"On January 5, the leader of Spain's Andalusia region, Juanma Moreno, painted his face black to portray Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men, during a parade in Seville as part of Spain's traditional Epiphany celebrations. His appearance sparked backlash as activists and online commentators lambasted his decision. Historically, blackface when a white person paints their face black in a racist caricature of a Black person has been used to mock, stereotype and dehumanize Black people."
"The video showed King Balthazar depicted by a white man wearing thick black makeup. In the video, the man addressed children watching and promised them presents while putting on a fake foreign accent and speaking with grammatical errors. "It is obviously not the right person to feature in these videos. It's a regrettable mistake on the part of the company charged with this activity," Madrid's deputy mayor, Maria Inmaculada Sanz Otero, told reporters at the time."
On January 5, Juanma Moreno, leader of Andalusia, painted his face black to portray Balthazar during Seville's Epiphany parade, prompting activists and online commentators to criticize the act. Blackface has historically been used to mock, stereotype and dehumanize Black people. Activists urge that Black actors play Balthazar and call for the practice to end, noting that early Christian texts describe Balthazar as African and Renaissance paintings often depict him as Black. A 2024 Madrid mayoral office video also featured a white actor in blackface using a fake accent, drawing official regret. The Netherlands' Zwarte Piet tradition remains a prominent related controversy.
Read at www.dw.com
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