This April Ta Na Deptford will be bringing a new piece of street theatre to Deptford, that we hope will explore, unearth and express the very best in British Culture - our ‘Royal Wedding Street Party’!
That’s right; on the day of the Royal Wedding we want to bring together Deptford people of every age, colour, class and political stance to celebrate the very best of ‘British’ culture. The question of what exactly constitutes 'British' culture nowadays is something I feel is well worth asking in a place as culturally diverse as Deptford - both within its artistic scene and eclectic population. We viewed the Royal Wedding as the perfect opportunity to do this. Not content on letting the rahs up in Westminster have all the fun, we felt it was worth us making good use of the bank holiday they have, quite rightly, bestowed on us to throw a party with far more flavour, fun and character than theirs is likely to offer.
When I first came up with the idea for this event, I didn't envision that I would have any difficulty selling it to the locals of Deptford. I believe that I am started to be accepted within the local scene - I have been working in a shop on Deptford High Street for over 8 months now, I walk to work with many a ‘ello darlin’ in good morning greetings from the fellow shopkeepers I pass by, I purchase my mid-morning snack by requesting ‘the usual’ from the guy who runs the fruit and veg stall (which I now get ½ price) and my lunch gets delivered to me free of charge by Rupert, who if you are local to Deptford no doubt you will know! All in all I feel I am starting to root myself within the Deptford community.
However when I started to put the idea of this event ‘out there’ as it were, I was met with a surprising amount of resistance by the very local people I so desperately want to involve in it. The first massive problem that most Deptford locals seem to have with the idea of such an event is the fact it is occurring on the day of the Royal Wedding. "You're planning an event on the Royal Wedding! You turned to dark side or summin? I’m not gonna celebrate the marriage of those two elitist pricks!" was the response of one Deptfordian when I asked if they would like to help provide some traditional childrens games for the event (A great pity given that he runs a community arts organisation which would have been very useful for running such activities... Am I bitter? Well as I dig into my own wallet to buy yet more face paint, yes little bit!)
However the hostility I was feeling toward the event did concern me, and I started to worry that perhaps I was being too careless. In truth I am by no means a Royalist, I find much about the Royal Family utterly absurd and despite claims that they are changing with the times I cannot help but view Kate Middleton as the polar opposite of what I consider a good role model for the modern British women. She has spent her post-university years waiting quietly in the background, neglecting to pursue a career and behaving good as gold in the hope her Prince might one day ask her to marry him (even if she has decided to wear Alexander McQueen on the big day!) So perhaps I should perhaps question if it is right to host a MASSIVE STREET PARTY on a day that for many will essentially reconfirm the existence of the Monarchy, the privileged set up in Westminster who seem so far from us South-Eastenders busy trying to cope the everyday problems such as how to re-work the weekly shop now that rising VAT has buggered up the already strained budget. I mean never mind Waitrose, (not that there is one in Lewisham) our local Sainsburys is now out of my league (thank God for local market traders!) In organising a Street Party in Deptford on the day of the Royal Wedding am I failing to consider that how, as a supposed left wing supporter, I am now a massive hypocrite? Have I just spent too long out in Brazil, a country where any old saints day is used by EVERYONE within the populous, regardless of religious views, as an excuse to forget work and party?
Frankly I feel a little confused. Certainly my appreciation of certain aspects of the Brazilian mindset could explain why I see nothing wrong in waving the flag for my own culture. I feel very proud to be British, I think we should celebrate what Britain is, has been and will be; else why are we bothering to exist here? For me there is also no better place to explore aspects of British culture than somewhere like Deptford; a borough of London which has such a varied eclectic mix at it's core that it forces us to re-examine how we interpret British culture and Britishness. In Deptford you can see not only many different cultures but also an intersection and fusion of cultures in the food, music, fashion and even the everyday language encountered in walking down its High Street.
It is all these rich aspects of modern British culture that I hope to incorporate within this event, whilst being still sensitive to the fact that by putting on a street party in Deptford we are essentially reviving old traditional activities that played a strong role in binding together what was once our old (far less culturally diverse) community. So to help me decide how best to promote this event without offending too many anti-Royalists, who seem to make up a strong proportion of the Deptford community, I am seeking advice from local people.
Is it a good idea for us to run a 'Royal Wedding Street Party' in Deptford?
If it is then should we keep this as it's title or change it to, well, something less Royal and more Deptford?
- suggestions?
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