Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

Thursday, November 21, 2013

File under: Dutch Liberalism

Chandra Frank & Serginho Roosblad

Africa is a country | November 21st, 2013

In the Netherlands, many people convince themselves that racism is something that exists elsewhere — in South Africa, for example, or in the United States. For this is a ‘tolerant,’ liberal nation. To maintain the facade, often blatant acts of racism are downplayed, rationalized or swept away. As an exercise, see some of the comments on our Facebook page whenever we post something about racism in the Netherlands.
We have written before about the Dutch blackface tradition of Zwarte Piet (in English: Black Pete), and what passes for ‘debate’ on the topic at this time of year every year. This year though the debate about Zwarte Piet — dressed in a golliwog-style wig, pronounced red lips and gold earrings — has reached new levels, confronting in the process what many for a long time have tried to address: racism in Dutch society.
In September, activists pressured the Amsterdam municipality to have a public hearing into whether to give permission for Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) festivities in which Sinterklaas’ “helper” Zwarte Piet would be prominent. (The public hearing was a first, though the municipality eventually granted the permit.) Then Verene Shepherd, chairperson of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, told a TV program, “she would object to the character of Zwarte Piet if she lived in the Netherlands.” The result was a nasty racist backlash followed. Nearly 2 million people “liked” a Facebook page that expressed support for Zwarte Piet. Racist remarks in traditional and on social media were common and, as CNN reports, death treats were also made against anti-Zwarte Piet activists.

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