To Etan, I am a woman. A "she". Sorry to offend you. I think I would try the first approach (after all, many of the white women who became geishas, for example Fiona Graham, who I mentioned a few posts back, who originally travelled to Japan as an exchange student at the age of 15, and worked for long periods in the country have had long and sustained contact with Japanese culture) I would think it better if I have had long and sustained contact with the culture. I have a knack for picking up accents in a short time. I have a friend from the Southern US, who came to my school in Year 9 (not that long ago- 2008) and after a while, I would find myself talking in a similar way to her. So I expect if i went to Trinidad, I may find myself being asked what part of the country I am from after a long period there. Thank you very much, Azizi. Richard Bridge, since you seem to believe that "people should sing only what is indigenous to them" what would you say to a person like me, who wanted to stay in the area whose native culture it is for long periods of time, so that they could learn the music and traditions?

To me this is very different to singing songs from other cultures on your home ground and assuming that everyone will like it- even people from that culture!