In 1958, during the Brussels World’s Fair, Expo 58 (one of the largest and most famous expositions of the 20th century, where the famous Atomium was built), a so-called “Congolese Village” (village indigène or Kongorama) was organized in the “Tropical Gardens” section dedicated to the Belgian Congo (then still a Belgian colony). Approximately 598 people were brought there from the Congo (273 men, 128 women, and 197 children—entire families). During the day, about 120 of them were displayed in the reconstructed “village” behind a bamboo fence, dressed in “traditional” clothing.
Expo 58 ran from April 17th to October 19th, 1958, but the “village” was closed early—already in July 1958 (about 2–3 months after opening). The reason: the Congolese people (many of whom were educated city dwellers, not the “primitive natives” they were positioned as) began openly protesting the humiliation. Visitors threw bananas and money at them, insulted them, and mocked them. The people refused to tolerate it, staging strikes and demanding proper treatment. As a result, the organizers (the Belgian Ministry of Colonies) were forced to send them back to the Congo ahead of schedule to avoid a scandal.
The “human zoo” with the Congolese operated at a time when humanity had already entered the space age. (Meaning: approximately 6 months and 13 days passed between the launch of Sputnik 1 and the opening of the exhibition.)
France beat you, we made one in 1994 and most people don't know about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboula%27s_Village
I learned about that years ago and still can’t get over the fact that it was still running when was born.
Perfect job no notes
For the anecdote, bamboula is originally the name of a kind of drum and of a dance. I think it’s super sad that we took a piece of some people’s art and culture and turned it into a heinous slur. Not that it’s the most horrible thing about the whole colonisation business, but still.
I forgot that part. Bamboula was the equivalent of the n-word in the 80s. Those biscuits were sold in supermarkets, and they made TV ads and other stuff. Fun times...