In cities such as Hamburg, Lisbon and Brussels, “exotic people exhibitions” served racist stereotypes during and after the colonial era. The comparison with this past takes place slowly: in colonial Europe the exhibition of “exotic” people was widespread: already in the fifteenth century they were kidnapped in the colonized areas and, from the end of the nineteenth century, the so-called “human zoos” “became a lucrative business for its European operators.Under the pretext of science, these racist displays demonstrated Europe’s supposed “civil superiority”.
In the colonies people were often lured to Europe with false promises, where they had to work in degrading conditions and were presented as “savages” or cannibals. Yet in many places, even today, there is little public awareness of this chapter in colonial history.
Hamburg, cradle of modern “human zoos”
Hamburg businessman Carl Hagenbeck was one of the first to turn breed exhibitions into a business with his Völkerschau (ethnological exhibition), which opened in 1874. His company, which still runs the family zoo in the city in northern Germany, Germany made money on such exhibitions until the 1930s.
People were shown “in a deliberately primitive setting” and forced to undress, historian Jürgen Zimmerer told broadcaster NDR. Claus Hagenbeck, great-grandson of the exhibition’s creator, on the other hand, has downplayed exhibitions as an “art form” in the past. Although Hagenbeck Zoo has meanwhile announced that it will come to terms with its past, there is still no mention of “ethnological exhibitions” on the park’s website.
Colonial stereotypes in Portugal
In Lisbon, another former colonial center, in 1940, as part of an exhibition on the Portuguese world, non-Europeans even exhibited themselves as “indigenous extras”. They should simulate their life in the city’s Botanical Garden, meeting colonial stereotypes.
The exhibition shows how Portuguese dictator Antônio de Oliveira Salazar glorified the colonial era to strengthen his regime. In today’s reassessment, much of the blame would therefore be attributed to the dictatorship, explains Elsa Peralta, historian of the University of Lisbon.
“The main narrative of the democratic period is that the crimes of the colonial period were related to the dictatorship. This does not reflect the long duration of Portugal’s colonial history.” He also points out that the sign of the “human zoo” today in the Botanical Gardens explicitly refers to the Salazar period.
However, many Portuguese were unaware of the racist denunciation, recalls Peralta. For some years, however, the colonial past has been increasingly discussed in public, albeit more slowly than in other former colonial states. “Portuguese society is slowly becoming aware of this problem, which has not yet been worked on,” says the historian.
Exhibitions in Belgium: Memory or “Human Zoo 2.0”?
In Belgium, public outcry against colonial crimes has been particularly intense in recent years. As early as 1958, the country organized a “human zoo” as part of the Universal Exhibition in Brussels – one of the last ethnological exhibitions.
In the past, attempts have been made to recall this dark chapter of history and its victims, for example with exhibitions. However, they have partly reproduced racist practices, showing photos of “human zoos”, criticizes the activist and anthropologist Stella Nyanchama Okemwa, a board member of the European Network against Racism (Enar). “For me it was Human Zoo 2.0,” Okemwa says of her visit to an exhibit. “It caused me a lot of trauma.”
She believes acknowledging these traumas is imperative to coming to terms with the past, but sees little purpose in that. The numbers seem to prove what he thinks: in 2020, according to a survey, half of Belgians still believed that colonialism had brought more positive than negative consequences to Congo.
Enlightenment or new consumer trends?
The fact that exhibitions of “exotic” humans finally disappeared from the European public sphere in the 1950s and 1960s is not only due to a growing sensitivity to racist issues. A more trivial reason is that the diffusion of cinema, television and mass tourism has changed the way of seeing “exotic”. “The sense of adventure was no longer brought to the country itself, but people could afford to travel there,” writes historian Anne Dreesbach.
To this day, European societies have still not gotten over their historically growing racism towards black people. Belgium, for example, has never officially apologized for its colonial crimes, fearing the consequences. For Okemwa, “people don’t want to get involved in the matter because it will open Pandora’s box”.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
