Belgian festival draws criticism over blackface 'Savage' character

The parade featured"the Savage", a white man clad in a black costume, his face and hands covered in black body paint, his head adorned with a feathered war bonnet, a chain hanging from his neck and a golden piercing protruding from his nose.

The folk festival called Ducasse d'Ath, which traces its roots back to the 16th century and is endorsed by UNESCO as a cultural heritage, takes place every August in the small town about 60 km west of Brussels. "It is totally racist and it maintains a degrading image of the black person, which has consequences in everyday life," he added.

The controversy over the festival character highlights a wider debate in Belgium about racism and how the country comes to terms with its colonial past."It's mostly people from outside who talk about racism, anti-black sentiment. At Ath, we never considered 'the Savage' to be a racist figure," he told Reuters.

There are similar accusations of racism every December as "Black Pete" characters in blackface help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children in Belgium, as well as in the Netherlands.

UNESCO-ICH-17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee - Floor 02 decembre 2022 am pt8part1

The city authorities piteously pretended they didn t understand UNESCO decision when they never stopped showing disdain and defiance to the UN institution.

Please provide some follow up about this story. On Dec 2nd, UNESCO removed the city festival from the intangible cultural heritage because the city authorities refused to call off the festival 2 blackface characters ' le sauvage ' and ' magnon '.

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