UPDATE: I appreciate the traffic from Jesus' General, but the three comments I got so far today are making excuses for these assholes.
If that's what you want to do, just move on.
There's something just fucking wrong with Germany. Something truly fucked up that I don't even want explained.
Quote of note:
A letter of reply by Ms. Barbara Jantschke, PhD, from the Augsburg Zoo, directed to an African Swiss citizen underlines the intention, to put Africans on display in the zoo within "an atmosphere of exotism"
This via email.
From: Norbert Finzsch [mailto:Norbert.Finzsch@uni-koeln.de]
I am a German scholar of African American History and member of H-Net Afro-Am. Today I would like to direct your attention to something that is going on in Germany which, in my opinion, requires the consideration of the international scholarly community. It is with utmost indignation that the African German community has taken notice of the plans to open an "African Village" within the zoo of Augsburg, Germany. The opening of this exhibit is scheduled for July 9 - July 12. 2005. "Artisans, silversmiths, basket makers and traditional hairdressers are situated in an unique African steppe landscape" according to the leaflets handed out by the organizers of the show. The conveners obviously are oblivious of the fact that exhibits like the one planned in Augsburg are organized within the German tradition of racist "ethnographic shows" (Völkerschauen). A letter of reply by Ms. Barbara Jantschke, PhD, from the Augsburg Zoo, directed to an African Swiss citizen underlines the intention, to put Africans on display in the zoo within "an atmosphere of exotism".
It is obvious that the conveners do not understand the historical implications of their project. Even in Germany the impact of colonialism and racism on African societies are nowadays debated in public. The way Africans and African Americans in Germany are perceived and discussed, the way they are present on billboards and in TV ads prove that the colonialist and |racist gaze is still very much alive in Germany. This is the direct result of forty years of German colonialism and twelve years of National Socialism. People of color are still seen as exotic objects (of desire), as basically dehumanized entities within the realm of animals. This also explains why a zoo has been selected as site for the exhibit. It is necessary to remind the organizers that in the history of "ethnographic shows" African and German African individuals were used as object for anthropometric tests and ethnological investigations of highly questionable scientific benefit. Many of the artists who performed in these shows in the 1920s and 1930s died from malnutrition and as a consequence of bad living conditions. The Nazis employed a policy of eugenic control, resulting in forced operations to limit the biological reproduction of African Germans or in downright incarceration in concentration camps. Survivors of this policy had to gain a living as performers in exotic shows. The Augsburg exhibit thus fails to acknowledge the political and social history of persecution in Nazi Germany.
The African German community and concerned individuals like myself call to your attention the need to protest against the opening of the exhibit in the Augsburg Zoo. Please direct your personalized letters of protest to Frau Dr. Barbara Jantschke (Director Zoo Augsburg) at arbara.jantschke@zoo-augsburg.de.
Thank you
Norbert Finzsch
Professor of History and Provost of the University of Cologne
Anglo-Amerikanische Abteilung
Historisches Seminar
Universität zu Köln
Albertus-Magnus-Platz
Philosophikum
D 50923 Köln
Tel. ++49-221-470-2307
Email: Norbert.Finzsch@uni-koeln.de
URL http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/histsem/anglo/
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Comments
I wouldn't be so quick to
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Germany as a whole. I had the same views about Krautheads at one time, but realized I couldn't really stereotype an entire country, including Germany, without being guilty of the same type of prejudiced thinking that I was trying to call out. This does seem very fucked up, though. Even if they intended it as some sort of cross cultural exchange, a ZOO is obviously not the place, and "African Village" sure sounds like an "ethnographic show" as described.
http://www.zoo-augsburg.de/htm/content9.htm
http://babelfish.altavista.com
Am I the only one who smells
Thank you Mike. I couldn't
Thank you Mike. I couldn't find that page.
Quaker, I didn't doubt it because of the source. It is a mailing list which I have never seen as less than professional and no-bullshit: the H-Afro-Am list, out of H-Net.
Not a prank, mayhaps, but
Not a prank, mayhaps, but perhaps a covert performance piece. There was something like this in this America about 10 years ago, where two actors pretending to be members of a tribe of a made-up island were toured around the country in a cage. The point is that the people coming to see it are not necessarily aware that it's a satire. The descriptions seem reminiscent of that.
Your choice quote was
why does this remind me of
Not a prank, mayhaps, but
When you get evidence it's a performance piece, let me know. Until then, fuck them.
When you get evidence it's a
When you get evidence it's a performance piece, let me know. Until then, fuck them.
Touche, Prometheus. It just strikes me as so ridiculous, even in the most provincial districts of Germany. But I guess one should never underestimate the utter depths of stupidity and lack of humanity people may sink to.
I hope it's a performance piece. It would sure make me feel a lot better about humanity.
Your choice quote was
It worked.
Fuck them.
