Quote:
Originally Posted by DemolitionRed
I agree the Zulu dance is amazing. I love the Zulu parade at the London festival. I know they have a rule in Louisianna; if you are going to join the Zulu parade during mardi gras, you have to blacken your face regardless of you being black or white. The thing is though, the Zulu dance and Zulu parades are all about celebrating the black man's heritage and you don't have to be black to do that. If you want to join in the celebrations, 'laissez les bons temps rouler.'
The thing is, this isn't a festival and there is no Zulu parade. When these random people blacken-up as Zulus for Halloween, are they going to dress like Zulu kings and queens or are they going to try and look like savages? Are they blackening their faces and dressing up with the intent of frightening people? I'm against that because that is not how any of us, including black people, should be representing the Zulu race.
People who blackface at Xmas don't do so to represent Zulu's. Its an ancient tradition of Zwarte Piet who was a companion of St Nicholas.
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It is a bonfire parade, it's not random people, they are part of a historical group, one of 7 different ones that take part.
They have been dressing as Zulu warriors since before the Second World War for this parade.
The people on parade have nothing to do with Zwarte Piet, it's a Dutch tradition and had nothing to do with being a Zulu warrior.