When words/phrases are used amongst cross borders, such use has
immense emotion attached to it among the local linguistic groups.
Common examples are – Namaste, Khadi, Yoga Aasanas,
As-Salaam-Alaikum, etc.
Similarly in Swahili, (a native language of the African Great
Lakes region and other parts of eastern and south-eastern Africa)
the phrase “Hakuna Matata” translates to - “no
worries”. We are all familiar with the popular phrase used in
the Disney movie – The Lion King. Such usage popularized the
local underrated phrase and also brought the world’s notice
towards the Swahili group. However, recently, Walt Disney has
sought trademark rights over the phrase for its film “The
Lion King”. There is a petition being circulated on the
social media that asks Disney to relinquish its rights to the
phrase. It states that Disney’s move of monopolising a
traditional Swahili phrase for itself has led to an emotional
response. Surprisingly, some petitions call it ‘an
assault on
