How the Dutch government polices unwanted black bodies
Often championed as a human rights defender, the Netherlands continuously fails miserably in politically protecting and socially including refugees.
17 Articles by:
Chandra Frank
Chandra Frank is a PhD candidate and independent curator.
Whip it Good
The Danish-Trinidadian artist Jeanette Ehlers is using the white man’s tools to strike back.
Is it a good idea to use blackface to shame racism?
The Dutch filmmaker Sunny Bergman put on blackface to fight the racist caricature Zwarte Piet.
Who profits from the production of blackface?
The Dutch state and its economy are profiting generously from their annual blackface partay.
Black Europe and Body Politics
The collective BE.BOP works to introduce a decolonial way of thinking about the visual arts in Europe and Africa.
Taking Blackface to Court
What the Amsterdam court ruling against blackface figure Zwarte Piet really means.
Making Something More Racist
Responding to criticism of a Dutch blackface Christmas character, supporters come up with a dumb plan.
Are ‘mixed-race’ kids a new thing in the Netherlands?
The hype around ‘mixed race’ families ignore that it is not a new phenomenon, but been a central part of Dutch colonial history.
To revolutionize a culture
The writer on Frank’s Archive, based on her father’s records, that explores the different functions of books, power and knowledge.
Steve McQueen and the Dutch
The Dutch are quick to celebrate “12 Years a Slave,” but what if Steve McQueen had decided to make the film about Dutch slavery and colonial history?
10 excuses Dutch people make for blackface
The Dutch can’t hide how racist the “tradition” of the blackface character, Zwarte Piet, is. Here we parody their rationalizations.
File under: Dutch Liberalism
No, there’s is not a vigorous debate on blackface and racism in the Netherlands. Instead it’s the usual duplicity of Dutch liberals.
Taking a Critical Look at Dominant White Beauty Ideals
Redmond is an Amsterdam-based intersectional feminist media collective, organizes conversation about beauty ideals, whiteness, race and cultural appropriation.
Hiding in Plain View
Many believe slavery was a “black page in history.” This is a false representation of history and insulting, given the legacies of slavery are so present today.
Black History in Amsterdam
Discovering that history lessons are best learned when you look up whilst walking through the small streets of the Netherlands’ commercial capital.
Whose Commemoration
The trouble with the official Dutch commemoration of the abolition of slavery. It leaves out the descendants of victims altogether.