample from attending events. This response, however, may have its roots in negative
face syndrome and a more thorough probing would have been desirable.
One of the main barriers for many Bangladeshi women is the knowledge and experience
that their families and the Bangladeshi society at large would not approve of their
participation; a way of overcoming the disapproval may be in the development of Islamic
arts. An interest in Islamic art was expressed several times, as was a confidence in its
approval from the Bangladeshi community.
The arts, generally, are also seen as a poor career choice in terms of bringing in money
and supporting families. Traditionally the arts can be seen as more of a hobby than a
serious vocation. Only during the last century has this country seen a change in
perception of the creative industry. For many of the Bangladeshi community, their idea of
the range of creative arts is limited and on the whole negative. There is an idea that these
will, inevitably, be free mixing of the sexes and compromises to cultural and religious
values; dancing in Bangladesh was originally linked to prostitutes. It is seen as not only
unstable but more importantly as quite immoral.
72
The report also wanted to find out how potential participants might find out about events.
Word of mouth was the most popular method used by 24 out of 26 organisations
interviewed. The next most popular method was distributing flyers. Many organisations
informed their networks through telephone calls and also utilised publicity opportunities in
free local media and over half used direct mail.
Minority groups can and do identify with other cultures in many ways. Some encounters
are positive but crossover into each other’s cultures follows predetermined patterns. The
relative disapproval of and difficulties in participation of certain forms of the arts can be
compared to the encouragement for activities that can enhance and reaffirm a religious
experience. This community sanction provides an incentive for many to join various
Islamic movements. We are increasingly seeing more and more young people in
particular, attracted to an Islam, which is different from the Islam practiced by their
parents. The demands of traditional Bengali culture compounded with the complexities of
urban culture can be brought together and simplified through religion. For most, being
Muslim provides a universal frame of reference going beyond the narrow confines of
ethnic and cultural categorisations. For many second generation young Bangladeshis
Islam is a way of finding an identity that can sit comfortable in middle of the numerous
tugs of war that can occur internally in terms of identity, asserting independence and
managing to negotiate their way into adulthood in as peaceful a way as possible. It is an
excellent example of intuitive conflict resolution.
Most Bangladeshis who settled in England after migration did so while maintaining strong
cultural ties and values in view of the culture shock they experienced. Although cultural
attitudes and practices have changed in Bangladesh, sometimes unrecognisably, the
values the immigrants brought with them at the time remain as they were 30 or 40 years
ago, in an attempt to retain an identity for themselves. There is, of course, more than one
interpretation of what the ethics of a community are, but very briefly and very generally,
the majority of the Bangladeshi community are Muslim and this influences their choices
and lifestyles.
Subsequent generations have found combining these values with those they have been
exposed to in the West quite difficult at times. Rediscovering Islam has proven a
successful way of negotiating these two worlds. It not only legitimises certain rights they
desire, such as a right to education and a right to choose a marriage partner, it is also a
welcome and acceptable life choice in the eyes of their parents.
Islamic art and events were mentioned by some of the respondents and explored further
during the focus groups. The development of Islamic artforms and related events might
be a useful way of engaging young people in art activities, developing creative talent and
encouraging arts participation. We didn’t find clear definitions of the sort of Islamic
artforms that might appeal but desk research came up with Islamic art defined as:
artforms of geometry, pattern, symmetry as in tiling and textiles; water and light through
architecture; word through calligraphy and reviving, developing and promoting the
civilised, rational, tolerant spirit of the early Islamic intellectual tradition which retreated
towards the end of the 14th Century.
73
The development of Islamic artform could further isolate Bangladeshi people from
mainstream arts and arguably would not help community cohesion, unless it was
envisaged as a planned step towards encouraging involvement in arts is general. Such
activities need not be exclusive to Bangladeshis. The culture of Islam among the young is
more cosmopolitan in nature than that of ethnic or racial identification. There is an
opportunity for young people from different communities to get together, under the
common identity of Islam, to create some sort of vibrant arts community. There are ways
in which arts development officers and arts providers with a wealth of experience in arts
development can provide guidance. ‘It is about giving people an experience that inspires,
moves or challenges them. It is about giving them something they did not have before
and, more importantly, it is about turning a single encounter into a long term affair.’ (New
Audiences for the Arts, 2004)17
5
Suggestions
5.1 Suggestions for organisations
Activities and events that provide a regular base of users, such as sporting activities,
should be analysed for their appeal and their participants’ interests considered to
encourage and motivate users to engage in arts based activities.
