Sinter Klaas (Santa Claus) and Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) - A Continuing Colonial Celebration of African Oppression
Tune in to www.UhuruRadio.com Sunday at 15:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time) to hear African People's Socialist Party Chairman
Omali Yeshitela and
Peggy Burke, an African organizer from Amsterdam, talk about the origins of the Santa Claus tradition. Burke has been involved in efforts to stop the anti-African parade and celebrations in Holland where white people put on black face and enact the colonial myth.
Here's an excerpt from the pre-recorded interview...
"The truth is that virtually every celebration done in this country and throughout Europe, certainly since the 15th or 16th century, have been celebrations of slavery and genocide.
"The reality is that there are no innocent holidays. Just like Thanksgiving, Christmas itself has its origin in something that's not necessarily good for Africans and other oppressed people. When I say Christmas, what I'm really talking about is not so much the mythology of the son of God being born, as much as Christmas that's generally celebrated having to do with gift-giving and sharing and the emergence of this fantastic character known as Santa Claus.
"Santa Claus was born of the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Sinterklaas was the patron saint of shipping in Holland. The first African captives to come to America were brought by the Dutch. I would imagine that the 'Good Ship Jesus' that brought us here was probably blessed by Sinterklaas. You could say that we were a gift from Santa to America."
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