The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal - Romance - Nairaland
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| The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Damilolababy(f): 11:39pm On Oct 14, 2016 |
This is the story of a poor African slave who was abused by shameless Europeans for her massive buttocks and used as a circus animal. Sara Baartman was abused and used as a circus animal by Europeans On 29 October 1810, Saartjie “Sara” Baartman, a nineteen year old Khoisan woman signed a contract to be taken from Cape Town to London to be exhibited for entertainment purposes. Though she was illiterate, history allegedly claims she signed the contract with an English ship surgeon named William Dunlop who was a friend to Pieter Willem Cezar and Hendrik Cezar. Pieter Willem Cezar had bought Sara Baartman as a slave at sixteen and she worked for Pieter’s brother, Hendrik. It was here that she was named Saartjie, the Dutch form of Sara. The history of colonialism was so unfair to her that she was stripped of her identity and her bodily integrity. Her story is the full representation of the evils of a hybrid of colonialism, slavery, racism and sexism. The Europeans even disrespected her humanity to the extent of displaying her brain, skeleton and sexual organs in a Paris museum until 1974. She only got a dignified burial almost two centuries after her death, in 2002. The woman who lost everything…even her name Sara Baartman was born to a Gonaquasub group of the KhoiKhoi in 1789 at the Gamtoos River which is found in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Her first major loss was that of her mother who died when Sara was just two and her father, a cattle driver died when she reached adolescence. She got married to a Khoikhoi drummer and had a child together. The child died soon after. Death With the coming of colonialism, came conflicts between the natives and the settlers. Her husband was murdered by the Dutch colonists, her first loss to a system that would take her life from her. After working for the Dutch in Cape Town, she allegedly signed the contract which would take her to London to perform. What made her special? BBC says she had what was called “steatopygia”, resulting in extremely protuberant buttocks due to a build-up of fat. What she had, most women can only dream of but at this point, the Europeans were eager to gobble up anything that asserted their superiority and somehow, Baartman was used in that narrative. They used her as a confirmation of the dark skinned people’s inferiority; their insatiable appetite for sex as shown by the size of their buttocks and their Instruments. Promoters even described her genitals as resembling the skin that hangs from a turkey’s throat. Baartman was first displayed in Piccadilly where descriptions of her treatment reported how she was exhibited on a“stage two feet high, along which she was led by her keeper and exhibited like a wild beast, being obliged to walk, stand or sit as he ordered”. The Guardian rightly says, “The crowd viewed her as little different from an animal.” Like an animal, she was sold four years later to Paris where she was under the control of a wild animal exhibitor in a travelling circus. That she was now a part of his “show animals” leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It is in Paris that Napoleon’s surgeon, George Cuvier saw her and developed a “scientific interest”. His idea of science was proving the superiority of the white people. In fact, he described Sara’s movements as having“something brusque and capricious about them that recalled those of a monkey”.Men like Cuvier propounded the idea of a Homo Sapiens Monstrous; more ape than human, devoid of the intelligence and emotional capabilities the whites were endowed with. The Edinburgh Review in 1863 is famed for writing,“There is no vast difference between the intelligence of a Bosjesman and that of an oran-utan, and that the difference is far greater between Descartes or Homer and the Hottentot than between the stupid Hottentot and the ape.”Such depiction of Africans (particularly the Khoisan) as the most developed ape but least developed human was common. When Baartman died of what is presumed to be pneumonia, syphilis and alcoholism, George Cuvier made a plaster cast of her body before dissecting it. Her preserved brain and genitals were placed in jars and displayed at the Museum of Man in Paris. They were only removed in 1974 and she got a proper burial 187 years after her death. Her story is so emotional that when the world heard of Beyonce’s plan to write and star in a movie based on Baartman’s life, there was a massive backlash. Jean Burgess, a chief from the Khoikhoi group Baartman hailed from is on record for saying Beyonce lacked“the basic human dignity to be worthy of writing Sara’s story, let alone playing the part”. Similarly, a Kim Kardashian photo-shoot which mimicked contemporary drawings of Baartman was widely criticised. The looks of black women are a thing of politics with body-shaming and commodification forming the lens through which they are viewed. Baartman probably suffered the worst forms of subjugation and dehumanisation at the hands of Europeans...continue reading below. 3 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Damilolababy(f): 11:40pm On Oct 14, 2016 |
This culture of using looks to perpetuate black women oppression should come to an end. Baartman’s story should not be re-enacted in modern society two centuries after her unfortunate death. 2 Likes 2 Shares
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| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Damilolababy(f): 11:47pm On Oct 14, 2016 |
@seun, lalasticlala.. |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by jaywise(m): 11:51pm On Oct 14, 2016 |
History, do we have historians in the house to confirm this  |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 6:03am On Oct 15, 2016 |
Fvck the whites  Ignorance is bad |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by austine4real(m): 6:08am On Oct 15, 2016 |
ikebe wey shoot katapot ;Dikebe wey shoot katapot |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by THEcolorGREEN: 7:22am On Oct 15, 2016 |
@op you're distorting history. She was "paid" for her services and also NEVER went fully unclad (no matter the amount of money they offered her she would always cover her punny) Infact she's the first official stripper/showgirl and today the profession is a booming trade. Once again stop distorting history...she wasn't forced |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Presh900(m): 7:28am On Oct 15, 2016 |
OP nice boobs :p |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 7:29am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:  op is correct.why are you trying 2 make this out 2 be something it'snot.It's a dark stain on Europe's history but don't try an gloss over it it happened.1 Like
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| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by THEcolorGREEN: 7:45am On Oct 15, 2016 |
KingCheezyPuff:OP is correct about what? Pls go take history lessons b4 supporting crap. First of all the only wrong I hold the whites accountable for Is COLONIALISM not slave trade. They paid a honest fee (via HONEST transactions) with slave traders (who were INDIGENOUS to the area and backed by african royal families /monarchies) Slave trade happened even in Asia n mid-east so ya'll shut it with the hate for whites...hate our African ancestors instead. As for this baartman story it's clear she like other africans till this day are easily fooled into thinking there's money on the floors of Europe and america. She was voluntarily taken by a FREE BLACK MAN to Europe. Seems u ain't in nigeria so I guess where you are you must have noticed strip clubs? African women with big behinds shaking that phat @ss for greenbucks? It's same stunt just that baartman was a pioneer. How many nigerians hustle to go practice prostitution in Italy, dubai n spain? We as africans need to grow up!
