Each November Saint Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam alone, hundreds of thousands turn out along to greet the tall, bearded saint and his helpers, jolly types called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes).
After riding off on a white horse, Sinterklaas is said to roam the country until December 5th, when he lands on Dutch roofs and sends his Black Petes down chimneys to deliver gifts to little girls and boys.
Over the last years there are Dutch that feel that the Black Pete tradition is outdated and discriminating. This year a huge debate arises about the future of Black Pete and it is dividing the Dutch over their Sinterklaas tradition.
RSI reporter Tomas Miglierina travels to the Netherlands to cover the arrival of the children’s friend and his black faced helpers and to find out how the two sides think about the matter.
For this reportage Featurez did research to find the initiator of the Dutch anti-Black Pete movement and to organise an interview.