Cultural Appropriation is the Successor to Colonial Expansion

Globalisation continues to integrate societies, cultures and communities at an ever-increasing speed. As a result of colonialism’s legacy, global entertainment and commercial business, the subject of ‘cultural ownership’ has become one of debate, with the line between ‘appreciation’ and ‘appropriation’ often being blurred

THP spoke with Akeefah Lal Mahomed about the importance of distinguishing between the two.

‘‘There's a lot of undertones that people do like to ignore with this debate, because a lot of it is surpassed as ‘people are just having fun’ and ‘you should be able to enjoy things’

But things don't appear in vacuum. They do have social and historical implications. You've got to keep in mind that you are borrowing from somebodies culture and you're taking that symbol to satisfy your own personal self-expression. I think, way to respectfully do something when you aren't given permission to take it, is to do it authentically.

As the Caucasian race are the dominant so there's an essence of hostility whenever they take something from another culture, that comes from the centuries of colonisation and taking what they want out of cultural exchanges. It's taking what you want and not giving a return. Stealing. And it's created a sense of entitlement and arrogance. It’s saying 'we kind of like your design but how you're wearing it is not correct. And how we are wearing it is better.’

Not everybody wants to assimilate 100% and not everybody wants to meet liberalism's demands, or being 100% all in.

There’s also an annoyance that when western fashion appropriates, and doesn’t says that it’s ‘inspired’ by cultures. When it’s taken and presented/refashioned as a new original idea to a whole new audience. This ignores a whole history and exploits a race. it's not able to move down the system economically or positively socially, because if nobody knows where it comes from. nobody's able to engage in that community properly, so any stigmatisation that group might experience, becomes harder to overcome’’