Our Colonial Hangover

Sunny Bergman analyses the debate in the Netherlands on the racist component in Black Peter, a character in the Dutch children’s tradition around the Santa Claus Feast. Is Black Peter, black-skinned assistant to the generous white-skinned children’s friend Santa Claus, an insulting stereotype with roots in a colonial past? Or is he part of an innocent tradition that should not be tampered with? The pro and con lobbies stood face to face last year: a UN working group pronounced judgment, the judiciary was involved, and the social media turned into a cesspit of recriminations. How tolerant is Dutch society really? Bergman charts subconscious prejudices, every-day racism and the heritage of the Dutch colonial past. She has conversations with personal friends and exposes the phenomenon ‛white privilege’ in her own circles. Our Colonial Hangover intensified the discussion in the Netherlands about white privilege and racism.