According to folklore, Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands via steamship every November, rides into town on his horse, and is assisted by his helper Zwarte Piet, which literally translates to “Black Peter.”
Black Pete, Zwarte Piet: The Documentary is a film about the blackface tradition of Zwarte Piet, a Dutch folklore character associated with the celebration of Sinterklaas. According to folklore, Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands via steamship every November, rides into town on his horse, and is assisted by his helper Zwarte Piet, which literally translates to “Black Peter.”
Documentary project by
Shantrelle P. Lewis
A 2012-13 Andy Warhol Curatorial Fellow, Shantrelle P. Lewis is Brooklyn-based curator and a New Orleans native who returned home to assist in the city’s post-Katrina revitalization efforts after a 12-year stint on the east coast. Having received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in African American Studies from Howard and Temple Universities, respectively, her extensive travels throughout Africa, Europe, the United States, South America, and the Caribbean has allowed Shantrelle to experience and witness the manifestation of the African Diasporan aesthetic firsthand. As a curator, Ms. Lewis uses exhibition to respond critically to socio-political and cosmological phenomena through an African-centered lens. Since 2011, Shantrelle has been engaged in research in the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean for a 2015 exhibition at Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI).