Antwerp's Human Zoo Exposé: A Glimpse into Belgium's Colonial Conscience The unveiling of a monument to the victims of Antwerp's "human zoo" in May has sparked a long overdue conversation about the Belgian city's dark colonial past.
The exhibit, which displayed Congolese people as if they were animals in 1894, was a grotesque manifestation of exploitation and dehumanization that characterized Belgium's colonial era.
Antwerp's wealth was built on its colonial empire in the Congo Free State during the late 19th century.