Cher rides mechanical elephant into row with Hindus

“Many instances of cultural appropriation in the media and popular culture elicit mixed responses because the inappropriateness of use is offset against the well-meaning intentions of the user, who appropriate because of interest in or affinity with another culture. 

Cher’s appropriation of stock generic Hindu and Indian symbols, however, is not like this. In her tour, she grandly rides atop an elephant decked out like an Indian bride whilst reciting the Gayatri Mantra in Sanskrit. Her use of Hindu tropes here is merely aesthetic, used to create a vivid sense of spectacle. For no sooner has she made her entrance, then the act is dropped, giving way to music her audience is more familiar with – her chart-topping hits. 

I can see why she has riled South Asian communities because she has taken symbols sacred to them and emptied them of significance.  The Gayatri Mantra, one of the most highly revered mantras in Hindu tradition and the elephant, a sacred animal and the representation of the living incarnation of Lord Ganesh, are discarded like the mechanical elephant on stage, useful stage props, but little else. 

“I can see why she has riled South Asian communities because she has taken symbols sacred to them and emptied them of significance.”

Professor Rina Arya  

She seems to be using South Asian culture in a gimmicky way to enhance the visual and other effects of her performance rather than because she wants to pay any sort of tribute to the spiritual or cultural significance of the symbols she uses. 

Whilst from a position of equality cultural appropriation is dubious, it is not advisable to adopt a blanket statement. Instead, it is preferential to take a case-by-case approach, which can be placed along a spectrum. Cher’s display is unequivocally insensitive because of its superficial treatment of the solemnity of the sacred text.” 

• Professor Arya is quoted in The Times article Tusk, tusk: Cher, 73, rides mechanical elephant into row with Hindus written by entertainment correspondent Grant Tucker.