Mbye Otabenga

victim

Mbye Otabenga, commonly known as Ota Benga, was a Congolese man from the Mbuti indigenous people who became a symbol of the dehumanization faced by people of African descent in the early 20th century. He was infamously exhibited in zoos in the United States, including the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and the Bronx Zoo in 1906, where he was displayed alongside an orangutan. Ota Benga's treatment, which included mockery and confinement, highlighted the pervasive racism and exploitation of African individuals during this period. Tragically, he took his own life in 1916 after enduring years of humiliation and oppression, serving as a stark reminder of the historical injustices faced by marginalized communities.