of race and zookeepers

Today an "African village" opened in Germany's Augsburg zoo. To be sure, exhibiting "exotic others" is not a new phenomenon. European and American colonial powers have revelled in such horrific displays since the moment of contact. What shocks and appalls many members of my H-Net listserv--where dialogue and calls for protest have circulated for the past week--is that this is the twenty-first century! Shouldn't it be obvious that exhibiting humans in a zoo--even under the guise of displaying arts and crafts and deepening Germany's knowledge of African culture--is inhumane?

I think Nick Nolte's character in Hotel Rwanda captures the western world's view of Africa when he tells Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) that Africans aren't even niggers. In other words, the West still views Africans as the lowest form of life, kissing cousins to apes and certainly not worth helping. Why else would the supposed more advanced nations turn a blind eye to the war and genocide in Rwanda? Why have these same nations continued to ignore the genocide in Sudan?

Dr. Barbara Jantschke the organizer of the "African village" defends the display based on the ethnicity of her co-organizer, whom she describes as "a native African with black skin color." I guess if Condi Rice sanctioned an auction of African Americans that would make it okay.