Antwerp: In 1894, when the Belgian city of Antwerp hosted a World's Fair, 144 Congolese people were forcibly brought to the city to be exhibited in the Congo Pavilion. In this "human zoo," seven Congolese men ultimately died of disease. Today, this shocking episode still haunts Belgium as one of its colonial history's darkest chapters.
According to France24.com, in May of this year, the city of Antwerp began to confront this painful past by heeding demands from its Congolese community by unveiling a monument to the victims. This act aims to address the legacy of the wealthy Belgian port city that greatly benefitted from the colonial period, as reported by FRANCE 24's Alix Le Bourdon.