Sat, 21 November 2009
| Index | Last | Var.(%) |
|---|---|---|
| BEL 20 | 2119.3 | 0.50 |
| DAX | 5252.45 | 1.50 |
| IBEX 30 | 10726.8 | 0.59 |
| CAC 40 | 3377.59 | 1.40 |
| FTSE 100 | 4564.5 | 0.79 |
| AEX | 276.85 | 0.95 |
| DJIA | 9096.72 | -0.13 |
| Nasdaq | 1975.51 | 0.39 |
| FTSE MIB | 20341.67 | 1.65 |
| TSX Composite | 10570.54 | -1.74 |
| ASX | 4148.9 | -0.60 |
| Hang seng | 20135.5 | -2.37 |
| Straits Times | 0.00 | |
| ISEQ 20 | 442.48 | 0.27 |
Every year in the run-up to the Sinterklaas feast day on 5 December, expats join Dutch people in debating whether Zwarte Piet is a racist caricature or a loveable fairytale figure.Saint Nicholas is the Christian source for Father Christmas or Santa Claus, who comes bearing gifts for children in the early morning of 25 December. The main difference is that the enterprising Dutch hooked up with a jovial present-giver who arrives earlier in the month.
Although it seems he is also based on Saint Nicholas, this fellow goes by the name Sinterklaas. He traditionally arrives by boat in the Netherlands from Spain in the third week of November and gets the presents to children and — often to adults too — by 5 December.
He provides a good service? Yes, indeed he does, or rather the credit should go to his helpers, the Zwarte Pieten, or Black Piets.
Herein lays the crux of the problem: is Zwarte Piet his assistant, helper or slave?
And why is Zwarte Piet black with trademark dark curly hair and large gold earrings despite the fact the role is generally played by white, native Dutch people who think it is so amusing to don black face paint?
A gollywog or a miniature Zwarte Piet?
Sinterklaas, on the other hand, is based a white Christian Archbishop with flowing robes and a long white beard.
In short, why does Zwarte Piet bear a very close resemblance to the traditional gollywog doll, which has long since been consigned to the "politically incorrect" sin bin of history?
The gollywog was one of the first things to get the chop in 1987 when publishers of books by children's' author Enid Blyton agreed to expunge all "racism" from her works. Her gollywogs have now been transformed into neutral gnomes.
Who is this dark stranger?
Depending on the commentator's disposition towards the character, Zwarte Piet is either an Ethiopian orphan who was saved by slavery by Sinterklaas, a chimney sweep (who presumably hasn't had time to have a bath) or a "Moorish assistant" who really enjoys doing all the work for his white friend.
Interesting fact is that Zwarte Piet is actually of Moorish persuasion, hence the dress, afro and earrings. He has nothing to do with afro-americans, racism or any other tail. It has grown to be that Saint Nicholas has become a white person (while he is originally Turkish). Initially, they were all more or less the same 'color' although from different cultures.
What are we discussing here? This is just a very harmless fairy for children.
Chris,
We are the discussing the stereotypical images of Zwarte Piet [with big red lips, white teeth and bugged-out eyes] that are offensive to many everyday people in Amsterdam. These people probably include your friends and colleagues.
please check this link to educate yourself
http://zwartepiet2008.blogspot.com/
peace
1.prawda
And the American version of Santa's helpers are OK? Little people might feel offended as well..
It is interesting to see that these discussions only take place in English. I have yet to find a Dutch discussion on the so-called controversy of the Zwarte Pieten.
I grew up in Holland and many of my friends are not white. No Dutch child (white or not)or adult for that matter sees Zwarte Piet as a black person. The Zwarte Pieten, just as Sinterklaas are characters in a holiday story, just like Santa and his elves.
In analyzing this tradition you should not forget that everyone is culturally biased by default and what is considered politically correct in the States is not necessarily true in the rest of the world.
Living in the States I do see that people find Zwarte Piet controversial. I try to keep an open mind when I look at other people's tradition's and I wish that this Dutch tradition would be treated with the same open mind.
Don't just repeat what others have said about it but try and come to Holland around that time and experience the celebration yourself, together with a Dutch family.
I would like to hear if it changes your view on the subject!
Anouk,
If you don't think that Zwarte Piet portrays a black person, I'm sorry, but you are completely delusional. Also, have a little read about the history of Zwarte Piet (from 1850 onwards), and the things going on in your colonies about that time - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet.
I am in Flanders at the moment, and am completely dumbstruck by the flagrant racist 'darky iconography' imagery, which have popped up everywhere.
Zwarte Piet characters are typically performed by white people dressed in a renaissance minstrel’s outfit complete with blackface, painted red lips, and an ‘afro’-wig i.e. classic darkie iconography. The characters usually speak in a ‘stupid’ or Surinamese accent, and are portrayed as childlike and mischievous when performing in public or on television programmes. There is further evidence that such characters are subjected to racist ridicule, as evidenced by the following ‘satire’ which was released onto public television as late as 2007 and is available on the following URL with almost 450,000 views:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2H6SXaWxuo
P.S. I am not American, I was raised in New Zealand. It's not just the Americans that would have a reaction to Zwarte Piet, I'm sure Canadians, Australians, the English, French and other Europeans would see this as racist. In fact, the Zwarte Piet aspect is probably the most racist public celebration I can think of, its almost satirical, e.g. like having the 'Running of the Jew' celebration in Borat or a Ching Chong Chinaman celebration where everyone wears buck teeth and tapes their eyes slanty. The problem is that this is real, this is a modern, rich, and educated Western society (the Netherlands and Flanders) and it's the 21st century. Wake up! Zwarte Piet is a racist caricature and damaging to children. The only reason you don't think the same is because of the psychological pressure caused by conforming to Dutch-speaking society is warping your view of reality - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments
Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.
Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
General rating: Not rated yet
Rate article:
Add my rating