Queen Nikolah is an alternative to the traditional Santa Claus figure "without the stereotypes of the past".

On December 6, instead of Santa Claus, it was announced that Queen Nikolah would be visiting children in Ghent, Belgium. Promoters of the town hall program presented her as an alternative to Santa Claus „without the stereotypes of yesteryear.”

Over 200 people had registered for the event, but due to a palpable outcry, Queen Nikolah’s appearance was eventually canceled.

La venue de “Queen Nikolah”, une Sainte-Nicolas féminine, finalement annulée á l’hôtel de ville de Gand. https://t.co/KATdZXNsEh

— ProdigiousWhite 🇷🇺🚁🏍🗺 (@ProdigiousWhite) November 27, 2023

„Queen Nikolah” is a character created by black artist Laura Nsengiyumva, aiming to challenge traditional boundaries between cultures and genders.

„The aim is to approach tradition in a different way,” he town hall of Ghent stated regarding the planned program. They emphasized that they have no intention of „abolishing” the traditional St Nicholas figure in the future, as Santa Claus had already visited children in Ghent on November 19.

However, many expressed outrage, feeling that such performances were an attempt to disregard their traditions.

Après le „Sidi Nicolas” de @JeanSpinette, voici la „Queen Nikolah” de @LauraNsengi qui nous est proposé par @Hafsa_Hopsasa.

Cessez de bafouiller nos traditions. C’est notre culture, qui vous a octroyé le droit de l’altérer comme il vous plaît ? https://t.co/SGJpsi3v49

— Quelqu’un (@Crenomdenon) November 28, 2023

Some even argued that this new idea is perceived as yet another way of abandoning a centuries-old tradition to avoid offending minorities.

@TaylorRMarshall In Belgium (Ghent), Sinterklaas, a centuries-old children’s festival (holiday December 6), is replaced by Queen Nikolah in order not to offend minorities with the support of the leading political class pic.twitter.com/dlH0lNzYtE

— Jan Praet (@JanPraet1) November 28, 2023

After the cancellation of the event, Ghent Mayor Mathias De Clercq expressed regrets about the „bad debate” that had unfolded, stating:

„If we want to be an inclusive and diverse city, we must attract people, not repel them.”

Hafsa El-Bazioui, City Councillor for International Solidarity, the head of the department that organised the event, added: „This is a valuable initiative in the context of an open debate on inclusion. This artist highlights the need to give more space to girls in visible roles at events designed for small children. The town hall, however, isn’t the best venue for this, so the organiser will look for a better location to stage this valuable event. There is no doubt that it deserves its place in our city”.

The 7sur7 news portal also noted that

children who have „books with outdated illustrations and stereotypical images can still exchange them on 6 December for a more modern book on the history of the great saint, which takes into account different sensibilities”.

As V4NA highlighted earlier, this was not the first action that many interpreted as an attack on tradition and the figure of Santa Claus. The mayor of the Saint-Gilles district in Brussels recently explained how he wanted to make the Christian saint, St Nicholas, more „Moroccan” in order to „connect” with local residents of the neighbourhood.