Princess Amalia, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima officially started their two-week visit to the Caribbean part of the Netherlands this morning on Bonaire. They will arrive on Curaçao on Wednesday. A day later painting a Chichi is on the program.
“Caricature of Black Woman”
According to the Government Information Service, a Chichi is ‘a typical Curaçao sculpture that symbolizes the responsible older sister in the family’. But critics say it is a “caricature” of “a black woman with her legs spread wide and large breasts prominently displayed.”
The opponents call this inappropriate at a time when the people of Curaçao are busy processing the slavery past, including the apologies of Prime Minister Mark Rutte last month. A gallery owner initiated the protest.
On social media, among other things, the gallery owner is receiving increasing support from people who see no symbol at all of the responsible older sister in the Chichi’s performance. They call it caricature that goes against “the quest for equality and self-respect of the black population.”
A spokesman for the Government Information Service says that the program has been compiled by the islands themselves and does not want to comment further on the fuss.
Dancing Amalia
The visit to the islands started today on Bonaire, where Princess Amalia could be seen dancing with the local population, among other things. RTL Boulevard made this item about it:
