Hakuna Matata, It Means Big Worries - Disney Under Fire For Cultural Appropriation of the Swahili Language
.
NY POST – A petition calling for Disney to release its trademark on the words “Hakuna Matata” has attracted more than 35,000 signatures from people calling it cultural appropriation of the Swahili language.
…Shelton Mpala launched the Change.org petition calling for Disney to release the trademark it has on “Hakuna Matata” likening it to “colonialism” and “robbery.”
“The appropriation of something you have no right over. Imagine, ‘If we were to go that route, then we owe the British royalties for everyone who speaks English, or France for when we speak French,’ ” the petition reads. “Join us and say NO to DISNEY or any corporations/individuals looking to trademark languages, terms or phrases they didn’t invent.”
Hakuna Matata – it means big worries with the triggered Swahilians.
CHANGE.ORG – Disney has trademarked the Swahili phrase “Hakuna Matata”.
Join us and say NO to DISNEY or any corporations/individuals looking to trademark languages, terms or phrases they didn’t invent.
“Hakuna matata” is a Swahili language phrase from East Africa; translate, it means “no trouble”. The word “hakuna” means “there is not here” while “matata” means “problems”.
Hakuna Matata has been used by most Kiswahili-speaking countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Disney can’t be allowed to trademark something that it didn’t invent.
You may think this is just a couple of nuts, some triggered kooks on the internet.
You’d be wrong.
It’s been rapidly rising every second, but whenever I opened this up at 10:17 AM:
And you know like, 56,455 of those signatures are white people from New York City who decided to make this their cause of the day.
But.
After taking a second to think about it – I can see the Swahili side. When the fuck does anyone ever talk about Swahili? When’s the last time you heard about Burundi? Quick name one fact about Tanzinia. No it’s not where Zah is from. All anybody thinks about these far off places is that they are constantly warring with horrible violence and bloodshed all over the place. It’s horrible. How about we let them feel good about something for once? Just this one little thing? They’ve got plenty of matatas. Why not let them have some hakunas. These rich ass Disney bigwigs don’t need any more money right now.
Disney is worth 98 billion. That’s 8 times the GDP of Mozambique. Come on Disney. Take the copyright off. Let’s forget our troubled past and live in the present. What would Timon do. What would Puumba do. WWTD WWPD?
I’m not going to sign this petition though. Let’s be realistic.
*Blog: approved.*
