The city of Ghent in Belgium has decided to cancel the appearance of Queen Nikkolah, a female “Santa Claus” who called for the liberation of Belgians from “colonial ideology”
Ghent mayor, Mathias de Clercq, caved into criticism and pressure, describing Queen Nikkolah, who was dressed in Palestinian flag colours, as “woker than woke.”
The original plan called for her to hand out gifts to children at the town hall, thereby challenging the traditional figure of Sinterklaas, the Belgian Santa Claus. Mr de Clercq said: “There is nothing wrong with Sinterklaas, as we know him, we shouldn’t try to turn him into something else.”
Queen Nikkolah, created by artist Laura Nsengiyumva as an African alternative to Sinterklaas, aimed to provide children with revised versions of traditional Christmas stories.
Members of the right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), Belgium’s largest party in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region, criticised the project as being “woker than woke”.
More than 300 children had registered to participate in the alternative event in Ghent, according to organisers. This year, Queen Nikkolah planned to wear Palestinian flags to raise awareness about the plight of children in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
St Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6 in Belgium and the Netherlands, with Sinterklaas traditionally accompanied by his Zwarte Piet, or “Black Pete”, a black-faced helper depicted with curly hair and bright red lips.
Queen Nikkolah defended the event declaring: “I dream of a Belgium liberated from colonial ideology and a society without discrimination.”
A member of the party, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, called the effort to update Sinterklaas “censorship” and drew a parallel between the planned revision of stories and the act of book burning.
According to Nadia Sminate, vice-chairwoman of the Flemish parliament: “Queen Nikkolah’s initiative is actually saying that entire generations of Flemish people are racists.”
