Haringey's London Borough of Culture 2027, themed “The Rebel Borough,” will only succeed if local people drive the programme from the grassroots up, according to Chris Arnold, director of London Community Arts CIC.
Rebel Borough theme rooted in local history
Haringey Council has described the borough as having a long history of grassroots changemakers and everyday rebels, which inspired the 2027 theme. Arnold argues that rebels come in many forms—not just the loud, placard-waving kind who glue themselves to the ground, but also community mavericks, organisers, artists, campaigners, musicians, volunteers, youth workers, independent traders, and anyone who sees something missing and decides to act.
“You cannot celebrate rebel voices by managing them,” Arnold writes. “It must come from the bottom up as much as the top down—from the grassroots.” Culture, he insists, is not delivered to a community but by the community itself.
Grassroots groups are the real gems
Arnold highlights examples of local cultural activity: a Somali café, a Kurdish restaurant, a Caribbean church choir, a teenager producing music in their bedroom, an amateur theatre group, a street artist, a pensioner running a local history society, a Saturday knitting club, and a neighbour who turns an empty patch of land into a garden and performance space. These, he says, are the unexpected gems that will make the year memorable.
“Our borough contains an extraordinary mix of cultures, backgrounds, generations, ideas and experiences,” he notes. “That diversity of people creates a diversity of thinking, and that is where interesting things happen.”
Support needed to turn ideas into action
For 15 years, London Community Arts CIC—also known as The Crouch End Festival—has run community festivals, events, and venues, helping hundreds of grassroots groups and individuals turn ideas into action. Arnold acknowledges that while many people have passion and will, they often lack the practical know-how. “What they need is the how,” he writes.
“Without the support of established groups like ours—we are not the only ones by the way—many will not happen. From advice to encouragement, to funding and resources, turning an idea into a reality often needs a little help.” He uses an analogy: gardeners helping flowers to bloom.
People are the borough's greatest asset
Arnold concludes that the key to a truly extraordinary year of culture lies in grassroots experience and community helping community. Next year, his organisation will support numerous initiatives to help those flowers bloom.
“Because a borough’s greatest cultural asset isn't a building, a venue, a flagship event or its philosophy,” he writes, “it is its people.”
