Sir, - Where to begin to address the prejudices in Peter Sirr's article on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's policies on cultural diversity ("Any Muslims here tonight?", August 9th)? Why does he find it strange that, in Northern Ireland, public funding should justify itself in ensuring that its light falls on every section of society and not just on white, settled English speakers like himself? Those of us who thought the days when music-hall laughter could be ignited by simple dismissive references to "Pakistanis" were long gone have been dismayed by both the tone and ill-considered content of Mr Sirr's article and by The Irish Times descending to tabloid level in promoting it.
The Council's client report form asks for information on arts explicitly aimed at all the communities which make up our population. In addition to the two "ethnic majorities" in Northern Ireland, ethnic minorities make up 1-1.5 per cent of the 1.6 million population. The many different traditions represented by this figure may not be appreciated by those who are non-participants, and the cultural colours of Belfast are obviously not seen or understood by those who do not live here.
But the Arts Council is committed to developing all the arts of our diverse cultures, in planning, in advocacy and in funding. This means supporting established and new organisations in traditionally under-represented sectors. It means being open to differing cultural perspectives and heritages.
These are not just words. They refer to the arts by and for the Irish language and Ulster Scots communities, and the arts by and for ethnic communities and through the medium of their languages. They also include disability arts, community arts, youth arts, women in the arts, arts and elderly people, lesbian and gay people in the arts, geographical location. These aren't the "optional extras" Peter Sirr wants them to be. Fair representation means actively redressing decades of official neglect, if not discrimination.
The far-seeing Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires the Council to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different ages, racial groups and sexual orientation, as well religious belief. Set against this, Peter Sirr's ideal is both old-fashioned and dangerous. The "poet reading to his tiny audience", he says, "might be the best thing to happen to poetry in generations". Indeed so. But what if the poet were Chinese Irish, her language Cantonese, and her audience her own people and the numbers attending not so small after all? Would her work appear as a matter of course in Poetry Ireland? Is her artistic moment not to be funded as Irish art? Does it only count if it is English poetry read by a white man?
Not any more, Peter. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland takes account of the rights of everyone, poor or disabled or black or speaking a language few understand, to be catered for in artistic expression paid for by their own taxes.
For "Ireland" and "Irishness" is about more than Catholics and Protestants. Travellers have their own language and customs and a rich oral tradition in folklore and singing. Our Chinese cultural activities involve festivals and traditions unique to that community (which has been in Northern Ireland for more than 40 years), such as the Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat and the Moon Festivals. Without the Jewish community, there would have been no Group Theatre in Belfast under Harold Goldblatt in the 1940s and 1950s.
Our Pakistani community numbers more than 1,000. These are all individuals who have creative needs and desires to express themselves artistically which are just as valid as Peter's and are just as worthy to be taken note of as his desires have been. Early Pakistani migrant families settled in Legahory. Has Peter ever been there? It is about 18 miles from Belfast.
We are seeking to expand our commitment to all our communities, and make no apology for it. The days of just bunging public money into an envelope marked "Old Boys Club", without public accountability, are over for good. It was a poet from the north of Ireland, Louis MacNeice, who gave voice to the principles of diversity and its celebration when he spoke of "the drunkenness of things being various". "World is crazier and more of it than we think,/Incorrigibly plural."
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, equally incorrigibly, stands over those principles. - Yours, etc.,
Damian Smyth, Public Affairs Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Malone Road, Belfast.