38 to Victoria: A journey through the city
Tradition meets globalisation in London
It’s the first week of my stay in London. I’m on the bus on my way to Victoria- one of London’s most important bus and train stations- asking myself “By the way, who was Victoria?”. It must be Queen Victoria who reigned the British Empire for almost 64 years from 1837 to 1901- an era characterised by an economic boom as well as a technological advantage of the UK over other nations due to the early start of the industrial revolution on the island. Ok, enough history for today. But I really was deeply impressed by the number of historical sights a normal bus line passes. “Next stop: Dean Street/ China Town”. Back in today’s London, I am watching all these people with obviously many different cultural origins making their way through the crowded streets.
But why conducting a KuWi InterChange Project in London? As one of Europe’s most multi-cultural metropoles London surely is a very inspiring place for people interested in getting to know people with different cultural backgrounds. Numerous renowned universities and colleges as well as many headquarters of international companies make London the most important business and academic spot in Europe. Thus there’s no better place to gain insight into global networking and into the work of alumni associations of universities with an international reputation, which is exactly the aim of the KIS Project 2010. But not only London’s business and academic life is very international. The cultural diversity also becomes obvious when looking at all the social and cultural events which take place in the city. The World City Music Village is one of these multicultural events. “The 23 Music Villages since 1983 have provided a public platform to over 3,000 world class artists from 80 countries, and a safe, yet fertile, ‘contact zone’ in which audiences of all races and faiths can learn about and openly celebrate each other’s cherished artistic traditions.” For more information go to www.culturalco-operation.org/festivals/first.
