These are the women who gave Den Dungen their carnival back

On the Eleventh of the Eleventh, the new Prince and his entourage are announced. These are often men. This has led to discussion for years: shouldn’t there be more women at the carnivalesque top? A woman has been on the council in Tilburg since November 2023, but this is not self-evident everywhere.

Emancipation as a result
In Den Dungen, the women’s council was actually an emergency measure. “It had to be radically different, and to show that we really meant it, we turned everything around,” says Marcel. The male council became a council of eleven women – and that remains the case twenty years later.

Marcel is aware of the discussion about emancipation within carnival, but emphasizes that it was not about politics in Krabberdonk. “We didn’t have to, we just liked it more,” he says. “But emancipation has become a consequence of it. It changes how people view women in such a role.”

The cold side
Gemma Granaat, chairman of the Council of Councilors, is beaming. “We stand out when we enter somewhere. Where other councils wear dark blue, we enter with boas in the tricolor and lots of glitter. You always hear the buzz stop for a moment,” she laughs.

The women’s council has fourteen members, so eleven are always available. After three years the ladies have to stop. Gemma is in her final year. “If you know it’s only three years, it’s easier to say yes.”

Gemma is often asked how she does with the children when she is busy with carnival full-time. “That’s what our men are for,” she says firmly. “Our partners call themselves ‘the Cold Side of the Kollege’ and they are responsible for the children throughout the carnival.”

De Kouwe Kant often goes to events. “We see our children this way regularly,” Gemma laughs. After the three years, the women who resign join the Cold Side. “This way we will remain active with carnival afterwards.”

Connection in a village full of newcomers
According to Marcel, new Dungeons are integrating more quickly since this ‘new’ carnival came into existence. “A council of women radiates openness.”

Many new residents from the city have come to Den Dungen in recent years. “It is sometimes difficult to connect in a village,” says Gemma, who moved three years ago. “Thanks to the council, I have settled in. We do not hire groups of friends, but individual people. This way, women get to know each other and a new group of friends is created automatically.”

Example for other villages
Marcel is clear: thanks to the women’s council, new parties such as the Krabberfest and the turnaround twenty years ago, the Krabberdonk carnival has been saved. Den Dungen is literally in the shadow of Oeteldonk. “It’s a bit of Asterix and Obelix against the big world,” Marcel laughs. “But we notice that young people are increasingly coming back for a day.”

Gemma is surprised that other villages still have difficulty with a woman on the council or as Princess. “I don’t think it’s relevant anymore,” she says. “Carnival is about celebrating together. This should not be special, but normal.”

In Krabberdonk there is now a male prince with a female entourage, but a female prince is certainly not excluded. “Bring it on, that princess!” Gemma says firmly. Marcel also likes it: “The Dungeon carnival is all about innovation. Box thinking and impossibilities? That’s what they do in the big cities,” he says with a wink.