Antwerp has unveiled a memorial to the victims of the 1894 “human zoo”
In May, the city of Antwerp in Belgium unveiled a memorial honoring the Congolese people who were forcibly brought to the city in 1894 to participate in the World’s Fair. The Congolese community in Antwerp had been pushing for the monument to be erected, according to France 24.
During the exhibition, 144 people from the Congo were forcibly brought to Antwerp and put on display in the Congo Pavilion. The France 24 report describes this episode as a “human zoo.”
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Seven Congolese men who were brought to the Belgian city later died of illness. France 24 calls this story one of the darkest chapters of Belgium’s colonial past.
According to the TV channel, the wealthy port city of Antwerp benefited significantly during the colonial period. The unveiling of the memorial marked a step for the city toward coming to terms with this painful chapter in its history.
