The Black Circus of The Republic of Bantu

Exhibits showcasing artefacts and actual people were popular in the western world during the colonial period. How do we deal with a shameful legacy that echoes into the present? Should we seek to erase it, bury it in the history books, or resurrect and acknowledge this difficult past? This work dwells heavily on the early recorded study of black bodies as a "different species" to the white man. Many argue these shameful episodes from of our history should not be simply forgotten, but should stand as a testament to a shameful, and often uncomfortable past. The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu brings about an ethnic beauty and pride that was over generations damaged, dragged and stripped of its dignity let alone the Royal lineage that is bestowed on our different shades of brown skin and curly hair, lives and values. The artists write: “We pay tribute to the spirit of Sarah Baartman and the many Africans whose lives and bodies were turned into a spectacle for white supremacist pleasure. We pay homage to our ancestry who gave up everything for the benefit of the world at large.”