2023-11-28 13:47:00
“Queen Nikolah is a character created by artist Laura Nsengiyumva, who challenges conventional boundaries between cultures and genres. The objective is to approach the tradition in a different way”, explained the city of Ghent. The city also indicated that the presence of the artist was not intended to replace the traditional Saint Nicholas. The latter was also passing through Ghent on November 19.
However, another performance by the artist is scheduled for December 9 at Zinnema, a Dutch-speaking cultural center located in Anderlecht.
Our report behind the scenes of a united Saint-Nicolas
“Make room for Queen Nikkolah! She invites all children! Her winter myth has been a tradition in Belgium for many years and she supports future generations as they strive for a more conscious and inclusive world. With her friends she organizes various fun activities, a color corner, a listening angle and even a dance floor. And as if that wasn’t enough, she will spoil you with gifts, toys , photos and more surprises. Don’t miss this magical party!”, announces the center on its Facebook page.
But here too, the arrival of the artist provokes negative reactions. “Is this inclusion? A black Saint Nicholas for black people and a white one for white people?” denounces a user. To which the center responded: “Everyone is welcome on December 9. Maybe Queen Nikkolah will even have a gift for you. The queen is there for all children.”
A more inclusive Saint Nicholas in our schools: “Why not a Sidi Nicolas?”
Interviewed by RFi in 2017, the artist Laura Nsengiyumva explained how she came up with the idea of embodying a Queen Nikkolah.
“There was already great unease during my childhood around this very disturbing figure of the black Father Fouettard. When my father got angry, I always thought of Father Fouettard. This character started to disappear in Belgium, but when I arrived in the Netherlands at 18 to work, I wondered about the presence of this stereotypical “Zwarte Piet”. Why do we say “Zwarte Piet” and not “Witte Sinterklaas”? I didn’t understand that it was so racialized and this name took me by surprise, in addition to the face and caricature, which also touched me,” she said.
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