A memorial stone has been unveiled at a cemetery in Hoboken to commemorate seven Congolese people who died during the 1894 World’s Fair in Antwerp. They were brought to the city under appalling conditions and subsequently exhibited in a “human zoo”. “This is a start to the recognition that we have been missing for generations,” says Christelle Yoka of the Congolese-Flemish Community of Antwerp (CVGA).
“A dark chapter in our history” is how mayor Els van Doesburg described the African village in a speech on Tuesday. More than 100 Congolese people were brought by boat to the city, where they were required to demonstrate daily life from their homeland. “I can only describe it as a ‘human zoo’,” said Van Doesburg.
They were housed in poor conditions and many of them fell ill with dysentery and lung diseases. Seven of them died: Sabo, Bitio, Isokoyé, Manguesse, Binda, Mangwanda and Pezo.
This commemoration is not an end point but a first step towards giving people back their place in history
“This commemoration of the seven Congolese people from 1894 is a moment of recognition and respect,” said Van Doesburg. With the consulate general of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the CVGA, she unveiled a memorial stone in honour of those who died.
They will be commemorated every year in Antwerp on 12 May, the day on which the first of them died.
For Christelle Yoka of the CVGA, this was a very important and emotional moment. “What happened in 1894 still affects how we view one another and live together today,” she said. “For us, this commemoration is not an end point but a first step towards giving people back their place in history.”
People attend the unveiling of the memorial at the Schoonselhof cemetery
The 1894 World's Fair
