BBC Asian Network: Most vulnerable glossed over in star-studded letter to Guardian.
This post is based on my comment left below Sunday’s Observer piece Why we should celebrate the end of Asian Network:
Last week a group of 100 actors, MPs and musicians wrote to the Guardian in defence of the BBC Asian Network. Leaving aside the fact that some of them are not license fee payers, the really shocking thing about the list was that it did not feature any campaigners against so-called honour crimes.
This was despite an offer of their help to some of the organisers of the letter.
It is unfair to sideline those who represent the most vulnerable in Asian society. Aside from the odd phone-in and documentary, the Asian Network has done little directly to challenge the mindset that makes girls a prisoner in their homes in eg. Bradford, Birmingham or Southall. There is no content for survivors of forced marriage or disownment, to help them find acceptance in the Asian community where their very existence is treated as a dark secret.
When MixTogether drew up a proposal last year (supported by the EHRC and several high profile charities) for a show aimed at more vulnerable members of the Asian community, it was turned down by the Asian Network.
The Asian Network‘s ‘coolest’ shows are produced and presented by British Asians who live on the party scene and have all the freedom they could wish for. Their lives have no ‘deep connection‘ to, say, a girl in Keighley who is told she must forget further education and marry a first cousin from abroad.
The Guardian letter shows that there is still a distaste for the vulnerable among the BBC Asian Network’s trendy supporters. If the future of the Network does not include plans to redress the balance, then maybe it HAS reached the end of its useful life.
Update: Apparently the letter was organised by Sunny Hundal.
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I was chatting to a number of Asian media types yesterday, and they all agreed with me that the Asian Network needs to do more to tackle these sort of issues.
Thanks for this Rumbold. There are some interesting comments to that effect on the BBC Asian Network messageboards too.
I think it is important for these ideas to be heard as part of the consultation about the future of the Network. Would be interested to know more details of your conversation…
well, I just wish that they would share some of this by allowing one of their chat programmes to cover peoples views across the board..open discussion, as all I have heard so far is a lot of hype of how good the programme is from people calling in to Sonias morning programme.
That might be asking too much perhpas…the public have a number of weeks to submit their views ..i wold suggest everyone writes what they think… I plan to look at the asian network message boards at some point.