Galleries, theatres and institutions of learning are often not seen as accessible. A good
way to break from such barriers would be to regularly organise trips for community
members. Perceptions change through good experience of participation, art then stops
being exclusive and venues are forced to confront their image and accessibility.
Consideration must be given to the creative interests of sub groups of the Bangladeshi
community, whose voice may not be heard, such as women and young people. Proactive
action plans need to be created to engage these groups and to encourage family friendly
events where husbands, wives and children are expected to attend together. Concerts
held in the afternoon would encourage restaurant workers and their families
Invite Bangla artists and hold workshops as part of the festival of diversity
Schools are a respected space where parents/guardians take notice of what is being said
and done. Working with local schools to develop arts activities and events will expose
young people to the arts.
Out of the six organisations that considered themselves to be focused wholly or partly on
arts related activities, four had charitable status. Organisations need to aim for a level of
capacity that deems them qualified to access funding that might help them in their goals.
Although arts development agencies may not be succeeding in getting their messages
across, it is in the interest of organisations to carry out scoping exercises to accrue the
funding available.
74
5.2 Suggestions for community collaboration
‘A large number of individuals neither belong to organisations, nor attend their meetings
and activities. Marketing to the Bangladeshi community is not effective if only the large
organisations are contacted.’
Focus group
Collaborations with other organisations are needed to develop databases of target
audiences and shared marketing campaigns should be initiated in order to increase
audiences.
Build networks of trust and cooperation. Form partnerships with other groups and develop
solutions together.
None of the above is likely to happen, however, if there continues to be a culture of
territorial possessiveness about membership and boundaries of community.
There has been some criticism in leadership and organisation within communities and
also of factionalism where power generally remains concentrated in the hands of men in
the 30-55 age group. Organisations become so competitive that the younger generation
steer clear of the infighting and factionalism that has become the trademark of
Bangladeshi politics. The overall aims of working for the community then becomes
meaningless. Untold damage is being done to the quality of life of individuals and
ultimately community cohesion due to this conflict. Therefore organisations should
consider involvement of young people and women from the outset.
5.3 Suggestions for marketing and publicity
The research found that a lack of awareness among potential audiences and participants
has led to disappointing numbers. Publicity needs to be:




far and wide through networks and collaborations
promoted by arts agencies
linguistically sensitive
image sensitive
Events and productions need to exhibit in a touring fashion enabling people to engage in
safe spaces and safe places.
5.4 Suggestions to Arts Council England, local authorities and other funding
bodies
A comment made by an arts officer was that feedback and follow up advice can be sought
when funding is unsuccessful. This suggested that unless the rejected applicant was
proactive in their approach, they were not going to find out how or why their application
75
was unsuccessful. Feedback and follow up advice should be a standard procedure as
lack of confidence on the applicant’s part will prevent further contact. One arts officer
commented that applications have been rejected on the grounds of the applicant ‘not
being able to write in funding language, even if the idea is fantastic.’ This raises questions
around the elitism of an institution that puts diversity and inclusion at the core of their
vision and activities. Surely it would be a lack of vision by the Arts Council to reject an
application on such grounds. The merit of an application should be judged by its content
not form.
There was criticism of agencies being seen as restricting creativity, not valuing ideas that
did not fit in with their preconceived ideas of art and culture. This leads to questions of
awareness of the needs of different communities and how they may wish to experience
art and culture. It would be through an understanding of the needs of communities that
would lead to a satisfactory delivery of services. Possibly reassessing funding criteria or
making time available for working in the community would give a true picture of the
agencies work and assessing the needs of communities.
Unless activities are funded and staffed accordingly, the cultural and artistic needs of the
community are reliant on the good will of overstretched workers and volunteers and will
therefore be limited in terms of achievement. Organisations are delivering art and cultural
services through limited funding, donations and fundraising. Many of them had
commented on the difficulties surrounding funding and therefore the negative effects this
had in terms of the services they provided and responding to the needs of their
community.
A worker should be funded and supported to work within a politically neutral community
organisation that has the capacity to work with the Bangladeshi community and focus on
developing arts initiatives/related activities and projects. It is for the Bangladeshi
community to guide arts development departments in what, how and where support
needs to be in terms of the types of arts and cultural activities that would benefit from
funding as well as community arts that might nurture future artists.
