I arrived back in The Hague on Friday morning. I was away for just under two weeks, but it felt like two months in “Hague time,” a strangely accelerated reality like Narnia. Upon returning, I was not only greeted by a group of friends, but also by parade of men in blackface dressed up in colorful troubadour-like costumes.
Yes, it was exactly as strange as it sounds. But then I remembered reading something in former Fellow Jared’s journal from last year about this strange Dutch holiday tradition. In order to better understand its meaning and history, I did a little research on the internet and talked to some of my Dutch friends. There were even some heated debates over the weekend about the racist connotations of blackface and its influence on race relations in the Netherlands. In the end though, I found myself shelving the academic debate and just enjoying the festive mood of this unique celebration.
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