'This 'Savage' character... is symptomatic of the problem we have in Belgium with the colonial history of our country.' Mouhad Reghif, a spokesman for anti-racism group Brussels Panthers on Belgian festival
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.
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