During the 19th and 20th centuries, one of the most cruel and degrading practices that marked the history of colonialism was the exhibition of non-European people as if they were animals in what became known as “human zoos.” This phenomenon was especially prominent in Europe and the Americas, treating indigenous people from Africa, Asia, and the Americas as objects of curiosity, placing them in cages and displaying them for the entertainment of European audiences.

One of the most notorious exhibitions took place in Paris in 1905, but the history of the “human zoo” began much earlier. The concept of displaying human beings as if they were exotic zoo exhibits was widely popularized as Europeans expanded their colonies around the world. As colonizers discovered “new lands” and “new races,” they not only displayed strange animals or rare plants, but also took the people of those territories to Europe and America to be exhibited in inhumane conditions.

Initially, the reason for these exhibitions was the desire to show the “wonders” of the non-European world to the citizens of the colonial metropolises. However, it soon became a form of public entertainment, where the “natives” were treated as inferior beings and shown in cages or in delimited spaces. The indigenous people were expected to perform dances, rituals, or daily activities before the crowds who came to see them.

The first documented example of what we know today as a “human zoo” took place during the Renaissance, with the Medici family in Italy. These powerful merchants and bankers displayed indigenous people in the Vatican in the 15th century, beginning with the capture and display of “exotics” brought from their colonies. This practice spread rapidly throughout Europe during the following centuries.

One of the most infamous examples of this exploitation was the story of Sarah Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa. Born in 1789, Sarah was taken to Europe, where she was exhibited in humiliating conditions due to her physical figure, considered “exotic” by European standards. Her large butt was the center of attention in the shows, and she was forced to walk around naked or in clothing that highlighted her physical characteristics. Despite the criticism that arose at the time, its exhibition continued for years, while Sarah lived under conditions of physical and psychological torture.

Baartman’s exploitation did not end with his death. After his death at the age of 26, his body was dissected and his figure was exhibited in the Museum of Man in Paris for more than a century. The “scientists” of the time came to the absurd conclusion that Africans were closer to animals than Europeans and that Sarah was a “connection” between humans and animals.

As the years passed, these “human zoos” became an accepted form of entertainment in the West. Between 1870 and 1940, millions of people attended these shows, mostly organized by businessmen such as Carl Hagenbeck, who organized numerous indigenous people’s exhibitions, bringing more than 900 Aboriginal people from Australia and other parts of the world to Europe and America. These displays were not only popular, but were seen as a way to “educate” the white public about the “superiority” of their own civilization.

The indigenous people who were the subject of these exhibitions lived in deplorable conditions. Many did not resist contact with the European world, as they lacked immunity to common diseases such as measles, smallpox and pneumonia, which quickly spread among them. The death of many of these individuals was the price they paid for being treated as “human spectacles.”

The phenomenon of “human zoos” began to fade after World War II, when perceptions of humanity, the rights of colonized peoples, and ideas about race began to change. However, the damage had already been done. This sad chapter in history remains a reminder of the dehumanization millions of people suffered in the name of entertainment, “knowledge,” and scientific racism.

Today, the “human zoo” is one of the most condemned practices, but echoes of this phenomenon still persist in many forms of racism and exoticization that still affect indigenous and non-European communities. The story of the people exhibited in these zoos not only reflects the structural racism of the time, but also the struggle of those who have been exploited and stripped of their dignity for centuries.

It is essential to remember and reflect on this dark period of history.