white musician plays reggae
Berner Baez cancels concert – because visitors are protesting
Dialect singers play reggae songs at a famous pub in Louwarm Bern – until the audience protested about “cultural appropriation” and the concert was cancelled. With this the debate of “cultural appropriation” reaches Switzerland.
A week ago on Monday a scandal at the Bern scene Brasserie Lorraine in Bern: Bernese dialect artist Lawworm had to cancel his concert. Reason: Many visitors express “discomfort with the situation” during the concert. Collectively Managed Pub announced this on Facebook today.
Visitors were upset by the fact that Lawworm, as a white musician, plays reggae music – a musical style that originated from Jamaica. “After negotiations, we decided to cancel the concert,” said Brasserie Lorraine. It was about the theme of “cultural appropriation”.
Brasserie further stated that they would like to apologize to all visitors “who felt bad about the concert”. The pub now intends to hold a discussion event on the subject in mid-August. Brasserie Lorraine is not yet available for a statement from Blick.
Can any white artist play reggae?
With this event, a socio-political debate has reached Switzerland, which has recently spread from the United States to Europe under the slogan “cultural appropriation”. The basic question is, can elements from other cultures be adopted and reproduced? Or in this specific case: Can a white artist play reggae?
The debate is not limited to just music. Recently, the French luxury brand Dior is heating up the Chinese mood. A skirt from the latest fall collection should have the same cut and sew pattern as a traditional Chinese skirt. Neither the product name nor description on Dior’s website indicated its Chinese origin.
