A new book has been published published this week * telling the story of Ota Benga, a Congolese man who was kidnapped from his home in the equatorial forests near the Kasai River, in what was then the Congo Free State, and put on display as a human zoo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, New York, in 1906. Pamela Newkirk’s book seeks to tell his appalling story and to reveal the roots of a racial prejudice that, she argues, still haunts us.
For a brief description of Benga’s story, as well as information on how to purchase the book, please click on the link below:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/03/the-man-who-was-caged-in-a-zoo
* Published this week in the USA. The UK release date is scheduled for 2nd July 2015.
