Real Housewives of Dubai star Sara Al Madani has come to her defense after accusations of cultural appropriation after she wore an Afro wig to Jamaica-born Lesa Milan’s Dancehall-themed party.
The episode, which aired on Wednesday, sees the stars dress up in their best rendition of Dancehall fashion to attend their Jamaican co-star’s soiree.
Al Madani wore a yellow, green and striped mesh dress – reminiscent of Rastafarian cultures – and paired it with gold accessories and a wig. However, she has been labeled a culture vulture.
According to Page Six, the reality TV star has sought to explain that she only set out to pay homage to Jamaican culture. She further said that Afros are a common element in her culture in the Emirates.
“I was worried about the look because some people might not accept it because of the culture. But the thing is, Afro exists in my culture,” she told the magazine.
“There are black people in my culture, there are emirates that have Afros and we have black people. So for us, in the UAE, it is very normal. But I was worried about other people around the world looking at it in a different way.”
She further noted that she is well traveled and is a fan of combining her various experiences to live a diverse life. “I feel like every time I travel and experience a new culture, I find a part of my soul. So … I liked it. I just liked the look, going for it,” she says. “I had a lot of fun. I love to dance,” she said.
Lesa Milan, who is a former Miss Jamaica World contestant, has shared some photos from the party. In her caption, she thanked Ding Dong, Safaree and others for clearing their music for the episode and noted that she was excited for the premiere “because it pays homage to my Caribbean culture and dancehall music.”
During a recount of the episode, Milan approved of Al Madani’s adaptation and warned others not to accuse him of cultural appropriation.
“Actually, I’m very impressed. Everyone looks amazing,” she said. “Sarah, with her big Afro, and try not to let anyone come up with cultural appropriation, okay?”
This, however, did not sit well with a columnist at Vulture who criticized the wearing of an Afro wig by someone who is not, in the slightest, of African descent. Columnist Shamira Ibrahim also slammed Milan for its ‘unacceptable’ defense of the outfit.
“Yes, it is true that the Jamaican motto adopted after independence is ‘out of many, one people’; It is also correct that there are Arabs with Afro-textured hair, especially Afro-Arabs and Black Arabs, who can exist anywhere from Palestine to the southern end of the Swahili coast, where my people live. But Sara is neither Afro-Arab, nor does she have Afro-textured hair, nor was her wig meant to impersonate anyone other than a Black Jamaican,” she wrote.
As Lesa pointed out, there are many ethnicities in Jamaica, including a significant population of those of Southeast Asian, South Asian and Arab origin. There was no need for her to wear a wig; she could have been a jamaican who looked just like her. Her reasoning falls apart even further when she praises the dreadlocked head of Party City’s father-in-law; I think anyone with a basic knowledge of colonial history (or who saw that picture of Adele at the Notting Hill Carnival) should know that there are many white people in Jamaica who actively interact with the Jamaican diaspora,” Ibrahim added.
As the eleventh city in the franchise, Real Housewives of Dubai highlights a group of women navigating their relationships, careers, and ultra-luxurious and ultra-rich lifestyles in the UAE.
