When Human Lives Were Put On Display In Europe
A Disturbing Chapter In European History: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, human exhibitions were held across Europe and North America. These displays involved people from colonized regions being presented to the public as curiosities. In Belgium, Black people were exhibited in connection with colonial showcases, including displays linked to Brussels, lasting into the mid-20th century. These exhibitions were framed as educational but were rooted in racism and power imbalance. They treated human beings as objects rather than individuals with dignity.