The phrase "Hakuna Matata," which was popularized by Disney's The Lion King in 1994, roughly translates to "no problem" in Swahili. However, Disney may not have "no worries" after the industry giant was slammed by a petition that accused the company of "colonialism and robbery" for trademarking the phrase.
Disney first applied to have "Hakuna Matata" trademarked in 1994, but its request was later granted in 2003. Shelton Mpala, a Zimbabwean activist, lodged a petition via Change.org against The Walt Disney Company ahead of the release of its anticipated live-action remake of The Lion King in July 2019. Mpala urged for people to sign his petition to say "NO to DISNEY or any corporations/individuals looking to trademark languages, terms or phrases they didn't invent."
"The word 'hakuna' means 'there is not here' while 'matata' means "problems.' Hakuna Matata has been used by most Kiswahili-speaking countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he wrote. "Disney can't be allowed to trademark something that it didn't."
In speaking with BBC on Tuesday, Mpala elaborated with his disdain for Disney's decision to trademark the catchphrase. He suggested he created the petition in hopes to sway Disney to reverse its action.
"A lot of Swahili speakers have been utterly shocked, they had no idea this was happening," Mpala told the BBC. "Growing up in Zimbabwe, I always had an understanding that a culture's language was its richness."
Mpala isn't the only person against Disney's trademark of "Hakuna Matata." One commenter on the petition's page argued how "Swahili is part of us" and "it is our native language." A Twitter user suggested Disney's actions were "blatant robbery that should not be allowed to stand" and people "don't have to speak the language to know that this is an egregious theft," whereas another Twitter opposer questioned how Disney could "trade mark a phrase that has been used as part of language" in the first place.
this is blatant robbery that should not be allowed to stand. you don't have to speak the language to know that this is an egregious theft, one that recalls the way that africa's precious treasures were looted. please sign this petition!
— dele jẹgẹdẹ (@iji_araba) December 17, 2018
How can they trade mark a phrase that has been used as part of language
— flo agwu (@floagwu) December 17, 2018
Disney isn't the first to popularize "Hakuna Matata" through song. In fact, Kenyan band The Mushrooms released a song, titled "Kenya Hakuna Matata (Jambo Bwana)," in 1994.
Disney has encountered backlash for trying to trademark something belonging to another culture before. In 2013, the company dropped its plans to trademark "Día de los Muertos" for Disney/Pixar's Coco. The company aimed to have ownership over the phrase for merchandising purposes.
"As we have previously announced, Disney-Pixar is developing an animated feature inspired by the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos," Disney said in a statement, according to the Guardian. "Disney's trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities. It has since been determined that the title of the film will change, and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing."
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Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more
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