I was at a reception in London recently, watching a bizarre spectacle: a black woman, a Jewish man and an Asian chap, all of them British, arguing with some Frenchmen about Arsenal Football Club. Because I left London years ago, I noticed the ethnic mix. The Londoners probably didn't. To them, it was just London.
I know several supposedly “diverse” cities. Paris, Miami and Amsterdam have countless “communities” speaking innumerable languages. However, these towns are almost as segregated as Johannesburg, where my parents come from. Even New York is less mixed than London. Trevor Phillips, chair of Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission, says, “If you want to know the answer to the Rodney King question - 'Why can't we all just get along?” - come and spend time in London.” In 2005, London's diversity even appears to have persuaded the International Olympic Committee to give the city the upcoming Games. So what is London's recipe?
One cliche says London has a centuries-old history of diversity. That's not right. True, foreigners have always come here, but not many, and they usually weren't welcome. In the early 1950s, only a few thousand West Indians, Indians and Pakistanis lived in London. Signs in the windows read, “Rooms to let - no Coloureds” (or “no Poles, no Hungarians”).