AMSTERDAM: The Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands yesterday to the delight of thousands of children. But even as the Sinterklaas festival kicked off around the country a group gathered in downtown Amsterdam to protest one element of the party they see as unwelcome: his assistant in blackface make-up, Black Pete.
In the Dutch holiday tradition, St. Nicholas arrives by steamboat in mid-November and spends a month in the country with dozens of the Petes, who are clown-like figures that leave cookies, chocolate and other treats for children. The whole affair culminates in a night of gift giving on December 5.
Protesters say the Petes — who wear blackface makeup, red lipstick and frizzy “Afro” wigs — are blatant racist caricatures and should be banned. But the large majority of Dutch people feel there is no racial insult intended by Black Pete. They say he’s a positive figure of fun and that the dissent is a sign of political correctness gone overboard.
“The world is watching, and the Netherlands has been found wanting,” anti-Pete protester Quinsy Gario told a group of about 300 supporters in Amsterdam.
The debate exploded in the national media after it emerged that a panel of UN cultural experts was examining whether the tradition is racist. Some anti-Pete activists have suggested his blackface should be replaced with black smudges, since children are usually told his face has become black from going down chimneys.
A few weeks ago, more than two million people responded to remarks critical of the Dutch tradition by a UN expert by endorsing a Facebook petition to keep Zwarte Piet’s image unchanged.
AP
