Life
Lilian Thuram and Human Zoos: The Invention of the Savage
Former French international football player and anti-racism advocate Lilian Thuram, who curated the exhibition. PHOTO/AP
An exhibition in Paris looks at the history of so-called human zoos, that put inhabitants from foreign lands, mostly African countries, on display as article of curiosity.
Former football star Lilian Thuram, who was born on the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe, is chief curator of the show. He told AFP he was stunned by a visit to Hamburg zoo in Germany.
The display, entitled “Inventing the Savage”, was the inspiration of the Caribbean-born former international footballer Liliane Thuram, who today heads his own anti-racism foundation.
“I have long been interested in slavery because of the way my own family was affected by it,” says Thuram.
“It became clear to me that racism was above all an intellectual construction. And as such, it was also susceptible to de-construction.
“That’s what we are trying to do with the exhibition: putting on display the information that allows people to understand why there are still faultlines in society based on the color of our skins.”