Antwerp, May 13th, 2026 (CPA).– A cenotaph, an empty tomb erected in memory of the deceased, was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Schoonselhof Cemetery in Antwerp, northern Belgium, in honour of seven Congolese who died during the 1894 World Exhibition, CPA observed. “As a city, we have the responsibility to also confront the difficult chapters of our history,” said Ms. Els van Doesburg, Mayor of Antwerp. She further stated that the commemoration represents “a moment of recognition and respect” as well as an opportunity for dialogue, while stressing the need to acknowledge this part of local history. The ceremony was also attended by the Consul General of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Antwerp, along with numerous members of the Congolese diaspora. The President of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Flanders section, Avenir Maseme, denounced the conditions under which the Congolese had been exhibited in 1894. “This is a very important day (…) because they were exhibited like animals,” he said, referring to what he described as an “humiliation” and the dehumanization of those concerned.
For Marie-Antoinette Kumudidi Walo, a member of Antwerp’s Congolese community, the inauguration of the cenotaph is the result of years of mobilization. “This initiative has taken us several years,” she explained, highlighting intergenerational efforts that made this official recognition possible.
A Congolese student, Bernaud Guy, also welcomed the memorial act.
“They were deported from Congo to be displayed in a human zoo,” he said, considering the ceremony “a gesture of respect and a transmission of history” that helps shed light on a long-overlooked chapter. The seven Congolese had been displayed in a temporary “African village” organised as part of the colonial exhibition. According to the City of Antwerp, they died of dysentery and pulmonary diseases.