EXCLUSIVE East Enders want Brits to embrace their ‘inner Cockney’ and celebrate England’s local identities as otherwise there’s a risk everything will end up ‘sounding the same’
Real-life East Enders are urging Brits to embrace their “inner Cockney” amid fears the country is at risk of becoming bland.
They say it’s vital we reconnect with our “heritage” and celebrate different regional identities, as otherwise everything will end up ‘looking and sounding the same’. Proud Cockney sparrows have issued the rallying call as they gear up for their largest ever meet-up.
The Modern Cockney Festival takes place across London during March and will see revellers enjoy live opera, poetry, theatre, art, photography and more. Event organiser Andy Green explained why he started the event after stumbling across a webinar called, “Is Cockney Dying?”
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After the talk he bonded with other fellow Cockneys and joined forces with the Bengali East End Heritage Society to help create a space where East Enders celebrate their shared culture. He told the Daily Star: “We run the Cockney festival to give a space for people to explore, discover and find out for themselves their identity and what it means.
“We live in an age where identity is far more complex and multifaceted, multi-layered. Identity is not just a simple label but a rich cocktail.
“And among people’s cocktail of ingredients, we’re saying Cockney – if it’s relevant and authentic – should be in there.”
He describes Cockneys as non-posh Londoners and the festival’s organisers have identified four large groups of them. These include the “old school”, characterised by traditional stereotypes of accent and rhyming slang, while the “new school” hails from a more diverse range of global backgrounds.
There is also the “Cockney diaspora”, which is found mainly across the South East of England away from its traditional inner London heartlands.
Finally, there is the “ancestral Cockneys” group which covers people with strong and inspiring family roots.
Despite the event being a celebration of Cockney culture Andy has called for Brits across the UK to not just learn more about the East End identity but also about their own.
He said: “Come to the event, find out more about us. But also then think more about yourself as well. Your own identity.”
The cockney sparrow said: “Identity, it’s not just a national thing but a local thing. You’ve got Scousers, Brummies, Weegies in Glasgow, Geordies, and so on. All have got a wonderful history and heritage.
“The danger is that we’re drifting, sleepwalking to an England where everything looks and sounds the same. So, we’ve got to do something about that, and we can do it by reconnecting with our authentic values, our authentic heritage, our stories and bring those alive.”
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