Click on the link below to hear Voices - Programme Two by The Respect Team which was broadcast on BBC Radio Suffolk on Saturday 19th April.

Listen: Voices - Programme Two by The Respect Team

By Helen Compton.

Our program is all about how different cultures have been accepted into Lowestoft. It is part of the Voices Project which tries to bring the voices of Lowestoft out and onto the radio. In our program we travelled to the Festival of Culture which took place in Lowestoft on the 22nd March.

It was attempting to make the people of Lowestoft embrace diversity and learn more about the different cultures currently living in Lowestoft and more about their own culture. We interviewed many people who were either taking part in the festival by holding an event, opening a stall or just members of the public.

A group of friends, Charlotte Nelson, Lyndsey Cubitt and Laura Quinton and myself were the interviewers and we all found that interviewing people was an interesting and exciting experience. However the hardest thing we had to do was to actually ask people whether we could interview them or not. It was far harder than asking the questions during the interview. I felt that the Lowestoft people were far more forth coming than I had expected and were keen to share their stories and answer questions about Lowestoft, so much so it became a pleasure to interview them.

During our questioning we asked every interviewee whether they felt they or their different cultures had been accepted into Lowestoft. We also asked if they thought that Lowestoft was a culture shock compared to previous places they had lived in England or abroad. From these questions were learnt a great deal about people’s opinions about Lowestoft which prior to the event had been a complete enigma to us.

We noticed great contrasts between their outlook and experiences in Lowestoft. The majority of the people who had moved here from other countries or areas of England and were now living in Lowestoft or near by, stated that they thought Lowestoft was fairly, ‘laid-back’ and on the whole a friendly place to live.

Tessa Triumph had moved here from London and, in her view, Lowestoft was much less up tight and they seemed ‘less threatened’ by the different cultures around them. Whereas others were less up beat about Lowestoft and felt the opposite, saying that Lowestoft experienced many racial problems and some of Lowestoft was still prejudice and less welcoming.

Others were on the fence and answered our questions fairly neutrally, most insisting that they had, had no actual problems and did not think that Lowestoft was particularly old fashioned or racist. However they agreed that most people make quick stereotypes and judge people by the way they look without realising this and Lowestoft definitely came under this category.

We were given a racial guide and briefly flicked through this and, surprisingly, the figures did indicate that Lowestoft was quite chauvinistic. This was quite a shock when the people we interviewed claimed that the local people in Lowestoft were nothing but courteous and polite.

Mrs Smith an RE teacher at Kirkley High School thought that Lowestoft was not as accepting as others had claimed. She thought that it was a shame that there were barely any different cultures at KHS and if younger children grew up with many other races and cultures around them they would not see them as different or ‘abnormal’. Many others also agreed that School was the place that learning about others cultures should start and there should be gatherings such as this one, to teach children why everyone is equal despite their religion, colour or culture.

In my opinion Lowestoft is fairly backward in coming forward, yet I feel with the ever increasing amount of cultures entering Lowestoft things will begin to change for the better. People are gradually becoming more aware and understanding. Everybody we interviewed who were actually living in Lowestoft were positive that it was a nice place to live in and they were happy to watch their children grow up here. Only the specialists and people who work in the racial difficulties in Lowestoft noticed a problem with the Lowestoft people. However, I think that after the show it is up to the public to decide whether Lowestoft is stuck in the stone ages or winging it’s way in to the new, modern world.