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Shared December 7, 2022
"Facing Blackness" at The Black Archives examines the under-explored history of Dutch visual representations of black people from colonialism to the present. A community archive based in Amsterdam, The Black Archives utilized its extensive collection of art and objects to demonstrate the degree to which racist portrayals of black people are embedded in Dutch culture and traditions. At the same time, another theme of the exhibition is how black culture provides meaning for communities and identities in the face of racism. These acts of resistance are particularly important given the persistence of the racist tradition of Black Pete, which I had a chance to witness firsthand during my time here in the Netherlands. Moreover, the exhibition notes that next year marks the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Suriname, a date that the black community in the Netherlands has chosen as a major milestone. #blackamsterdam #zwartepiet #blackpete #1873