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| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Oshikoyafrank(m): 7:48am On Oct 15, 2016 |
hmmm |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 7:51am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:They are not SOLELY responsible for the trade . But they are for the SLAVERY ~~~~ I don't care how many sell themselves,those women choose that (for whatever reason) Slave women where FORCED |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by THEcolorGREEN: 8:06am On Oct 15, 2016 |
KingCheezyPuff: Who forced them? The whites? Nah The Egyptians who used the isrelites as slaves nko? Didn't the Jews grow into a powerful force? Read your bible. The Koreans and Chinese were used as slaves for imperial japan... where r they now in global economic n military terms? We only talk up slave trade as an excuse for the stupidity of our African ancestors.and continued stupidity of present african leaders. Once again NOBODY was forced(since at the time even in Europe kings/queens were seen as DIVINE entities whose orders were equal to God/gods orders... African kings traded their kinsmen for tobacco, weapons, mirror etc. Read up and see where smaller kingdoms had to pay tributes (slaves) to larger kingdoms or risk being raided. |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 8:12am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:Boy did i not just agree they are not SOLELY responsible for the slave trade but for choosing 2 SLAVE ?~ And the argument was not on how he decedent's of slave have risen but on the validity of OP's post!!! stay on topic and stop fighting arguments none has made!!!. |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by THEcolorGREEN: 8:31am On Oct 15, 2016 |
KingCheezyPuff: I'm done and dusted with the op's topic...look at her dp and tell me she looks intelligent enough to research the baartman's case thoroughly? Baartman was a poor woman who went to hustle in Europe and mixed up with the wrong people. Till today we have women who knowingly went to Europe to hustle prostitution but got mixed up with the wrong people and are now in a sorta bondage... I hate blacks with the 'we were enslaved' mentality it reeks of excuse for our failure as a race. Yes baartman existed, she was maltreated n exploited but she was NOT ENSLAVED. She was a naiive woman do u know how many WHITE WOMEN suffered similar fate? #simple. Anyway i'm done...it's typical of africans to hold people like baartman as icons. |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 8:42am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:No 1 is siting slavely for racial failure We aren't failures btw. Nigeria just needs 2 ditch its President. I mean the electric problem is inexcusable ~~ And none is holding slaves as icons unless they did good things aka Harriet Tubman ~~~. But slavery does have effect on the economics of Black Americans. If you don't know that, you don't know anything  No seriously They were kept out of big business ,anything lucrative Given the lowest of jobs/dangerous grunt work with menial pay. Slavery didn't afford African americans 2 Lea e there ancestors the assets whites enjoy in America today. I'mtalking old money and companies like Sears roebuck who dates back to the 1800s Jack Daniels Tiffiny and Co. And more |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by ednut1(m): 8:52am On Oct 15, 2016 |
why do pple always want to ascribe slavery to whites only, wat about the asians and the african royal families involved in d trade also ehn. op wat is this thread meant to achieve self ehn |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by THEcolorGREEN: 10:06am On Oct 15, 2016 |
KingCheezyPuff: I just dey look u dey laugh... Were the Israelis, Koreans, Chinese Allowed to own businesses? Madam that's history, shebi there has been a black president in USA for 8 years what changed about the black race over there? The Israelis suffered the worst form of genocide in human history tagged the "holocaust". Today they're better for it...how come? Have u heard of the American Colonization society? Do u know the history of Liberia & Sierra Leone? Why aren't they prosperous nations since the 'free blacks' were resettled there. & NOTE: Liberia was NEVER COLONISED! Sierra Leone, Liberia has vast diamond resources...no devt. Name ONE black Country that Is developed OR very close to being developed. ONE? Madam the black race is a failure & shall continue to be until the vast majority stop that 'slave trade/colonialism crap & accept we are past & presently inferior to the whites... After that conscious efforts should be made to open our mindz to INNOVATION & within a short period we will become superior just like the Chinese are now proving superior to the whites. I rest my case |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Nobody: 10:17am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:I just dey look you dey laugh  the Holocaust was worse?! Pffft!!! LIE .It was diffrent....not worse And I hope you know Africans where very much apart of it. ~~ And no,the jews are not better because of it but DESPITE it . ~ Ha!!! I laugh again!!!! No race is "superior" because they have a little resources And you really don't know anything about racial politics if you think Asians are high . Not that i abscribe 2 racial ranking. 1 Share
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| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by LoRdCaT(m): 10:50am On Oct 15, 2016 |
jaywise:It is true.. |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by LoRdCaT(m): 10:53am On Oct 15, 2016 |
THEcolorGREEN:The blacks are a proud race.. A black woman will never be willing to humiliate herself by exposing her parts. She was both forced and deceived, imagine an illiterate signing a contract. How dafuq did that happen if she wasn't influenced? |
| Re: The Africian Slave, Who Was Abused By Europeans And Used As A Circus Animal by Damilolababy(f): 10:52pm On Oct 16, 2016 |
LoRdCaT:Hm |
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