White musicians had Rasta hair and played Reggae music. Concert stopped.

[Markedforsl]

I'm including a translation of an article in a Berlin newspaper, about a concert which took place (or should have taken place) in Switzerland.
A band of white musicians played, among other things, some reggae music. Some of the band had rasta style hair.
Some concert-goers expressed "discomfort" with the situation to the organisers. The organisers stopped the concert and have made abject apologies.

YANBU: White musicians playing reggae music and even wearing dreadlocks while doing so is okay, and doesn't justify the immediate termination of a concert.
YABU: Only Jamaicans should play reggae music and/or have dreadlocks. If white people do either of those things it is racism and should not be allowed. Innocent concert-goers need to be protected from this.

"As reported by several media in Switzerland, the dialect band Lauwarm performed at the Brasserie Lorraine in Bern on 18 July. The five musicians were standing in for another band that had cancelled. The repertoire of the group Lauwarm includes reggae, indie, world and pop. But their colourful programme was not well received - apparently mainly because of the hairstyles. Concertgoers expressed "discomfort with the situation" to the organisers, report Neue Zürcher Zeitung and 20 Minuten.
The concert was stopped after the complaints. In a statement, the organiser now apologised for "awareness gaps". The audience should have been "better protected" before the performance. As the Brasserie Lorraine cooperative announced on Facebook on Monday, the discomfort of the visitors had been related to the topic of "cultural appropriation". That is: the band Lauwarm is criticised for being white musicians, wearing partly rasta haircuts and playing Jamaican reggae music, although they themselves have never experienced the racial exclusion of Jamaicans.
The organisers apologised "to all the people for whom the concert has caused bad feelings". They said they were responsible because they had invited the band. "We failed to deal with it enough in advance and to protect you." The lengthy apology to all those who suffered ends with the words, "Not a millimetre of room for Racism and other discrimination.."

Back to the band, they all look a bit ridiculous and I doubt are Rastafarians. They seem happy and chilled but clueless and have probably been annoying their partners and moms for too long with the Band.

Just in case anyone was in doubt, I was in Waterstones yesterday with my five year old and loads of books had blonde blue eyed little girls having mild adventures (other hair/skin colours also available).

People really do feel they can tell the stupidest lies on the internet!

I don't agree with your choices of voting OP. Not every single Jamaican is black, and white people can also be Rastafarian.

Yes it is as simple as that, nothing to do with the fact that racist radio stations would not play music made by black people, so hindering their sales. Racist parents did not want their children/ teens listening to music made by black people, so would not buy their records. So yes a racist system hampering the amount of money that black artist could make. Where for example someone like Elvis who essentially was playing and singing music inspired by Black artist, was acceptable to the public, and played on the radio stations. I know that Arthur Crudup who wrote and sang That's all right mama, did not make anything like Elvis did money wise. His version is considered to be the first rock and roll song!

There is no such thing as "rasta hair". Sorry if you do not think that language is important. But it really is. Using the right terms is important.

People listening to the band complained about them because they were white, played reggae and wore dreadlocks. They presumably had no information about their religious beliefs or ancestry. Would they have complained if they had only played reggae (no dreadlocks)? Who knows - perhaps. What about if they had been black, not from Jamaica, and not believers in Rastafarianism, but played reggae and had dreadlocks?

Ridiculous.

So I'm not allowed to quote from the newspaper article which is the subject of the post? I have to translate the newspaper article into language which doesn't offend you first?
Tell you what - why don't you write to the newspaper concerned and complain to them? I'm sure they'll appreciate being educated, and they may want to add your concerns to their report on this issue, so that their German speaking readers can learn too.

Was my message to you? thought not.

You can just cut and paste into Google Translate.

A perfect example of divide and conquer, as evidenced on this thread. Let's all squabble while the Titanic sinks.

So yes a racist system hampering the amount of money that black artist could make. Where for example someone like Elvis who essentially was playing and singing music inspired by Black artist, was acceptable to the public, and played on the radio stations

You cannot force the public to like someone they don't identify with for whatever reason. It doesn't work like that

This thread has taken a doubting thomas turn.
Reading the German original, thanks op, and it does say they had to stop because people were upset about the white reggae thing.
I see a lot of threads where one person half way down the thread invents a new reality and people just... believe it. If you don't speak German at least put it through a translator. They're dreadful but slightly better than nothing!

The story is in a number of Swiss and German newspapers. It's stated that the organisers issued an abject apology on Facebook - nothing to do with the band being "a bit shit". So sorry that unlike you clearly I read the international press a little and am interested in what's happening elsewhere in Europe. Hope it didn't inconvenience you too much that I provided the story in translation for you. How up myself I am not to restrict myself to English language news stories only.

Who is trying to force the public to like anybody?

Who is trying to force the public to like anybody?

The radio stations were savvy enough (in those days) to give air time to Elvis as the majority would accept him.

Nowadays commercial ventures are trying to go about it the other way round (propping up singers, actors or celebrities that the majority may not identify with, just to be politically correct or to lecture others, who knows) and they are losing money. Think Netflix, etc.

You cannot get angry because others don't like what you do and vice versa.

Equally you cannot force the public not to like a white band in dreadlocks and hence demand that they are removed from stage. It's insane.

I see. I am slightly intrigued who these artist are, who are being propped up, as you say. But that is just me being nosy.

@LadyKenya You're just spoiling for a fight.
The op posted an article from a newspaper which she thought others may be interested in and right from the off you jumped down her throat about the wording of a bloody hairstyle!
Give it a rest.

More bollocks.
Better not allow Back or Chinese individuals to play Mozart or white to play anything remotely from another culture.

Why can't we all have fun together joining in which each others cultures - oh wait it's only white people that are wrong always wrong.

Not sure why the public should find them special, whoever them are. I thought Bridgerton was a hit though.

Colour blind casting seems a bit silly having wither white or black playing historical people of the opposite colour. Imagine the outcry if a white person played a slave from Africa! Obviously there are white slaves/have been white slaves but they don't merit and a different area and time. Future generations will grow up thinking that the Kind of England was black so why moan about white owning black slaves - distorts the truth/history/facts rather than show it how it was it all it's shameful history.

I was just about to mention Bob Marley being mixed race - his dad is technically a white Jamaican but is definitely white!

Just daft though because I you apply cultural appropriation to ow culture where does it stop? Doc Martins were originally worn by labourers who were marginalised by society. Does that mean you can't wear a pair unless you've ever done hard graft for minimum wage?