The two cancers that characterize this time are Covid-19 and racism – both of which cannot be eradicated (for the time being) with medication, which is quite a demand on our time and patience. Recently a murder with a racist motive touched me. Willy Duarte, a Rome-born 21-year-old young man of Cape Verdean descent, became attacked when he came to the aid of a school friend. Willy was literally beaten to death, purely because of his dark skin color.
His attackers have a connection with the extreme right. A visible problem in Italy. In the media, open jokes are made about the black population, such as that a dark football player only stops running at ten bananas. During football matches, monkey sounds can be heard from the stands when a black football player has the ball. The Black Lives Matter movement still has a long way to go in this Southern European country.
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In the Netherlands we naturally know our own racism in the form of Zwarte Piet (‘Black Pete’, in international terms). Radio station FunX presented a special Power Award to Akwasi this week during the FunX Music Awards 2020 for fighting against racism.
The way the rapper does this doesn’t appeal to me. I absolutely believe that we should tackle racism in the Netherlands hard, but in a non-violent way – as Martin Luther King did with his ‘I have a dream’. In his famous speech, he expressed the hope that someday people would be judged by their behavior and not by their skin color. The pastor and civil rights activist was known for his nonviolent resistance to racial segregation in America, which even earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Where is our Martin Luther King? What the Netherlands needs is a ‘fighter’ who tackles discrimination more broadly with words and arguments. For example, if bicultural young people are not eligible for an internship or a job due to their foreign surnames. The reason why so many Turkish Dutch start their own business is not because they are so entrepreneurial by definition, but also out of necessity.
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In short: we need someone to stand up to ‘fewer, fewer, fewer’ Moroccans. And against the Tax and Customs Administration with its prejudices against Dutch people with foreign names. Racism is widely present in our society. It’s not just about Zwarte Piet. It is rooted in all layers of our systems. Has Akwasi addressed these systems?
The entry of Sinterklaas will take place this year at a secret location, so that our children do not come into contact with violent actions by protesters (pro or anti). Perhaps, just like on Curaçao, we should come up with a reason why Sinterklaas cannot come at all.
In any case, we already have a good excuse for this year: Spain has code red, so the saint is not allowed in either. We are also nicely delivered from this bishop from Spain. Who, by the way, is a Turk.
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