******************************************************
*        http://www.anthropologymatters.com            *
* A postgraduate project comprising online journal,    *
* online discussions, teaching and research resources  *
* and international contacts directory.                *
 ******************************************************

> Dear Moderator,
> Please post this message below as it appears. The author of the email
obviously intends for it to make the rounds and thus waives any copyright
permissions.  Thanks.
>
> -------------------------
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The message posted below provides another evidence of the regressive
nature of our age with its rebirth of colonialism, racism and
fundamentalism. I am grateful to this concerned German who finds it
necessary to rally international outrage against this kind of
dehumanization. While Germany has been forced into contrition over its
genocide of its Jewish citizens, I have never heard of any German contrition
over its treatment of Africans in its colonies or over its treatment of
Afro-Germans before and during the era of Nazi rule in Germany. Norbert
Finzsch points briefly to this history of racism in Gernamy. It does seems
the more things change, the more they stay the same.
>
> Afro-Germans Protest African Village in the ZOO
> From: Norbert Finzsch
>
>  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
[log in to unmask]
>
>  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: [log in to unmask]
>  URL http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/histsem/anglo/
>>
>

*************************************************************
*           Anthropology-Matters Mailing List                 *
* To join this list or to look at the archived previous       *
* messages visit:                                             *
* http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/Anthropology-Matters.HTML   *
* If you have ALREADY subscribed: to send a message to all    *
* those currently subscribed to the list,just send mail to:   *
*        [log in to unmask]                  *
*                                                             *
*       Enjoyed the mailing list? Why not join the new        *
*       CONTACTS SECTION @ www.anthropologymatters.com        *
*    an international directory of anthropology researchers   *
***************************************************************