AKALA ON CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

Nothing wrong with enjoying another person’s culture or adopting some of its trappings and rituals - so long as you respect that culture. So argues British rapper and activist Akala in this clip from an Oxford Union debate.

One of the examples he gives is London’s Notting Hill Carnival - the 2024 edition of which has just wrapped up. The event began in response to race riots in the area and the murder of a Black man from Antigua- something that seems to have been forgotten by some of the participants in recent years. Like many events with radical roots, its commercialisation has defanged it.

This point is especially relevant given the return of race riots to the UK’s streets a few weeks back, when far-right thugs sought to harm Black and Brown people, attacking mosques and migrant hotels. The battle Claudia Jones (the Carnival’s ‘mother’) started in 1966 goes on.

Another example Akala cites is people wanting Caribbean music and food but being upset when there are actual Caribbeans in the establishment. It can also be seen in the approach to tourism in Africa. Today, communities are being evicted to make room for wildlife conservancies, usually accessible only to well off, typically 'Western, patrons - an Africa without Africans, as conservancy expert Mordecai Ogada argues.

Kingslee James McLean Daley - aka Akala - is also an author and a poet. In 2006, he was voted the Best Hip Hop Act at the MOBO Awards and has been included on the annual Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black British people in the UK. Akala is known for his powerful lyrics and speeches, where he sheds light on injustices and socio-economic issues in the UK and beyond.

Do you agree with his views on cultural appropriation?