Strange Country Ep. 37: Ota Benga
Apr 19, 2018
In September 1906, the Bronx Zoo unveiled its latest exhibit--a Congolese man named Ota Benga. His cage was right next to the orangutans in the monkey house. This was the brain child of the "civilized" people who proclaimed to be great masters of science, but in reality showed the darkest sides of themselves. Listen to Strange Country Episode 37 as it explores this sad, sordid tale.
Cite your sources (it makes you look smart):
“African Pygmy's Fate Is Still Undecided.” The New York Times, 18 Sept. 1906, pp. 9–9, www.nytimes.com/1906/09/18/archives/african-pygmys-fate-is-still-undecided-director-hornaday-of-the.html.
“Bushman Shares a Cage with Bronx Park Apes: Some Laugh Over His Antics, but Many Are Not Pleased. .” The New York Times, 9 Sept. 1906, pp. 17–17, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/09/09/101796670.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=17.
“The Hidden Holocaust.” The Guardian, 12 May 1999, www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/may/13/features11.g22.
Keller, Mitch. “The Scandal at the Zoo.” The New York Times, 6 Aug. 2006, www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/nyregion/thecity/06zoo.html.
“King Leopold II of Belgium Takes the Congo | History Channel on Foxtel.” History Channel, 9 June 2017, www.historychannel.com.au/articles/king-leopold-ii-of-belgium-takes-the-congo/.
“Man and Monkey Show Disapproved by Clergy.” The New York Times, 10 Sept. 1906, pp. 1–2, www.nytimes.com/1906/09/10/archives/man-and-monkey-show-disapproved-by-clergy-the-rev-dr-macarthur.html.
Newkirk, Pamela. “The Man Who Was Caged in Zoo.” The Guardian, 3 June 2015, www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/03/the-man-who-was-caged-in-a-zoo.
Newkirk, Pamela. Spectacle: the Astonishing Life of Ota Benga. Amistad, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2016.
“Ota Benga, Pygmy, Tired of America.” The New York Times, 16 July 1916, p. 12, www.nytimes.com/1916/07/16/archives/ota-benga-pygmy-tired-of-america-the-strange-little-african-finally.html.
Parkinson, Justin. “The Significance of Sarah Baartman.” BBC News, 7 Jan. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35240987.
“Send Him Back to the Woods.” The New York Times, 11 Sept. 1906, www.nytimes.com/1906/09/11/archives/topics-of-the-times.html.