Kick Out Zwarte Piet facts for kids
Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP) is a group from the Netherlands. They work to change the character of Zwarte Piet (which means Black Pete) in Dutch culture. Zwarte Piet is a traditional part of the yearly Sinterklaasavond celebration. This holiday is also known as St. Nicholas' Eve. It is celebrated on December 5th in the Netherlands and December 6th in Belgium. The character of Zwarte Piet is often shown as a dark-skinned helper of Sinterklaas.
Many people in the Netherlands find Zwarte Piet controversial. Some think the character looks like blackface. Blackface was a harmful tradition in the United States where people painted their faces to make fun of Black people. Because of this, KOZP and others want to change or remove Zwarte Piet from the Sinterklaas celebration. However, some people who love traditions disagree. They believe Zwarte Piet is an important part of Dutch culture and is not about racism.
Why KOZP Wants Change
Kick Out Zwarte Piet believes that Zwarte Piet reminds people of a difficult past. This past includes Dutch colonialism and slavery. They want the Sinterklaas celebration to feature only Roetpieten (which means "Sooty Petes"). Sooty Petes look like they have soot (dirt from chimneys) on their faces. This way, the celebration would not have any links to harmful stereotypes about people's skin color. KOZP says that Roetpieten would help keep the fun of Sinterklaas. They would also avoid any look or behavior that might seem unfair to dark-skinned people.
How KOZP Started
KOZP began in 2014. It grew from earlier campaigns like "Zwarte Piet is Racisme" (Black Pete is Racism). This campaign was started by artist Quinsy Gario and activist Jerry Afriyie in 2012. Jerry Afriyie is now the leader of KOZP. He has said that he loved the Sinterklaas celebrations when he was a child.
KOZP first became well-known during the Sinterklaas arrival in Meppel in 2015. Since then, they have continued their work. Some activists feel that KOZP is not pushing for change fast enough. They want stronger actions to happen more quickly.
In 2019, KOZP members were involved in an incident where they felt police did not protect them. Four people were arrested after a meeting was violently broken up. In 2020, Jerry Afriyie and his family received a threatening letter. The police took this threat seriously and started an investigation.
See also
- Anti-racism
- Culture of the Netherlands
