On this episode of Black Power Talks, we learn about the colonial origins of Santa Claus, also known as Sinter Klaas or St. Nick, the patron saint of shipping.
Colonial ideology purports the Christmas holiday to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus. In fact, the Christmas holiday season is centered around the obsessive pursuit and aspiration to purchase gifts, central to this is the Santa Claus Myth.
The Santa Claus myth has its origins in Dutch traditions surrounding the characters Sinter Klass and Zwarte Piet, Black Pete in English. These traditions are celebrated in the Netherlands, also known as Holland, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and throughout the colonial Dutch world with blackface festivals. Africans have organized organized a serious pushback against these festivals, yet they persist.
To help us understand the colonial-capitalist contradictions of the holiday season and the colonial origins of Santa Claus, we share clips from Chairman Omali Yeshitela. The first clip is an excerpt from a conversation between Chairman Omali Yeshitela and Peggy Burke of the Global Afrikan Congress, speaking direct from Amsterdam that took place on November 28th, 2004.
The second clip is an excerpt from a presentation given by Chairman Omali 2 weeks later, on December 19th, 2004, to the regular Sunday community meeting at the Uhuru House in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Black Power Talks is produced by WBPU 96.3 FM "Black Power 96" in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is hosted by Dr. Matsemela Odom and Dexter Mlimwengu, bringing an African Internationalist perspective to the important issues of our world.
Episode #108: The Revolutionary Power of Black Poetry
Black August and slavery inside U.S. prisons
Blinken’s bleak trip to Africa and America’s doomed effort to maintain colonial control
FBI raids Black Power leaders in St. Louis, St. Petersburg
Episode #104: Black Music Month Spotlight On”Mama Africa” Miriam Makeba with Dr. Martin L. Boston
Episode #103: A Roundtable Discussion of Haile Gerima’s Bush Mama (1979)
Episode #102: Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers: An African Internationalist Review
Episode #101: Malcolm X and Anti-colonial Struggle: The Importance of May 19
Episode #100: African Liberation Day 2022 - 50 Years of Leadership Towards African Redemption
Episode #99: Reparations Series Part 2 - A Profile of Queen Mother Moore w/ Prof. Tiffany Caesar
Episode #98: Reparations Series Part 1 - Make Wall Street Pay Reparations
Episode #97: The Role of the Artist in the African Revolution w/ Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets
Episode #96: Africa and the Russia/Ukraine Conflict
Episode #95: The Politics of Hip Hop with Jermaine ”Complex” Simpson
Episode #94: Colonialism as The Mode of Production
Episode #93: Covid-19, Pop Culture and the Anticolonial Turn in Africana Studies
Episode #92: Project Black Ankh continues leadership in the fight against Covid-19
Episode #91:The Role of Black Students and Intellectuals in the African Revolution
Episode #89: Keep the Spear Burning! The Oldest Black Power Newspaper Turns 53 Years Old!
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free