A carnival performance in southern Spain featuring performers dressed as the late physicist Stephen Hawking has sparked a fierce debate about humour, tribute, and cultural sensitivity.
A Robotic Procession Through Cadiz
This week, a group of twelve men in wheelchairs paraded down the cobbled streets of Cadiz during the city's famous carnival. Dressed identically to represent Professor Stephen Hawking, they sang a version of the local song 'How beautiful, how beautiful is Cadiz' using robotic voices. The spectacle was captured on video by numerous onlookers.
The act was the entry from the comedic musical group 'Una chirigota en teoría' for the fourth stage of Cadiz's annual Official Contest of Carnival Groups. Such groups are renowned for their satirical songs about current affairs, performed in matching costumes.
Tribute or Tasteless? The Divided Reaction
The troupe was quick to defend their performance, describing it as a 'tribute' to the celebrated scientist. They announced they would be donating the wheelchairs used in the act to charities supporting motor neurone disease (MND), the condition Hawking lived with for most of his life.
They explained the 'satirical' performance was inspired by Hawking, aiming to highlight mobility challenges and the field of physics while showcasing his life. Many online supporters agreed, with one social media user stating: 'Hawking probably would have found this hilarious. He had a sense of humour about himself and about life in general.'
Others emphasised the need for cultural context, arguing that understanding the 'Spanish sense of humour' was key. One commenter noted the performance also critiqued accessibility, saying: '...it's impossible to get around those streets in a wheelchair.'
However, not everyone was amused. Critics labelled the impersonation 'distasteful' and 'tasteless', feeling it crossed a line in mocking a figure who lived with a severe disability.
The Legacy of Stephen Hawking
Professor Stephen Hawking, the award-winning English theoretical physicist behind 'A Brief History of Time', was diagnosed with MND at the age of 21. He died in 2018 at 76 from complications related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease. His life was famously portrayed by actor Eddie Redmayne in the 2014 film 'The Theory of Everything'.
The incident in Cadiz underscores the fine line between satire and offence, and how cultural perspective heavily influences where that line is drawn.
