Lilac Colored Glasses

Yesterday I gave you a brief summary of Sinterklaas, remember?

And one notable thing about Sinterklaas is his sidekick, Zwarte Piet.

Translation? Black Pete.

Picture?

Can anyone say Minstrel Show?

Now, does anyone else out there see some issues with this character??

(I’m bracing myself against a possible barage of protests flying at my head from all the Flemish and/or Dutch people reading this)

When CB told me about Zwarte Piet last year, I have to admit that it gave me pause.  Granted I do come from a country with a rather different history when it comes to racism against Africans (coughCongocoughcough) but I  threw ethnocentrism to the wind and asked if a black guy capering around, serving a white bearded saint and kidnapping bad children wasn’t a tad bit racist.  CB replied that Zwarte Piet was only black because he was covered in soot from delivering presents down chimneys.

So forgive me if I wasn’t struck by the fact that no, Zwarte Piet does NOT look like some guy covered in ashes:

But rather a tad bit like Laurence Olivier playing Othello

…or this guy:

Forgive me, but come on.  In America we call that blackface.  It’s racist and not tolerated by the majority of people in the United States.  Now, when I’ve made this sort of comment around here I get shocked expressions because Zwarte Piet is just a happy go lucky guy that hangs out and helps Sinterklaas get his deliveries done.  He’s apparently not even neccessarily of Moorish or African descent anymore, just a guy that’s all dirty from the chimney.  And yet no one can seem to account for or explain certain traits commonly given to Zwarte Piet that would lead most educated people to believe otherwise (the red lips, the gold earrings, the curly hair etc.).

I mean seriously:

Can you honestly say that these images don’t look like they came straight out of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids?

By no means am I trying to say “get rid of your traditions” nor am I trying to brand any single party as being intentionally racist or wrong.  In fact, there are Dutch and Belgian groups that are not quite happy with the portrayal of Piet as well.  They want Zwarte Piet to be more of a Regenboog Piet.

Regenboog = Rainbow

I personally don’t even think you need to go so far as that.  If you’re going to try to neutralize your old image of a moorish/African Zwarte Piet with an excuse like “he’s covered in ashes from the chimney” then why not do just that? Make the image of Zwarte Piet that of a guy covered in soot.  Lose the tell tale earrings, curly hair and exageratedly African facial features and replace it with what you say Zwarte Piet really is…just some dude that’s covered in soot.  Cause for a country that is usually so progressive and forward thinking, I have to say, Zwarte Piet is waaaay outdated.

Then

Now