Caribbean Roots British MP Defends Adele Over Cultural Appropriation Criticism

NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Sept. 1, 2020: British-born, Caribbean roots Labor MP, David Lammy, has come to the defence of Grammy-winning singer Adele, after she was accused of cultural appropriation for wearing her hair in Bantu knots along with a Jamaican flag bikini top as a tribute to the Nottinghill Carnival.

Lammy, a British Labour Party politician serving as Member of Parliament for Tottenham since 2000, and whose parents were born in Guyana, called the claim “poppycock!”

“This humbug totally misses the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival and the tradition of ‘dress up’ or ‘masquerade,” Lammy added. “Adele was born and raised in Tottenham. She gets it more than most. Thank you Adele. Forget the Haters.”

The British-born singer posted the image to her Instagram, which was taken in the singer’s Beverly Hills garden and wrote: “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London GBJM.”

The post quickly went viral as some, especially African Americans, slammed the singer for her hair style in particular, with one user writing: “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.”

Another posted: “If you haven’t quite understood cultural appropriation, look at @Adele’s last Instagram post. She should go to jail no parole for this,” while still another added: “Bantu knots are NOT to be worn by white people in any context, period.”

But Jamaicans on Twitter were also quick to slam back and applaud Adele with one writing: “To all the ignorant non-Jamaicans dragging Adele for supporting the Jamaican culture, sit down! You don’t speak for us! We are proud of Adele! Nuff respeck to her!”

Another Jamaican slammed back even harder tweeting: “”I am Jamaican, and I don’t mind this at all. We have bigger things to worry about. The internet is a cesspool of people having too much thoughts. Go vote. Register to vote, focus on your mental health. This is a non-issue.”

The image from Adele came as the 2020 edition the celebration of Caribbean carnival took place remotely this past weekend for the first time in its 50-year history due to coronavirus.