# Antwerp's 'human zoo': Belgium confronts the shame of its colonial past

https://mins.news/en/item/29213

- France 24, 2026-08-22 11:05 UTC
- Society
- Original: https://www.france24.com/en/video/20260822-antwerp-s-human-zoo-belgium-confronts-shame-of-colonial-past-1

> During Antwerp’s 1894 World’s Fair, more than 100 Congolese people were forcibly brought to the Belgian city and displayed in the Congo Pavilion. Seven Congolese men eventually died from disease in what became known as a “human zoo”. The episode remains one of Belgium’s darkest colonial chapters, and a monument to the victims was unveiled this year.

## Related coverage

- [Antwerp's 'human zoo': Belgium confronts the shame of its colonial past](https://mins.news/en/video/29216) — France 24 English, 2026-08-22