Cultural appropriation and covers

[DF Shortscale]

Got a gig coming up and I’ve been asked to play a cover of Zombie by Fela Kuti which someone threw into a vaguely afrobeat-inspired playlist, and given the historical context of the song, and the fact that this band is a bunch of white guys with zero genuine connection to African culture, I feel like it’s not a good idea. I don’t think whoever came up with the playlist knows the context of the song, they just thought it would be a nice tune to jam on. I’m gonna say no to the gig (and the whole thing reminds me of that Alan Partridge scene where he talks about ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and washing his car). But I’m curious if anyone else has come up against stuff like this - cultural appropriation and being uncomfortable playing covers of tunes that have historical / political significance. Doesn’t sit right with me at all. I feel similar about some other tunes too, What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye etc. Am I over thinking this? Where do you draw the line with stuff like this?

[Dad3353]

There are so many compositions that have real meaning ('If I Had A Hammer', 'Blowing In The Wind', 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' and hundreds more...). Personally, I'd much rather play stuff with real meaning than innocuous, bland, 'filler' stuff, whatever culture it's originally from. To me, human is human; the rest is simply coincidence of birth time and place. I see no problem here. Peace.