This research identified a number of Bangladeshi artists that were both established and
just emerging.
It would be useful to research these groups in more detail. What is the range of their
artistic ability? What is their background in terms of training and experience? Do they
perform or exhibit outside of the Bangladeshi community? Is their artform ‘Bengali’ or
have they developed and used non-Bengali ideas and practices? What obstacles did they
need to overcome? What can we learn from their success? What can we take forward to
nurture other artists and emerging artists?
These artists and others missed during this research need support and guidance within
such a difficult cultural climate. There was a call for role models among the Bangladeshi
community, which could work towards changing attitudes to and perceptions of art in
terms of participation as well as art as a viable career. As well in the North West and
76
Tower Hamlets, there are small but significant numbers of Bangladeshi people living in
Yorkshire and Humber and West Midlands regions. Within Yorkshire and Humber there
are 5,144 (1.1%) Bangladeshi people in Bradford; many Oldham based Bangladeshi
people travel there for community events. Other areas that the Bangladeshi community
travels to for community events include Leeds (2861, 0.4%), Sheffield (2052, 0.4%),
Birmingham (20,518, 2.1) and Coventry (1805, 0.6%) (Census, 2001)
Inter agency collaborations need to be sought in order to best market events and
encourage participation. Regional boundaries mean less to potential participants than to
regional agencies.
Sonali Network suggests that the findings of this report are shared through a 15 minute
community drama, highlighting the issues raised by different subsections of the
Bangladeshi community.
Appendix I Sonali Network
Sonali Network, a community based organisation, came into existence in 1997 following a
fact finding tour of Bangladesh by a diverse group of professionals from Oldham in 1996.
Sonali Network has organised tours of Bangladesh in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003. A total
number of 60 people have benefited from the cultural experience of the tours, coming
from diverse professional backgrounds including the Home Office, the Department for
Education and Skills, the BBC, the Army, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Greater
Manchester Police, and local schools and colleges.
Sonali Network has swiftly developed from an organisation offering cultural learning
through tours of Bangladesh to organising cultural evenings, personal development
training, developing a diversity magazine, delivering a future leaders project and a local
reporting project as well as pioneering the festival of diversity in Oldham.
The organisation is currently in discussions to develop into a social enterprise. This will
provide greater opportunity to develop strategically and operationally.
The organisation believes in partnership working to develop and deliver projects towards
improving social capital and creating a fair society.
Notes and references
1 Ambitions into action, Arts Council England, 2004
2 Ambitions for the arts in the North West, Arts Council England, North West,
2003
3 The case for the arts, Arts Council England, 2004
4 Massive increase in employment in arts and culture press release, Arts Council
England, 22 September 2003
77
5 One Oldham One Future, David Ritchie, Chair, Oldham Independent Review Panel,
Government Office for the North West, 2001
6 Community Cohesion, Ted Cantle, Chair, Independent Review Team, Home Office,
2001
7 ). Oldham Beyond: A Vision for the Borough of Oldham, URBED, 2004
8 New Audiences for the arts, Arts Council England, 2004
9 A survey of Folklore Study in Bengal, Sen Gupta, S, 1967
10 Transports of Delight: The Ricksha Art of Bangladesh, Kirkpatrick, J, 1994
11 Bangladeshi Community Organisations in East London, Asghar, M A, 1996 Dhaka:
Bangla Heritage Ltd
12 People and places Daniel Dorling and Bethan Thomas(2004).
13 Population Projections for Oldham Report of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit.
1997
14 2001 Census, UK
15 Ethnic Minorities in Britain, PSI Modood & Berthoud, 1997
16 Oldham Social Survey, Report of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit, 1995
17 New Audiences for the Arts, Arts Council England, 2004
78
Arts Council England, North West
Manchester House
22 Bridge Street
Manchester M3 3AB
Phone: 0845 300 6200
Fax: 0161 834 6969
Textphone: 0161 834 9131
Arts Council England
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Textphone: 020 7973 6564
Charity registration no 1036733
To download this report, and for the full list of Arts Council England
publications and details of how to order them, see
www.artscouncil.org.uk
ISBN no: 0-7287-1182-6
© Arts Council England, June 2006
You can get this publication in Braille, in large print, on audio CD and in electronic
formats. Please contact us if you need any of these formats.
We are committed to being open and accessible. We welcome all comments on
our work. Please send these to the director, external relations at the Arts Council
address given.
79