Heritage, Legacy And Leadership

Heritage, Legacy and Leadership That was the title of an international symposium at City Hall on 22 February. ‘Diversity’ and ‘Inclusion’ were two of its buzzwords, as was ‘2012’. According to the Mayor’s Commission on African and Asian Heritage (MCAACH), the Olympic year brings a real opportunity to document London’s story and ‘break the historical patterns and (linguistic) practices that have inhibited progress within the heritage sector’. London’s libraries have many projects on diversity, inclusion and cultural heritage which are trying to do just that. Yet, surprisingly, nowhere in the pre-conference publicity or the delegates’ information was the word ‘library’ mentioned. The symposium, which attracted 250 delegates from the arts, museums and policy-making, was organised by the MCAACH and the Cultural Leadership Programme (funded by MLA, Arts Council England, and Creative and Cultural Skills). It aimed to ‘stimulate, champion and recognise’ the role and impact of diverse cultural voices on the British heritage landscape. Most speakers represented the sponsoring bodies, but museum heads from the Bahamas and USA spoke, as did the Head of Culture for the London Olympics. The opening address was by Doudou Diène, United Nations’ special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia. Another speaker was Roy Clare, MLA’s Chief Executive. Surprisingly, even though ‘Library’ is the second word in his body’s name, he failed to mention the ‘L’-word once. Instead, he discussed the future of the ‘new lean and mean’ MLA, speaking enthusiastically about the role of museums as custodians of history and mediators of diversity. That changed at question time: one delegate highlighted the Libraries Change Lives award and the work of London’s libraries. Clare responded with a defence of libraries’ importance compared with museums, their vital role in supporting local democracy and the need for everyone to support their libraries. The symposium raised many important issues – not least, the significance of ‘intangible’ heritage (the unwritten ideas, skills and cultural ethics side of knowledge management) and the need for high-quality creative leadership A report on the event is due shortly and there is to be a follow-up. Let’s hope the ‘L’-word is not forgotten again. Ralph Adam