Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Human Zoos

A friend of mine made mention to Channel 4's documentary series: 'Race: Science's last taboo' on their Facebook profile status. And so naturally I went along to see what the big hullabaloo was (and you can too here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-human-zoo-sciences-dirty-secret)

I haven't had a chance to watch any of it yet (still working out the whole streaming UK programmes from the US) but the thought and fact that both British and American anthropologists deemed it high science to 'collect' indigenous people from their homes and place them in zoos-made my stomach turn and my scrambled eggs return to the surface.

Ota Benga, a Batwa Pygmy, from the then Belgian Congo was taken to St Louis zoo in 1904 and then the Bronx zoo where he was gaped at by paying customers who left, probably thinking A.C. Haddon's conclusion in his 1898 book, 'Study of Man' that the white race had completely superseded the black race, was in fact true.

This is not my attempt to scream for maddened retribution, this is history and what was real and I am glad that Channel 4 have taken this acidic subject by the helm. If anything there needs to be more of this. Schools in the US and all over the UK should show this. If we are ever to break the myth that some people groups are not part of the same Human race then we need to tackle it head on. It is uncomfortable, it does make one cry and want to throttle bigots but the less we speak about certain issues the more power they get.

And I hope we can agree; racism really doesn't need anymore empowering.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Any Book readers?

Fancy reading some of my work, 'Ridley Sinclair and the Book of Riddles'?

If so let me know on erina.khanakwa@gmail.com

Ta :)