Belgium comes to terms with 'human zoos' of its colonial past

Sixty years ago on Tuesday, Belgium staged the opening of the 1958 world fair, a glittering 200-day celebration of postwar social, cultural and technological advances.

It is said to retain an “important place in the collective memory of the Belgian nation”. A series of events are being held in the Atomium, the futuristic landmark built for the spectacle, in recognition.

Yet as the Belgian capital indulges in nostalgia, one exhibit staged at the time is not being revisited: a live display of black men, women and children in “native conditions” laid on for the education and amusement of white Europeans.

It was the world’s last “human zoo”.