MEMBERS & VISITORS
AFRICANS DISPLAYED AT HUMAN ZOO
WHITE PEOPLE DISPLAYED AFRICANS AT HUMAN ZOOS
In exhibitions that were popular until the early 20th century, living people of color were displayed for the enjoyment of white audiences. The bigotry behind those shows lives on. Those attractions were visited by 1.5 billion people worldwide and ranged from small circus acts and “freak shows” to giant world’s fairs held in major capitals. They perpetuated theories of white superiority and racist beliefs that persist to this day.
Congolese people were shown in the United States, for instance, and Native Americans were shown in Brussels. The individuals involved were displayed behind fences and barriers, sometimes “half naked, dressed in animal skins, and performing degrading activities. Major exhibitions of men, women and children were held in places including Dresden, Germany; Lyon, France; Naples, Italy; and Prague — and farther afield, in Philadelphia; San Francisco; Kyoto, Japan; and Sydney, Australia. This idea of coloniality is still going on, and the representations are carry-overs from colonial times. People still love exoticism.
Prof. Oku Singer
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