The African museum located in Tervuren traces its origins back to when King Leopold II set up the International Exposition of 1897. As part of that, 267 Congolese men, women, and children were taken by force to Belgium and exhibited to the public in fenced fake villages on the site where the museum now stands.
In one darkest corner of a grand museum that looks like a neo-classical palace lies a not-so-secret room.
It is filled with statues of Congolese people, which have been regarded as racist, that were once part of the permanent exhibition.
Schoolchildren on educational tours file past the Leopard Man, men with spears and women almost naked.
The “human zoo” has always been used as a tool to convince visitors that Belgium had a duty to bring civilization and Christianity to the African country.
However, Fast forward to the present and the museum is now marking its 125th year. It is also five years since it underwent a massive renovation, where it removed problematic statues and changed the labeling around objects that created a negative stereotype about Africa.
Visitor numbers have improved since the revamp, but some of the African diasporas believe more can be done and that the statues should be removed completely. Others say the museum just should not exist anymore given its historical displays representing African people as primitive. The museum says it cannot change the past but is committed to doing its part toward building a better future.
Kamukama Rukundo Clinton is a Ugandan freelance journalist, book author, and columnist for 1cananews who can be contacted via WhatsApp at +25670439540 and rukundopeter33@gmail.com
