Aruba bans blackface makeup during annual Dutch celebration

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba will ban the blackface makeup worn every December during Sinterklaas, a celebration of St. Nicholas in which white people often dress up as a children’s character called “Black Pete.”

Culture Minister Xiomara Maduro said in a Facebook post on Monday that she doesn’t want to encourage a celebration that would offend people. She called on participants to use multicolour paint or none at all.

“Not every problem has been resolved, but this is a first step,” she wrote.

Jerry Afriyie, a prominent Dutch Black activist, has long been calling for the eradication of the children’s character.