Why is it that so many ethnic pride celebrations seem to have people selling the same kitschy hippie apparel, no matter what culture they are supposed to be celebrating?
I don't know if this happens everywhere in the world, but it is a pretty obvious pattern here in the U.S. I've seen the same stuff at celebrations of Asian and Native American culture, and today at an African cultural festival. Any time there is a cultural celebration with vendors, it seems like there is someone selling gypsy skirts, tie-dyed skirts and/or dresses, sundresses (always the same kind, typically made in India or Bangladesh regardless of who is selling them or what they are supposed to be celebrating), woven bracelets, hemp jewelry, and brightly colored beaded and embroidered handbags.
To some extent I can answer my own question. People show up and sell this stuff because there are people who will buy it. But that raises another question: How much do these things actually help to spread awareness of other cultures? Some people show up with the idea of actually sharing their culture, but a lot of it seems to be just an excuse for people to sell things to hippies.
I guess I'm just disappointed because I'm genuinely curious about African culture and this festival they had today was a let-down. It wasn't that big, and a significant portion of the vendors looked like both the seller and the merchandise were Asian, not African. One of these days I will just have to get off my ass and visit Africa.
