The 1897 Tervuren Exhibition and the Making of Belgian Colonial Myth

This episode of The History of Belgium returns to the 1897 Tervuren Exhibition, where King Leopold II staged a 'human zoo' of 267 Congolese men, women, and children to promote his Congo Free State. We explore how the exhibition blended science, spectacle, and racism—featuring ethnographic displays, a 'Negress Village,' and a Congolese orchestra—while 7 of the transported Congolese died of pneumonia. Lucas and Luna unpack the role of Force Publique escort, the pseudoscientific anthropometry of Dr. Émile de Gheest, and how the event's propaganda shaped Belgium's colonial narrative for decades. They also connect it to the later 1958 Expo 58 Congo Village, showing how the same tropes persisted. Names like Bula Matari, Tervuren, and Leopold II are discussed, along with the legacy of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, which grew from this exhibition. #TervurenExhibition #LeopoldII #CongoFreeState #HumanZoo #ForcePublique #BulaMatari #Expo1897 #RoyalMuseumForCentralAfrica #BelgianColonialism #Pseudoscience #Racism #CongoVillage #ÉmileDeGheest #NegressVillage #Propaganda #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialMyth Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo