By Lavina Melwani

Naseem Khan is the force behind government funding for South Asian arts.

In 1976, Naseem Khan, whose father had emigrated from the Punjab in the 30's, wrote the report, The Arts Britain Ignores, which was seminal in drawing attention to the minority arts. The persistent Naseem Khan, now the head of Cultural Diversity in the Arts Council, struggled for almost three decades before convincing the government to provide funding for ethnic arts. She was honored by the Queen three years ago and awarded the OBE for her services to cultural diversity.
Q. How many South Asian arts groups are there in the UK?
A: It is impossible to quantify the number of South Asian arts groups in the UK because they exist at so many different levels, from music groups around gurudwaras and dance classes around temples across the length and breadth of the country to professional dance, theatre and music companies. Some have an international reputation; some have local significance. What I try to do in terms of policy is to convince funders that there is no one desired pattern -- community and professional often feed each other. For instance, the dancer Akram Khan learnt his Kathak in a very traditional setting from Shri Pratap Pawar, and then went on to graduate from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Q: You have played a major role in getting these groups recognized for funding. Could you elaborate?
A: I have been involved for around 30 years in the fight to get the UK to respond appropriately to the change in its own population. At first, these arts groups and artists were seen as "ethnic artists" (and indeed most often saw themselves in that way too). However, the ground has increasingly shifted -- and, in my view, in the right way -- to seeing this work as a manifestation of the UK's multicultural spectrum. The work is mainstream and not marginal. Creative conversations take place, such as Akram's of Kathak with contemporary dance that means the whole community engages itself with the values and virtues of new art forms. We do not essentialize the art.
Q: How has the government helped these groups?
A: The Arts Council of England is the major funding body for the arts in England. Similar (but smaller ) arts councils serve Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ACE, for instance, funds the Shobana Jeyasinghe Dance Company, a company that explores the interface between South Asian classical Bharat Natyam and western avant garde composers. It also funds Moti Roti, Keith Khan and Ali Zaidi's highly imaginative company: Moti Roti develops large scale pageants, performances and installations that use elements such as Bollywood, Caribbean carnival, gay culture and performance art. They staged the Queen's' Jubilee Parade down the Mall to Buckingham Palace earlier this year and are now working with the Builders Association of New York on a version of Aladdin, connecting it up with Mumbai and Bangalore.
Q. Do you think South Asians are managing to keep their culture alive, and even vibrant, in the UK?
A. Yes, I do think the culture is being kept alive. More importantly it is being challenged, so it keeps a fine creative edge. The connection with the sub-continent is important, but a number of artists have felt, interestingly, that working here has given them more freedom to create than they would have had in India. For instance, the potter Loretta Braganza feels that she would not have been able to work in that medium had she been living and working in India.
It has not been easy in some areas (notably where large financial stakes are involved). The makers of East is East had to convince a suspicious film finance world that a film about Pakistanis in the north of England could have wider selling power. But its huge success opened the doors to Bend it Like Beckham and doubtless more to come.

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