Queen Nikolah was intended as an alternative to Santa Claus, "without the previous stereotypes".
On December 6, it was not Santa Claus, but Queen Nikolah, who was heralded by the town hall program's advertisers as an alternative to Santa Claus "without the previous stereotypes", who would have arrived in Ghent, Belgium.
By the way, more than 200 people signed up for the event, but the indignation was greater, so in the end they canceled Queen Nikolah's performance.
By the way, "Queen Nikolah" is a character created by the black artist Laura Nsengiyumva, who questions the traditional boundaries between cultures and genders.
"The goal is to approach tradition in a different way," said the Ghent town hall in connection with the planned program. They added that they have no intention of "abolishing" the traditional Saint Nicholas in the future. Santa already visited the children in Ghent on November 19.
However, many people were outraged that they wanted to trample their traditions in the mud with such performances.
There were those who thought that this new idea is all about canceling a centuries-old tradition in order not to offend minorities. After the cancellation of the event, Mathias De Clercq, the mayor of Ghent, expressed his regret for the "bad debate" that had arisen and said:
"If we want to be an inclusive and diverse city, we need to attract people, not push them away."
Hafsa El-Bazioui, the city councilor responsible for international solidarity and the head of the department organizing the event, added: "In the context of the open debate on inclusion, this is a valuable initiative. This artist points out that there should be more space for girls in visible roles at an event for children. However, the town hall is not the best place for this. The organizer will look for a better place for this valuable event. There is no doubt that he deserves his place in our city".
The 7sur7 news portal also noted that
children who have "books with outdated illustrations and stereotypical images can still exchange them on December 6 for a more modern book about the history of the great saint that takes into account different sensibilities."
This was not the first action that many interpreted as an attack on traditions and the figure of Santa Claus. The mayor of Brussels' Saint-Gilles district has said he wants to make the Christian saint, Saint Nicholas, more "Moroccan" to connect with residents of the area.
Featured Image: Daan Broos/7sur7.be
