Birth Place: | Curaçao |
Known For: | Opposition against Zwarte Piet |
Quinsy Gario (born 1984) is a Curaçaoan activist and artist. He is a prominent opponent of the Dutch tradition of Zwarte Piet. Gario was born in Curaçao and raised in St Maarten before moving to the Netherlands.[1] [2] He created the project Zwarte Piet is Racisme (Black Pete is Racism) about Zwarte Piet.[3] In 2011 he was arrested for public disturbance at the traditional annual Sinterklaas festival where he was protesting against the use of Zwarte Piet.[4] [5] He appeared on a national television talk show in 2013 "to make his case" which was part of a series of events in October that The Economist says "polaris[ed] cultural life and dragging in celebrities, politicians, and even the UN" and "changed Zwarte Piet". For many, even if a year ago he was not a symbol of Dutch racism, he is now."[6]
His brother, Jörgen Gario, is also an artist.[7]