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.
To read more....
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