I’m a musician and it obvious that syncretism is the mechanism by which the artform advances. There is a tension between syncretism and cultural appropriation. Syncretism is how migrants integrate into societies. It is how we create new cultural forms. It is a vital and necessary mechanism.
How can someone practice syncretism in an ethical manner? Acknowledging where things come from and your relationship to that origin and trying to understand its significance in its original context. This boils down to respect.
