The Walt Disney Company has been accused of cultural appropriation for trademarking the Swahili phrase “hakuna matata”, popularised by the 1994 film The Lion King.
More than 44,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on the US company to release its trademark.
Petition creator Shelton Mpala said “hakuna matata” means “no problems” or “no worries” in the Swahili language, which is spoken across East Africa.
“I liken this to colonialism and robbery, the appropriation of something you have no right over,” Mr Mpala wrote on Change.org.
“Imagine, if we were to go that route, then we owe the British royalties for everyone who speaks English, or France for when we speak French.
“Disney can’t be allowed to trademark something that it didn’t invent.”
Disney applied for the trademark in 1994 and it was approved in 2003.
But the issue has re-emerged due to the upcoming live-action remake of the animation feature, which tells the story of Simba the lion who succeeds his father Mufasa as King of the Pride Lands.
“A lot of Swahili speakers have been utterly shocked, they had no idea this was happening,” Mr Mpala told the BBC.
“Growing up in Zimbabwe, I always had an understanding that a culture’s language was its richness.”
Some Kenyan newspapers have also accused Disney of stealing from Kenyan culture by claiming ownership of the phrase.
In the 1994 Lion King movie, the song “Hakuna Matata” was composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice.
The Lion King franchise includes a stage musical, merchandise, film sequels and TV spin-offs.
