Ota Benga

Ota Benga was a Congolese man who became widely known in the early 20th century after being displayed in a human zoo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo in New York City in 1906. He was part of a broader, now widely condemned practice of exhibiting people from Africa and other parts of the world as entertainment and educational displays. Benga’s story highlights issues of racial exploitation and dehumanization during that era. Later, he was moved to a church, but his life was marked by hardship and marginalization, and he remains a symbol of the harmful effects of racial discrimination and objectification.