African News Explained

Although the Dutch are once again celebrating the arrival of Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas today, a controversy has been raging over the portrayal of his servant, Black Pete. Some in the Netherlands argue that this child's tale perpetuates a negative stereotype of Africans and people of African descent, and the debate has even attracted the attention of the United Nations. Geor Hintzen, a Dutch researcher of the Hague University, comments.