Hi all,

I'm a white New Zealander and was seeking guidance on a wether it would be offensive to wear a braided wig with beads, and dress up as Rick James for a festival.

The festival's theme is "celebrate" (an intentionally loose theme which is recognition of its 20th anniversary) and this immediately made me think of Dave Chapelle as Rick James: "It's a celebration!".

However, there's been issues in the past in New Zealand with festival costume, including things like Native American Headdress.

I don't want to make the same mistake.

Because my understanding of African American culture is from such a distance, I was hoping for some advice on whether a braided wig was ok, or not ok.

Thank you!