Black Pete the slave: Race, Power and Identity in the Netherlands
by Siji Jabbar
Two blackfaced white Dutch girls walking the streets during the Sinterklaas/Zwarte Piet celebration
I once heard a joke that went something like this: when the world is coming to an end, move to the Netherlands because everything happens there 50 years later. A bit harsh, I thought, after all, the Dutch are a relatively progressive people with much to recommend them: from the high level of volunteering and Amnesty International membership relative to other European countries to their pragmatism and absence of hysteria around subjects like cannabis, prostitution, same-sex marriage and euthanasia. And the Netherlands is also the originating country for the World Press exhibition. Then there are other humane and social indicators such as the unemployed being entitled to holiday money and time, and homelessness is one-fifth that of the States. On the matter of race, though, you do wonder.
There are a number of subtle and unsubtle methods by which white Dutch people remind black Dutch people of their place - and keep them there - which is as second-class citizens to be tolerated, but never fully accepted. The most unsubtle of these methods happens once a year around this time, by way of a character called "Zwarte Piet" (translation: Black Pete).
Sinterklass on his white horse with "servants"
In the United stated you have Santa Claus, in the UK he's Father Christmas, and in the Netherlands he's called Sinterklaas. Unlike the other Santas, though, Sinterklaas arrives with his slave/servant called Zwarte Piet. The slave-servant comes dressed like a renaissance minstrel: blackface, painted red lips, afro wig (for tight curly hair), classic "darkie" iconography. The arrival is a huge event: Sinterklaas and the ‘Zwarte Pieten’ make a grand entrance, and the whole parade is broadcast on public television. Sinterklaas sits tall on a white horse while his black servants share out candy to the kids on the sidelines, and families from all over the country either turn up to watch the arrival or watch it on TV. Or course, to cover the country there will be several Black Petes, typically played by white people, all in blackface, with red painted lips and afro wigs. And many people across the country dress up as Zwarte Piet, too, kids and adults alike.
Kids awaiting Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet
The transformation, however, is not complete with the outfit and greasepaint. The character must speak poor Dutch with a stupid accent, and must act childlike and mischievous when performing, thus reinforcing an old stereotype of black people. And from mid-November, when Sintaklass and his servants arrive, right through till the 5th of December, you can see Zwarte Pieten on various television programmes and TV commercials, and on the streets, acting the fool.
At schools across the country, children sing songs referring to the skin tone and character of the black servant "...even if I'm black as coal I mean well…", "Saint Nicolas, enter with your Black servant", etc, and there are other old songs about Zwarte Piet in which he's made out to be a little bit stupid, a little bit clumsy, more akin to a child than an adult, the same generalisations previously applied to black people, but which can no longer be made explicitly, so here's a "tradition" that allows it to be made implicitly.
Bear in mind that Sintaklass is white - always white - so, essentially, the Netherland's biggest Christmas-related celebration consists of a white man who serves as overlord to a group of stupid, forever subordinate black servants with big, red lips and woolly hair, thus mirroring the slave-master relationship of old and keeping the symbolism of the relationship intact in contemporary society.
Bear in mind, also, that the Netherlands is not a remote and isolated country unwittingly celebrating something that has no connection to its history. The Dutch were deeply involved in the slave trade, enriching themselves over centuries at the expense of millions of black people, some of whose descendants live in the Netherlands today.
Portraying Africans, colonial style
Historically, European mythology has not been kind to people of colour. European mythology hasn't even been kind to Jewish people, but the second world war put an end to the caricature of Jews. The European tradition of portraying black people as savages, or wicked and devilish, or inherently dim-witted and suitable only for servitude, has mostly vanished from popular culture due to the protests and the realisation that these depictions are deeply racist and damaging, and have no place in the modern world. Americans got rid of their coon-themed iconography and the Brits have mostly done away with the golliwog figure, as they did with the Black and White Minstrel stage show which was stopped in 1987 (the TV show was stopped in 1969, following petitions and protests). Mind you, the damage had already been done. Repeated over centuries, these portrayals sit deep in the consciousness of many white (and black) people today, and continue to influence the way black people are perceived. Actually, you will still find derogatory references to dark skin in many of the classic European fairy tales, a political act woven into popular culture for kids to absorb sub-consciously.
Minstrel iconography
So what on is going on with the Dutch? How can such an abhorrent anachronism exist in a seemingly modern and progressive country? As one writer put it, "millions of black people were killed or enslaved by white people over four centuries, and millions more continue to suffer discrimination all over Europe and in the States, so this Zwarte Piet character is about as funny as wearing a swastika." If that sounds like an exaggeration, imagine what would happen today if you sang "Saint Nicolas, enter with your Jewish servant" and you immediately see that this is more than just an innocent song.
And in case there's any doubt about this character as a figure of ridicule, watch this clip (which appeared on public television in 2007):
[UPDATE: I've been informed the video was satirical - made by Dutch comedy duo the Groen Brothers, i.e. an exaggeration that takes the figure of Zwarte Piet to the limits of ridicule in order to show how he is in fact really seen, so it supports the point we're making in this article]
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The schools help with this a lot though, they organize events around christmas where lots of swarte pieten come to the school, snap pictures with the kids, even give presents, and everything's less scary for the kids after that. Also they grow up.
Sounds like something a 12-year old does when he's run out of comebacks.
