A group is demanding that no one be painted black in the Three Kings parade in Girona.

GironaThe Cacau i Negritud collective, which brings together "Black people from all the Girona regions united in our Blackness to combat racism," as they define themselves, is demanding that the Girona City Council ensure that no one wears blackface in the 2026 Three Kings Parade. "What we want is for no one to wear blackface. If they can't find enough Black people, then let there be white people in King Balthazar's entourage, nothing would happen, and if they want to wear makeup, they can wear whatever they want, even unicorns. But we believe that Blackness is not a costume," they wrote on January 5th. an article to the ARA in this regard.

The group filed a complaint this week with the Girona City Council's House of Non-Discrimination, with the support of more than 80 people and about fifteen organizations, to put an end to what they consider "racism, mockery, and discrimination" against Black people, and they are asking the ARA to put an end to this practice. In the document from Cacao i Negritud, which they will also send to the Generalitat (Catalan government), they request protection because they maintain that the rights "to equality, to non-racial discrimination, and to human dignity" have been violated.

According to Diallo, seeing people painted black in Balthazar's entourage makes many Afro-descendant families feel "violated and ridiculed" by this act in the parade. "Within the Black community, there is enormous unease with this festival because they have been painting white people as if they were Black for years," he states. Diallo, a lecturer and researcher on institutional racism at the University of Girona, believes the City Council lacks a "stronger" political will to address the issue. "In 2024, we reached an agreement with the City Council that they would issue a public statement committing to not painting the murals, and from then on, any Black person who wanted to participate would have the opportunity to do so. But under the current circumstances, it's impossible for any Black person to even consider this," he states. "We don't understand how all the other City Council contracts, as in all public administrations within the EU, must comply with human rights, and yet this agreement with Manaies, which receives €60,000 a year to, among other things, organize the parade, doesn't include a clause requiring them to respect human rights and the law."

Priority to be part of King Balthazar's entourage

For her part, Queralt Vila, the Councilor for Citizen Participation and Services of the Girona City Council, assures that both the council and Manaies are working "together" to ensure that King Balthazar's entourage "is as inclusive as possible and is made up of Black people." "We live in a very pluralistic society, and our ultimate goal is precisely this: that the entourage is well-rounded with Black participants who can be part of it," says Vila. Regarding the next Three Kings Parade in 2026, Queralt Vila also points out that, although there is a waiting list to sign up for the entourages, if people of African descent wish to join King Balthazar's retinue, they will have priority. "If we have enough people to be part of the Black king's entourage, obviously no one will wear blackface," the councilor states.