By Jimmy Twist
Kampala
Sarah Baartman, also known as Saartjie Baartman, was a Khosa woman born in late 1789 in South Africa. Because of her large buttocks, which were considered unusual and exotic at the time, she was exhibited as a freak show attraction in Europe in the early 18th century.
Baartman was born in the Gamtoos Valley, in what is now South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. She belonged to the Khoikhoi, a group of indigenous people who lived in the area. Baartman was taken from her home as a young woman by a British ship’s doctor, William Dunlop, who promised her work as a servant in Cape Town. Instead of working as a servant, Baartman was taken to England and displayed as a sideshow attraction under the name “Hottentot Venus.”
Baartman’s large buttocks and elongated labia were regarded as unusual and exotic, and she was displayed in London and Paris, where people paid to gaze at her. She was also forced to perform various tricks, such as dancing and singing, for the amusement of onlookers. Baartman was abused during this period and was not paid for her performance.
Bartman died of Syphilis in 1815 when she was 26 years old. She was sexually assaulted multiple times, and instead of witnessing Sephra, also known by her stage name Hottentot as Her Venus, her remains were dissected and displayed in a museum in Paris. I was allowed to. In 2002, the South African government lobbied to have Bartman’s remains returned to South Africa, and she was eventually buried in 2002.
Bartman’s story is tragic and a reminder of the exploitation and abuse of people of color throughout history. May she rest in eternal peace.
