Santa's Helper or Slave?

Thursday, 5 December 2013 05:30

Controversy over character draws strong feelings among local Dutch community

The local Dutch community is sticking up for one of their beloved holiday traditions.

Every year, Sinterklaas comes to deliver gifts to children with the help of his sidekick, Zwarte Piet, or "Black Pete".

In recent years, "Black Pete" has come under attack in Holland, including from the United Nations, for being a symbolism of racism and slavery.

But as a Woodstock Dutch resident, Petra DeWit tells Heart FM, slavery is not the meaning behind Zwarte Piet, in fact, she says it's the opposite. "He's not Santa's slave at all. When you go back, the first Zwarte Piet was a slave from Ethiopia that Sinterklaas freed. Then he became his helper, he had a dark skin, and that's how (the story) started."

The character is also depicted with black skin, so the stories go, because he is covered in soot from delivering presents down chimneys.

Sylvia Kiers, employee at Maya Health Food and Dutch Shop is a strong supporter of the tradition, and thinks the controversy is "ridiculous". "It was a Dutch tradition and now my kids know that Dutch tradition and it's just fun. There's no issue about slavery or anything like that. Pete has dark skin because he's dirty."

However, the controversy has made its way to Canada. Earlier this week, a Nova Scotia politician made an emotional public apology after coming under fire from his Twitter followers for taking his picture with a "Black Pete". Joachim Stroink tweeted the picture of himself and his wife at a Dutch Christmas celebration in Halifax.

Stroink fought back tears during his apology this week, saying the use of "blackface" is "unacceptable", and there is no place for it in the Dutch culture.

Sylvia Kiers takes issue with the controversy. "In the article too, they were saying the Dutch have to take that out of the culture. Well Canada is made out of a lot of cultures, and if you start picking apart every culture and what they can or cannot do, there will be no Canada left, because that's what we are."

Kiers believes the character actually promotes multi-culturalism, as she says kids love Zwarte Piet, because he gives them presents and candy.

What do you think:

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