In the days after January 1, Spain is still in a festive mood. On Friday evening, more than three hundred thousand Spaniards in the center of Madrid watch the parade with floats, horses and brass bands. Enthusiastic children along the route cannot believe their happiness, waiting for it los reyes magos, the Magi from the East, also known as Epiphany. An important tradition in which children receive presents, the Spanish version of Sinterklaas.
“Mira, mom!” screams 5-year-old Raúl Gonzalez. Kings Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar ride by on floats with Middle Eastern decor, including a camel and Arabic lamps, while servants in Arabic clothing distribute sweets. “They are finally here. Now I’m almost getting my presents,” says Raúl as he dives for the candy.
Black face painting
While the children’s party starts, this holiday also gradually unleashes the blackface discussion, just like in the Netherlands. One of the wise men, King Balthasar, is a black man, but is usually reenacted by white Spaniards who paint their faces black. This raises the objection that a racist caricature of black people is being portrayed in this way.
An initiative has therefore emerged from the black community in Spain Baltasar de verdad, a real Balthasar. It is a call for black men to take on the role of Balthasar during this holiday, so that no one has to paint themselves black anymore.
The idea arose in Madrid at Conciencia-Afro, a cultural organization by and for Spaniards with a migration background. “The idea to campaign against blackface came about through a WhatsApp conversation,” says Rubén Bermúdez, a board member at the organization. “Our director, Yeison García, proposed addressing the scandalousness of blackface in a creative and light-hearted way.”
It was an attempt to soften the fierce discussion, because not everyone appreciates the fight against blackface. “We just thought it would be a good idea to try to connect African people who wanted to play King Balthasar with institutions and companies that wanted to hire a King Balthasar for events. This means that Balthasar does not have to disappear, only the racist aspect of it.” In Madrid they now seem to be complying with this, because the king who parades through the center on Friday evening is played by a black man. But not everyone in Spain cares about the debate. For example, Balthasar in Seville is a man with black makeup and red lipstick.
‘It’s just a party’
“It doesn’t matter what you experience as racism,” said Mayor Germán Beardo of El Puerto de Santa María, in the southern region of Andalusia, after left-wing parties pointed out to him the sensitivities surrounding blackface. “There are real issues that are more important than who plays the role of a wizard king,” he told the council.
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Many Spaniards in other parts of the country also do not see the problem. “It’s just a party. Of course it is a good idea to just use black people for Balthasar, but to make a drama out of it?”, says 31-year-old Manuela Gúzman in a shopping street in Madrid. She is doing the last shopping for the Spanish Christmas Eve. “Well, isn’t it strange that we paint our faces black to imitate a caricature?” her friend Gabriela interrupts her. “Look at America, it is now really no longer okay to do that.” Gúzman laughs, but then says: “I understand, but we are here in Spain. We are still a long way from that.”
Black Pete
The Madrid city council published a video on Saturday afternoon of a painted King Balthasar who, with a mocking accent, addresses children who have behaved well and promises presents. The video immediately caused a stir. “Que vergüenza!”. What a shame, it sounds. The blackface Balthasar is also still embraced outside Madrid.
In Alcoy, a city in the Valencia region, a parade is held every year around Christmas with participants who look very much like Zwarte Piet. White Spaniards walk through the street with their faces painted black and big red lips, in African clothing that servants had to wear during slavery. A sister organization of Conciencia-Afro, Afro-féminas, spoke out strongly about it at the end of last year. “It doesn’t matter that you think you’re making children happy this way. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tradition. If you paint yourself to caricature a black character, it is racist,” Antoinette Torres said in a manifesto against the parade in Alcoy.
“From the outside, it looks very similar to Zwarte Piet in the Netherlands,” explains Rubén Bermúdez. “The reactions within the black community are almost the same: what the hell is this, how is this possible?” According to him, the discussion surrounding Zwarte Piet and Balthasar is almost the same. “There are many common points.” Bermúdez refers to the surprise, anger and fear in society of losing age-old traditions.
Yet Bermúdez also sees positive reactions. “We believe that there is starting to be more awareness about the importance of proper representation and that there is a social majority advocating for a ‘real Baltasar’.”
For Conciencia-Afro, the ultimate goal is to connect and raise awareness. Just like with Zwarte Piet, the discussion around Balthasar becomes a little broader every year. Bermúdez: “Things are changing very quickly and I think the debate is more advanced than a few years ago. Many people are now scratching their heads.”
When asked whether this is the beginning of the end of a make-up Balthasar, Bermúdez has no answer. “We have been resisting and demanding change for decades, but I believe that sooner or later this will stop. Hopefully.”