And I can think of 15 that are worse.
And it's IS Dr. Finzsch. You CAN read, right?
So, is this really any
Yes.
It's totally different than
It's totally different than Epcot, "Colonial Williamsburg," or even a getup down at the Mall of America. It's a zoo, and there's, you know, something of a history of Europeans considering the people of Africa to be less than human. That's the problem. It's all about context, not content, that makes it disturbing, wrong and ugly.
And it makes no difference if the intent wasn't there--any less than, say, Prince whatever-his-name wearing the Nazi uniform--the context still contains the underlying history.
Change the locale, and the context changes.
I would like to annouce that
I would like to annouce that I actually deleted a comment in this thread. No cuss words or nuthin (that wouldn't bother me anyway). Just the sort of excuse my addendum at the top of the post suggests you not leave.
I hope nobody I sent to your
I hope nobody I sent to your site posted anything offensive. Sometimes, my readers get carried away. Satire's hard to do right. If you're not careful, it can have the opposite effect of what you intended. I write it every day, and still screw it up on occassion.
It was very hard for me to figure out how to write something from the General's perspective. I wanted my readers to see your post, but I didn't want to write about it in a way that dismissed the enormity of the Zoo's offence.
This is inexcusable. It can't be justified as an educationally-oriented portrayal of Africans. The man in Durban shares only his race with the Kahlahari Bushman. The traditional Masai man has little in common with the traditional Hutu. The mere fact that these people think that they can depict African life by showing a single African villiage is racist in itself. The fact that it's in a zoo is unconscienable and hardly needs further explanation. What in God's name are they thinking.
Don't worry. You sent more
Don't worry. You sent more traffic today than I see in a week nowadays and the worst I got was the three I actually published. I just ran out of patience and realized that none of them would have commented if they thought I'd delete their comments. So I nailed the next one, which was actually kind of tame next to "BA Baracus," who felt he could tell the good Doctor whose email I quoted directly, he had misspelled his own name. That's what ended my patience. That's why I mentioned the deletion...and I've gotten no one defending this crap since.
Truth, though...these three guys could easily be regulars of yours that agree with you entirely. I will never forget being called a racist on a progressive site, though everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) else on the site jumped up and down on the boy's head. Then again, they could be regulars of mine, who have been waiting to see me gainsayed on racial issues...there are a few such.
The race thing is difficult and always will be. I have to be ready if that's the issue I'm dealing with. And even if they did come from your site, I know who is to blame.
You know what? You're right,
Apology accepted.I LIVE in
Apology accepted.
I LIVE in those levels of disbelief, by the way. All Black people do, which is one reason I'm more tolerant of Black Conservatives than most Black progressives. I've seen this crap make people's heads explode.
Hi,
Hi, I am a german anthropology student and also complained about the idea from the zoo of Augsburg the Ethno::log, the worlds first weblog for cultural anthropology:
http://sonner.antville.org/stories/1131075/
But there are some things to put right, the case is not that easy to judge. First of all, they don't show africans in cages. There are the so called "African Weeks" in this region of germany, and insitutions of the city take part in this, under others also the zoo. As Mike pointed out, the zoo is definitly not the place for this, but this is due to historical reasons. Its about context, not content, as Fred said.
But from the view of a cultural scientist the most interesting thing is the fact, that the show is organised together with an african who organised similar events on other places and he was very fond of this place. And many africans living in germany, which sell craftwork from africa asked to have a booth at this event. So they are far less concerned with the location.
So, first of all, we have to accept, that this is a discourse about a historical implication in a western society. It has only in a historical sense to do with africans. We should not think that in this case we have to protect africans against beeing displayed at the zoo, for that we are 100 years too late. People who do that are overcomen by rousseau'ish sensibilité, and thats not much better. The other problem I have with this is, is the stress on showing people in their natural surrounding, this adresses an old prejudice that those people are more bond to nature than we are. And the "exotism" the event serves.
As Mike pointed out, the zoo
We agree the zoo is not the place for this.
So why is it in the zoo? Do you realize this single question makes everything that follows either irrelevant or a matter of details?
Now this African, having built a display that shows Africa in a positive light...we agree there's no problem with the content...consider it from his position. Do you think a person who sees Africa in a positive light would approve of the context if he were aware of it? I'm sure no one told him, "Oh yes, we used to put Africans on display in the zoo all the time. No, it wasn't a special thing like this, it's just where we thought Africans were best displayed. You have to admit, we're displaying them pretty well this time, right?"
Is there any reason this particular aspect of the festival had to be in a zoo? I don't think so.
I don't blame them. They came to Germany pretty much knowing the deal, for economic benefit. They probably figured they might as well make some money since you're doing it anyway.
Plus, they're actually part of the show, aren't they?
Based on the information we have here, we're only a couple of weeks too late.
Okay, well, there's not much