More than 70,000 people have signed a petition after Disney trademarked a famous phrase from The Lion King.
The Change.org petition, set up ahead of the upcoming live-action remake, accuses Disney of “robbing” the Swahili phrase “hakuna matata” which translates to “no problem” or “no worries” in the East African language.
It was featured in the original 1994 Disney classic which saw Timon and Pumba sing the song Hakuna Matata, the same year Disney first applied to trademark the catchphrase. It was registered in 2003.
The petition accuses Disney of insulting “not only the spirit of the Swahili people but also, Africa as a whole”.
“‘Hakuna matata’ is a Swahili language phrase from East Africa; translate, it means ‘no trouble’. The word ‘hakuna’ means ‘there is not here’ while ‘matata’ means ‘problems’,” the petition reads.
“Hakuna Matata has been used by most Kiswahili-speaking countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Disney can't be allowed to trademark something that it didn't invent.”
Disney was accused of “colonialism” by furious Twitter users who questioned how the trademark had been registered.
One user posted: “How do White US companies think they can trademark someone else's culture. Oh right, colonialism. Petition signed #LionKing.”
Another tweeted: “Which bright spark at #Disney thought it was a good idea to try and trademark #HakunaMatata?
A third wrote: “Where does Disney get off trying to trademark a phrase from an entire language? ‘Hakuna Matata’ existed eons before Lion King.”
The upcoming live-action remake will be voiced by a star-studded cast including Donald Glover and Beyonce.
Standard Online has contacted Disney for comment.
