Series about racism and discrimination. About the things some groups went through and had the strength to overcome, and what is still part of our society in both subtle and not so subtle ways. Expressing my feelings about the Dutch tradition of ‘Sinterklaas’ (where an old bishop is accompanied by many black servants acting childlike and jolly) since I feel that this tradition reflects our Dutch slave based history and should not have a place anymore in our society. My hope behind the series is that, put in this context, it will become clear that it is time for change.
"To carry so much pain -
Energy seeping through centuries -
Used to carrying the weight -
Strength I can't even imagine -
Alchemist my wish -
Prejudice and ignorance -
To openness and healing -â€
--
Series about racism, discrimination and prejudice. About the unspeakable things some groups went through and had the strength to overcome, and about what is still part of our society today in both subtle and not so subtle ways.
The idea for this series had been in the back of my mind for a while, but when I flew back from Vienna and met a Dutch women on the plane, I knew I wanted to shoot the series. The woman grew up in Suriname and she opened up to me and shared with me how she experiences everyday life and business life as a black women. I listened to her emotions, her pain mixed with strength and humor and I realized how deeply the wounds still are and also how deeply prejudice still runs through our society, even though we pride ourselves to be tolerant.
The controversy about ‘Zwarte Piet’is an example of the fact that we still have a long way to go. In these series I wanted to express my feelings about this Dutch tradition (of celebrating ‘Sinterklaas’ where an old bishop is accompanied by many (dressed-up) black servants acting childlike and jolly) since I feel very strongly that this tradition reflects our Dutch slave based history and should, in it’s current form, not have a place anymore in our society nowadays.
I created slides consisting of imagery and text about parts of Black history (especially history of racism towards black people and the heroes born from that struggle) and with a beamer reflected them on a male model in front of a wall in a way that he literally absorbs the images and text, just as every human being absorbs the events in his or her cultural history.
My hope behind the series is that, put in this context, it will become clear that it is time for change. Time for listening, for understanding and for openness.
Only weeks after the shoot, the discussion about Black Pete flared up again, astounding me how difficult it is for many people to see past their own (Dutch) cultural traditions and are blinded to the obvious hurtful impact of this specific tradition. I hope that our society will open up to see and embrace the fact that, although without intention, this tradition is in fact hurtful and racist and should develop into something new that reflects harmony and will unite different groups so that ‘Sinterklaas’ will indeed be a happy celebratory time for ALL Dutch people.
Doing so will show a willingness to listen and might be a stepping stone for further trust and harmony in our society.