Published: 1 December 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
OPPONENTS OF THE CUSTOM say the portrayal of the saint’s sidekick, Black Pete, in processions and parties leading up to the December 6 holiday is racist. Proponents resist what they see as censorship of an ancient tradition that they believe not only doesn’t demean blacks but is a celebration of them by a famously tolerant Dutch society. Clashes over the issue in recent years have occasionally turned violent.
This year, the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam is wading into the debate with a new exhibition that features material that some hope might finally settle the question of whether depictions of Black Pete are racist. Its decision to address the subject is a politically sensitive one and the museum’s director is clear that his institution is opposed to the custom.
FULL STORY Amsterdam’s Jewish museum wades into Dutch blackface controversy with new exhibition (JTA)
Photo: A child poses for a photo with a woman dressed as Black Pete and a man portraying St Nicholas in northern Amsterdam, November 16, 2019 (Cnaan Liphshiz)
