Welcome to our first issue of the Language Exepress!

Is there a country as famously liberal as the Netherlands? The Netherlands was one of the first countries to decriminalise drugs, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and sex work, and the idea of the Dutch as a tolerant and accepting society is a familiar concept. However, during my year abroad there, I saw that like most countries, there is a growing opposition to this. Inclusivity in the Netherlands is a prominent debate; populist politician Geert Wilders is the leader of the PVV (Party for Freedom), one of the largest parties in the Netherlands, and his anti-Islam and anti-immigration views are well supported. With the global spread of the Black Lives Matter movement, the divide between those welcoming diversity and those against it has become bigger.

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This debate comes to the forefront at the end of every year. The Dutch are fortunate enough to celebrate Christmas twice, and Sinterklaas is the celebration of its namesake (Saint Nicholas), at the start of December. It’s one of the most anticipated times of the year; food is shared, presents are received, poems are read, and Sinterklaas is paraded through the country upon his arrival. To join the festivities, adults and children dress up as his helper, Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). Pete does what you expect him to, climbing down chimneys to deliver gifts to good children and punish the bad children, but things become more sinister when it appears he was based on Saint Nicholas’ Moorish servant. He wears colourful clothes, curly black wigs, red lipstick, and, most problematic of all, blackface. Why, then, does it remain a significant part of Dutch culture?

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The most common arguments for Zwarte Piet are one, that he is part of Dutch tradition, something many Dutch are unwilling to part with, two, that Sinterklaas is a celebration for children, free of notions about politics and race, and three, he’s just very sooty. As a foreigner, these arguments feel like poor excuses that lack besef (awareness). The Netherlands has a colonial history of slavery that rivals the biggest empires, and it is unfortunately something that is still not entirely acknowledged today.

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Fortunately, attitudes are changing. Anti-Zwarte Piet protests have been ongoing over much of the last decade, and cities are gradually outlawing Zwarte Piet in favour of ‘Sooty Pete’, who has black dust on his face instead. Progress is progress, I guess. Interestingly, Prime Minister Mark Rutte once commented, ‘Black Pete is Black Pete and I cannot change that… because the name is Black Pete,’ but admitted this year that his views have changed and he now understands how it could be offensive.

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Tradition is a hard thing to let go of, but as the world changes, traditions need to adapt. That’s not to say the Netherlands isn’t a progressive country – it is – but no country is perfect. We could all do with a bit of listening and learning.

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