The curtain now seems to have fallen for the national Sinterklaas celebration in Curaçao. The government in Willemstad has decided to no longer grant subsidies to any new organizers of the children’s party. In April, the permanent organizer had already announced that he would no longer organize an entry.
In any case, the Curaçao government cannot support the Sinterklaas celebration in its current form, “because people of color and African descent feel discriminated against”, according to a press statement.
National children’s party
In consultation with various organizations, work is now underway on a new concept for a national children’s party, which is preferably organized around the international Day of the Child, on 20 November. According to the press statement, all children should be able to participate in the alternative for Sinterklaas, regardless of their race, religion or origin.
Since the late 1960s there has been occasional protest against the ‘colonial party’ in Curaçao. Last year, this was revived by the action group Kick Out Zwarte Piet, which was founded in the Netherlands. The demonstrators then demanded not only the abolition of Zwarte Piet, but also of Sinterklaas.
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