Adele Responds To Accusations Of Cultural Appropriation In New Instagram Comment

Adele has broken her silence amid accusations of cultural appropriation after she posted a photo of herself with her hair in Bantu knots — a traditional African hairstyle.

On Sunday (Aug 31), the Grammy-winning singer shared a photo of her wearing a Jamaican bikini top and her hair styled in Bantu knots on Instagram as a tribute to London’s Notting Hill Carnival, which was supposed to take place over the weekend, but was moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the webcast series Verzuz, — a virtual DJ battle show created by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz — on Monday, Adele, 32, took to the comments to pen: "Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh", in a likely nod to the Caribbean dialect following the scandal.

Reaction: During Verzuz Instagram Live broadcast on Monday — featuring a DJ battle between Brandy and Monica — Adele commented, "Wah Gwaan! Yow gyal, yuh look good enuh"

The picture of Adele’s Bantu knots — taken in the garden of her US$9.5 million (S$13 mil) Beverly Hills home — provoked the ire of some netizens who slammed her choice as “cultural appropriation” and “insensitive”.

American journalist Ernest Owens tweeted, “If 2020 couldn’t get any more bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for. This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it.”

British Member of Parliament David Lammy weighed in on the controversy on Twitter: “This humbug totally misses the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival and the tradition of ‘dress up’ or ‘masquerade.’ Adele was born and raised in Tottenham. She gets it more than most. Thank you Adele. Forget the Haters.”

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos