Bamboula's Village
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Bamboula's Village (French: Village de Bamboula) was an attempt to recreate an Ivory Coast village[1] within the Planète Sauvage zoo (then known as Safari Africain)[2][3] in Port-Saint-Père, near Nantes, in France.[1][3] It is considered the last[citation needed] human zoo in France.[3]
In 1994, the biscuit brand
Working conditions
Twenty-five Ivorians, including children, were hired for six months to build and inhabit the village. They performed every day of the week, and received pay below the French
bare-chested despite bad weather. Performers' passports were confiscated; most lived confined to their huts[2] (the park gate being closed in the evenings), which provided less space than required by labour law.[3] Children were kept out of school, while medical care was provided by the zoo's veterinarians.[2]
Opposition
Anti-racist organisations and unions formed the group "Non à la réserve humaine" ["No to the Human Zoo"] and began legal action against the park.[2] By the time that the court had sent an expert to document human-rights violations, the performers had been ordered out of the country.[2][3] The village was closed in September of 1994.[3] The park had to pay a symbolic one French franc (€0.15) in damages, plus legal fees.[2][3]
Aftermath
Bamboula's Village was demolished, and the Bamboula chocolate biscuit was no longer sold.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Zeitoun, Charline (25 August 2015). "À l'époque des zoos humains" [In the Days of Human Zoos]. CNRS News (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Reix, Justine (15 March 2022). "The Racist Zoo Where Visitors Paid to See Black People in the 90s". Vice. Paris. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Coquelle-Roëhm, Julien; Soyez, Nina (9 May 2021). "Retour au «village de Bamboula»: en 1994, un «zoo humain» à prétention touristique" [Return to "Bamboula's Village": in 1994, a "human zoo" with touristic intent]. Ancrage Magazine / Médiapart (in French). Port-Saint-Père, Loire-Atlantique. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
47°07′06″N 1°45′49″W / 47.118329°N 1.763492°W
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