Cambridge University is being accused of racial insensitivity because it hosted a Lion King–themed dinner party featuring African food.
“Would you like to travel far away and escape from the library/your room/your department?” the original (it has since been edited) and apparently too-controversial invite stated, according to an article in the Daily Telegraph.
“Hakuna Matata, here comes the solution . . . Join us for the first themed formal of this term and discover Africa’s cuisine!” it continued. “Bring your rafikis along, and see you all there!”
(“Hakuna Matata,” which means “no worries,” is the name of a song in The Lion King, and “rafiki,” which means “friend,” is the name of a character.)
So, what was the problem? In her post on a blog titled “FlygirlsofCambridge,” student Alice Davidson explains that the event invitation featuring a picture of a tree over a sunset and opening with “Hakuna Matata” is the same as saying “Africa = Disney animated movie or Taylor Swift ‘Wildest Dreams’ music video.”
#related#Among Davidson’s other complaints were that the school identified the featured food as “African” food rather than as the food of specific African countries and that it did not try hard enough to involve the African Society of Cambridge University in the planning of the event.
Fellow students expressed support for her point of view in the comments section, with some even adding complaints of their own. For example: A commenter named “CAMBRIDGEFLY” stated that “reducing Africa to an exotic ‘far away land’ contributes to the idea of it as a ‘mysterious other.’”
Note: Africa is indeed very “far away” from Cambridge University.
— Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.