← Certify with Pungra · Module 6 of 10 · 7 minutes

Representing the culture accurately

Represent the culture accurately

You are teaching exercise to Punjabi music, so you are also an ambassador for the culture it comes from. Anyone can fall short of this, whatever their background, and nobody is assumed to be an authority because of how they look. Hold yourself to the same standard you would expect of anyone else.

• Say “bhangra” the way it is said, closer to “pun-gra” than “bang-rah”.
• Describe it as coming from the Punjab region, which spans India and Pakistan, and not as “north Indian”.
• Do not mix up Punjabi music with Bollywood or other Indian movie music.
• Give credit to the artists and the culture behind the music you play.
• If someone corrects you, thank them and learn.

Where to learn more

Course 2 covers each of these in depth: How to say it, How to listen to the music and Appreciation, instead of appropriation.

When you are corrected

Say thank you, then change what you say. Tell your class at the start that if they know more than you about something, you would like to hear it. Many people will be glad of the invitation.