Multicultural societies under pressure: sustaining dialogue
Ram Gidoomal CBE presents the 2009 Diversity lecture.
Abstract: On 7th July 2005, four young men, all British citizens, blew themselves up with the intention of killing as many as possible in the rush hour in Central London. Immigration continues to be high on the political agenda with several EU countries, including the UK downgrading the rights of immigrant workers. Against this background, the lecture will look into ways of improving the quantity and quality of the dialogue between different ethnic and cultural groups from a British South Asian perspective and review progress that Imperial College has made in terms of equality and diversity. Our view of others is often the product of music hall caricature or racial stereotypes which have their origin in a past, which never really existed except in our imaginations. Dialogue can only be useful if it is based on an understanding of who the participants really are, not what we should like them to be or what we are afraid they may be. A seriously inhibiting factor is the degree of institutional racism found in political and other Establishment circles. The one thing that is certain is that dialogue has to be encouraged. Dialogue is an instrument of a sustainable society. Where it is not working we are simply living on capital and eating the seed corn.
Biography: Ram Gidoomal CBE FCGI CCMI FRSA ARCS came to Britain from East Africa as a refugee in 1967. He is an entrepreneur, and former UK Group Chief Executive of the Inlaks Group, a multinational business with seven thousand employees. Ram Gidoomal is Chairman of Winning Communications Partnership, South Asian Development Partnership, Citylife (Industrial and Provident Society) Ltd. And The Employability Forum. He is a Board Member of the Institute of Employment Studies, Think London and the Companions of the Chartered Management Institute. He was a founder trustee and chairman of the Christmas Cracker charity, which has given thousands of young people direct entrepreneurial experience and which has raised over £5 million for projects in developing countries. A Trustee of Forum for the Future, he is a non-executive director of Amsphere Ltd., Nirmaan Bharati SAAVS (India), Six Senses BVI and the International Justice Mission (USA). He is the author of several books including The UK Maharajahs and The British and how to deal with them: Doing Business with Britain’s Ethnic Communities. He is a governor of Kings College School, Wimbledon, a Crown Appointee on the Court & Council of Imperial College where he chairs the Student Trustee Board and the Research Ethics Committee.
A drinks reception will follow this lecture in the foyer of the Sir Alexander Fleming Building.
To register please email
Tuesday 17th February 09, Lecture Theatre G16, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus