Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2024 14:23:18 GMT
The aim was to spread joy, hand out treats and carve out an inclusive celebration that could be added to the festive season’s roster.
But Queen Nikkolah – a black female character who offers children in Belgium a counterpoint to the festive figure of Sinterklaas and his controversial sidekick, Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete – has found herself in the eye of a cultural firestorm.
The row erupted after news broke that Queen Nikkolah was to visit Ghent town hall this week for an event that more than 200 people signed up to attend. Conservative and far-right politicians took aim, accusing the character of threatening tradition and seeking to use a children’s event to push a political agenda.
The city’s mayor reacted swiftly, announcing that the visit would be moved to another venue so as not to sow confusion between Queen Nikkolah and Sinterklaas, who had visited the town hall a few weeks earlier.
“There is nothing wrong with Sinterklaas as we know him,” Mathias de Clercq, Ghent’s mayor, told the Belga news agency. “We shouldn’t try to turn him into something else.” Neither the mayor nor the city replied to a request for comment from the Guardian.
Queen Nikkolah soon became the embodiment of this search, adding to the swelling protests in Belgium and the Netherlands against the presence of Zwarte Piet at parades to herald the feast of Saint Nicholas.
The character of Zwarte Piet was originally a devil and later depicted as a black person during the colonial era, said Nsengiyumva.
On top of its problematic history, the tradition continues to perpetuate racial biases against many in society, said Nsengiyumva. “At the root of it is that it is an Afro-descendent character who is at the service of Sinterklaas,” she said. “I think it’s part of many childhood traumas for black Belgians, for Afro-Belgians, because you’re called out as Zwarte Piet, you’re compared to him.”
She saw Queen Nikkolah as an antidote to all of this, offering children a powerful image of a strong, female black character who was also part of the celebrations. Minutes after the visits kick off, the impact is often already palpable, she said.
“It’s heaven, we have moments of joy, it’s really about joy and positivity.” Parents later share stories of their girls playing at being queen – rather than princesses – after the visits. “To me that’s the most precious thing, that they dream bigger.”
But Queen Nikkolah – a black female character who offers children in Belgium a counterpoint to the festive figure of Sinterklaas and his controversial sidekick, Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete – has found herself in the eye of a cultural firestorm.
The row erupted after news broke that Queen Nikkolah was to visit Ghent town hall this week for an event that more than 200 people signed up to attend. Conservative and far-right politicians took aim, accusing the character of threatening tradition and seeking to use a children’s event to push a political agenda.
The city’s mayor reacted swiftly, announcing that the visit would be moved to another venue so as not to sow confusion between Queen Nikkolah and Sinterklaas, who had visited the town hall a few weeks earlier.
“There is nothing wrong with Sinterklaas as we know him,” Mathias de Clercq, Ghent’s mayor, told the Belga news agency. “We shouldn’t try to turn him into something else.” Neither the mayor nor the city replied to a request for comment from the Guardian.
Queen Nikkolah soon became the embodiment of this search, adding to the swelling protests in Belgium and the Netherlands against the presence of Zwarte Piet at parades to herald the feast of Saint Nicholas.
The character of Zwarte Piet was originally a devil and later depicted as a black person during the colonial era, said Nsengiyumva.
On top of its problematic history, the tradition continues to perpetuate racial biases against many in society, said Nsengiyumva. “At the root of it is that it is an Afro-descendent character who is at the service of Sinterklaas,” she said. “I think it’s part of many childhood traumas for black Belgians, for Afro-Belgians, because you’re called out as Zwarte Piet, you’re compared to him.”
She saw Queen Nikkolah as an antidote to all of this, offering children a powerful image of a strong, female black character who was also part of the celebrations. Minutes after the visits kick off, the impact is often already palpable, she said.
“It’s heaven, we have moments of joy, it’s really about joy and positivity.” Parents later share stories of their girls playing at being queen – rather than princesses – after the visits. “To me that’s the most precious thing, that they dream bigger.”