Black Pete

A controversial dutch christmas tradition stirs up tension among civilians( people). The debate is whether the celebrated character-namely Black Pete, is a harmless festive figure or an epitome of racial divide in the Netherlands.

Black Pete, commonly known as Zwarte Piet in the Netherlands is also a character from the book 'Saint Nicholas and his servant' written back in 1845. Originally, he represented a devil which Saint Nicholas captured and made his slave, and in this book, Black Pete is celebrated as part of the annual feast of St. Nicholas Sinterklaas on the evening of 5 December in the Netherlands, where thousands of Dutch people paint their faces black to depict his persona.

Nonetheless, this, like the golliwog dolls, paints a picture of racism against people of African descent. It teaches children that black people are a source of ridicule, dependent on masters. Despite protests against this tradition and intervention by the UN, the Netherlands still believe that the pervasive Black Pete caricature and tradition is not racist.

In their defence, they argue that Black Pete was not black: they say he was a chimney sweeper and therefore the blackness of his face was as a result of cleaning a chimney. If that's the case, why weren't his clothes also black and dirty?

They also claim that he was not a servant but an assistant to St.Nicholas therefore eliminating the stereotype of blacks being depicted as slaves. The Dutch government's response to this matter was that the sinterklaas celebration is a tradition for children but that different parts of society interpret and perceive it in different ways.

A recent survey revealed that 53% of respondents did not think that Black Pete was a discriminatory figure. The belief was more prominent among white Dutch people- 73% of them had no problem with Black Pete. People of African descent, according to the survey, were more likely to say the character was racist.

Therefore, from the Renaissance era to the Modern era, books written about Black Pete have been prejudicial and discriminatory to the African race. From the drawings in the 16th century, Black Pete has been represented as a devil and a servant to the 19th century books including the one I have mentioned Saint Nicolas And His Servant which is supported by subtle claims.

The fact that most dutch people and its government are choosing to have an oblivious attitude towards the negative conotation that this tradition carries shows the kind of state of affairs the Netherlands is in. Hopefully over the years the number of people against this will grow leading to a ban of this racist practice.