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"Black Pete" is the Black companion of the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas and is portrayed by people wearing blackface, large gold hoops and bright red lipstick. According to tradition, he gives candy to the good children and punishes the naughty ones.
In the resurfaced video, Mel B can be heard shouting, “I don’t like them," before the performers appear onstage.
Geri Halliwell then added:
“Nooo!”
Mel B continued, telling the host:
“I think they shouldn’t paint their face. You should get proper Black people to do it, you shouldn’t paint their faces."
"I don’t think that’s very good."
But de Leeuw countered:
“No, no, no, but that’s tradition. That’s culture, that’s tradition."
He even joked that one of the performers in blackface was actually South African politician and second wife of South African President Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela.
Mel B insisted:
“I think they should change it. I think you should change it."
“You shouldn’t have their faces painted. This is the ’90s.”
The host continued to argue:
“No, but it’s culture."
And the singer replied:
“Update your culture. You should get proper ones — proper Black people.”
Halliwell chimed in:
"Update your culture."
You can watch the clip below.
Spice Girls calls out TV Host for Blackface stunt (1997)youtu.be
Viewers of the interview were absolutely appalled.
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
But they applauded Mel B for speaking out.
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
@medylema/TikTok
While "Black Pete" continues to be a part of Dutch holiday traditions, activists have been working hard to remove the character.
In some major cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, he is now depicted with black smudges on his face to represent soot from chimneys versus the traditional blackface.
In 2014, de Leeuw himself agreed that there is no place for "Black Pete" in Dutch culture, revealing he'd had a change of heart after watching 12 Years a Slave.
It's nice to see some progress has been made, but it sounds like there's still a long way to go.