Culture house suggests pact to rid Sinterklaas of racial stereotypes

Flemish-Dutch culture house deBuren has proposed a pact to rid the annual Sinterklaas tradition of “racial stereotypes”. The proposal has been criticised by both sides of the debate, including by the Minorities Forum, which says it doesn’t go far enough.

The character of Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) traditionally appears next to Sinterklaas sporting blackface, a Moorish costume, bright red lips, curly black hair and big gold earrings. Despite his appearance, supporters of Zwarte Piet in Flanders say he is not a racist stereotype and that the blackface is a reference to soot stains from climbing down chimneys.

A trend in the Netherlands to remove Piet’s most obvious racial references has also seen some success in Flanders. Antwerp’s annual festival celebrating the arrival of Sinterklaas at the weekend featured Piets without blackface or painted lips. The characters appeared with soot stains on their faces instead.

That movement spurred deBuren to draw up the Pietenpact, the work of a year of negotiations that ended with a pledge to remove racial stereotyping from the Sinterklaas period. The pact was signed by various organisations in Flanders: the two main education networks, family union Gezinsbond, Flemish children’s TV broadcasters, youth theatre groups and the toy chain Dreamland.

Individuals including musician Bart Peeters, children’s rights commissioner Bruno Vanobbergen and filmmaker Stijn Coninx have also signed it.

Opposition has come from Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits, who tweeted at the weekend to emphasise that the blackface is soot. Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever described the pact as “completely unnecessary”, arguing that the tradition in Flanders is “respectful… nobody feels they are being caricatured”.

According to Minorities Forum director Wouter Van Bellingen, the initiative is welcome but does not go far enough. “As an advocate for people with migrant backgrounds, we feel it’s not possible to sign the pact the way it is,” he said. “We are not convinced that the figure of Piet should be represented at all.”

Meanwhile, 15,000 people gathered at the quayside and on Antwerp’s Grote Markt at the weekend to greet Sinterklaas for his annual arrival by ship from Spain. The saint’s day is 6 December.

Photo: Toned-down Piets entertained kids and their parents in Antwerp on Saturday © Kristof Van Accom/BELGA