31 October, 2021
Has Day of the Dead fallen victim to cultural appropriation?
Partly thanks to James Bond’s memorable opening chase sequence in the 2015 film Spectre, which took place in Mexico City through a Day of the Dead parade, the festival of Dia de los Muertos is now absolutely everywhere. You can buy Day of the Dead cookies, costumes, sugar skulls – and even Day of the Dead-themed Cortez trainers from Nike. Wander through any UK High Street and half the shops have Day of the Dead-themed window dressings including, somewhat improbably, Whittard’s of Chelsea – which is offering a sticky toffee-flavoured white hot chocolate, emblazoned with a Dia de los Muertos design. Not sorted out your plans for Halloween? Pinterest offers ‘151 great Day of the Dead party ideas’ – and Amazon can send a cheap costume to you, for the event, within 24 hours. At what point does all this brightly-coloured activity, which is not part of the UK indigenous culture, become cultural appropriation – which is the term that describes the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture? Click here to read more.