ColdplayвЂ™s myopic construction of India has been part of western representation since the colonial era, but in the past few years, the music industry has embraced it to make their videos more interesting. This idealized India obscures the realities of a complex nation in favor of reductive tropes originally intended to preserve western hegemony. Under the western gaze, India is a lush, exotic land filled with dingy slums inhabited by pious, levitating holy men and lanky brown-skinned children who are always throwing colored powders at each other. Director Ben Mor sprayed the вЂњessence of incredible IndiaвЂќ onto his video, a diluted perfume invented by white, western creatives whenever they want some Indian inspiration. So letвЂ™s just settle this and move on: if cultural appropriation means that a privileged group adopts the symbols and practices of a marginalized one for profit or social capital, then yes, ColdplayвЂ™s video is committing cultural appropriation.Д«ut itвЂ™s also more than that. Some were quick to call out BeyoncГ© for wearing Indian clothes and jewelry while others found nothing offensive about the video. Shot in India, the video features the British band performing in Mumbai during the Holi festival while frontman Chris Martin rides in a rickshaw and goes to the cinema to watch a Bollywood film starring BeyoncГ©. Within hours of releasing their new music video Hymn for the Weekend, Coldplay reignited the debate on cultural appropriation that for years has pestered ignorant white people everywhere.

Coldplay videos hymn