In most african countries, it is still a common belief that thin women are not attractive. In the later 19th to the mid 20th century, humans were publicly exhibited in human zoos throughout europe and north america. Sara saartjie baartman south african history online. Flesh made fantasy saartjie baartman was a beautiful south african showgirl with an irresistible bottom no wonder she caused such a sensation in georgian england. Black venus is a 2010 french drama film directed by abdellatif kechiche. She was derisively named the hottentot venus by europeans as her body would be publicly examined and exposed inhumanly throughout the duration of her young life. Who is saartjie sarah baartman, and why have we named our womens centre after her.
Oct 17, 20 after reading ms baartman history watch the movie that follows. Sara baartman and the hottentot venus is a book as much about the impossibility of uncovering historical truth as it is the story of a khoekhoe woman brought from south africa to europe in the 1800s. The story of sara baartman resurfaced in 1981 when stephen jay gould, a palaeontologist wrote about her story in his book the mismeasure of man where he criticised racial science. Anyone who thinks that racism has a scientific basis should read this book. The carters, jayz and beyonce, make mention of her in their song black effect.
The figure of the colonized body still from black venus by abdellatif kechiche 2010 saartjie baartman 17891815, often known by her colonial nickname, the hottentot venus, is the tragic figure of the colonized body par excellence. Saartjie was exploited and displayed as a sexual freak show. The stories of saartjie baartman and oto benga demonstrate the inhumanity of human zoos. Baartman was known by the name hottentot venus, although hottentot was the then a name for the khoi people, it is now considered an offensive term. Collin baartman has 244 books on goodreads, and is currently reading the hidden life of prayer by david m. Following the african national congress ancs victory in the south african elections, president nelson mandela requested that the french government return the remains of sara baartman so that she could be laid to rest. Sarah baartman was a south african woman who became a source of amusement for the europeans in 19th century due to her abnormally large buttocks. It is based on the life of sarah baartman, a khoikhoi woman who in the early 19th century was exhibited in europe under the name hottentot venus. A khoisan woman of south africa, she was lured to europe with the promise of fame and riches. Yet we all know that the black woman is infinitely more than that.
Sarah baartman was a south african woman who became a source of amusement for the europeans in 19th century due to her abnormally large. Stunt with your curls, your lips, sarah baartman hips, off their 2018 album, everything is love. Baartman is icon in south africa as representative of many aspects of the nations history. Yet the false sense of ownership over a womans body is ever present. Jul 01, 2010 please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. On saartjie baartman and the ownership of black womens bodies. Profile for saartjie baartman from hottentot venus page 1. Saartjie baartman was twentyone years old when she was taken from her native south africa and shipped to london. Its history and present is inextricably linked with the history of colonization, imperialism, and white supremacy. Saartjie sara baartman was one of the first black women known to be subjugated to human sexual trafficking. The real life of the hottentot venus, and sara baartman and the ho.
Furthermore history is known to be used by designers to inspire new creations. Saartjie baartman project gutenberg selfpublishing. The life history of saartjie baartman demonstrates the historic roots of the practice of cultural appropriation. Now the remains of the hottentot venus are finally being returned to her homeland. Jan 08, 2016 baartmans story is a reminder to the world of its persecution of black womens bodies throughout history. Sara baartman and the hottentot venus offers the authoritative account of one womans life and reinstates her to the full complexity of her history.
Saartjie sarah baartman 1789 29 december 1815 was the most famous of at least two khoikhoi women who were exhibited as freak show attractions in 19th century europe under the name hottentot venushottentot as the thencurrent name for the khoi people, now considered. T he khoikhoi or khoi called hottentots by early white settlers. Oct 23, 2017 baartman attracted the attention of george cuvier, a naturalist, who asked if she could be studied as a science specimen, when she was sold in france to an animal trainer. Such a story cannot be told halfheartedly and without a thorough understanding of how. Displayed on european stages from 1810 to 1815 as the hottentot venus, sara baartman was one. Sarah baartman hall, university of cape town, made the historic decision to rename memorial hall 8 december 2018. Her remains were buried on womens day, 9 august 2002, in the area of her birth, the gamtoos river valley in the eastern cape.
Until the 21st century, fullfigured women were considered attractive, were respected, and their padded with flesh and curvaceous bodies represented wealth, fertility and good health. South african poet and khoi woman diana ferrus wrote a poem in 1978 referencing baartman, part of a growing effort to arrange a proper burial for her. Lets take a look at her childhood, family and life story. In 1810, when saartjie baartman was in her early twenties, she was persuaded by an english ships doctor, william dunlop, to travel to england to make her fortune. In saartjie baartman was brought to europe from south africa to be displayed as a sexual freak and example of the inferiority of the black race. This novel is pretty interesting so far and is written from her point of view. Jan 07, 2016 the reason was that baartman, also known as sara or saartjie, had what was called steatopygia, resulting in extremely protuberant buttocks due to a buildup of fat. Within weeks, she had made the headlines and become the talk of the social season of 1810, hailed as the hottentot venus for her exquisite physique not least her shapely and irresistible bottom and suggestive seminude dance. Saartjie baartmans body shape was displayed in london stage for public show between 1810 and 1811, and. A historical novel about saartjie baartman, the hottentot venus, that was brought to eurpoe from africa as an exhibition because of her voluptuous body that was both strange and fascinating to europeans. The body of saartjie baartman, better known as the hottentot venus, has had greater influence on the iconography of the female body in. The saartjie baartmans body shape versus the victorian dress. Baartman died december 29, 1815 of an unknown ailment. Sara baartman discussion 2 my discussion after reading.
The life and death of saartjie baartman and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. The life and death of saartjie baartman born 1789 buried 2002 9780747577768. She was transported to england in 1810 and exhibited on stage in a cage as a freak known as the hottentot venus. Baartman, of khoikhoi descent, was born in 1789 and raised within the gamtoos valley in the sarah baartman district municipality and was laid to rest in hankey along the banks of the gamtoos river on 9 august 2002. Sarah baartman, displayed as a freak because of her unusual physical features, was finally laid to rest 187 years after she left cape town for london. The term hotttentot was created by the dutch as a result of the language used in the region. Hottentot venus by barbara chaseriboud reading guide. Sarah baartman is an international icon, synonymous with the commitment to democracy by the south african government. Jan 14, 2007 the story of saartjie baartman the hottentot venuss real name is inherently fascinating, and littered with a diverse cast of highly unlikable characters, ranging from baartmans lowly.
See more ideas about black history, african american history and african history. Sign me up to get more news about historical fiction books. Ancient origins articles related to saartjie baartman in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. She belonged to the cattleherding gonaquasub group of the khoikhoi. The hottentot venus was really saartjie baartman, an orphan, a servant. After a decadelong campaign to return her to her homeland, in 2002 the remains of sarah baartman, also known as the hottentot venus, sara baartman, and saartjie baartman, were gathered up and transported from the museum of natural history in paris, france, to hankey, south africa, for burial. Sarah baartmans story saartjie baartman centre for women. Apr 17, 2012 this feature is not available right now.
It tells the story of saartjie baartman, aka the hottentot venus, of her short life, her pre and postmortem exploitation, and how it took her over two hundred years to finally get home to south africa. From march 1815 until her untimely death, saartjie baartman was prodded and studied by french anatomists, zoologists and physiologists. The saartjie baartman centre for women and children, a refuge for survivors of domestic violence, opened in cape town in 1999. Jan 05, 2017 sarah baartman, the first known black female victim of trafficking, died on 29 december 1815. Sarah baartman biography facts, childhood, life story. Although the saartjie s story is no doubt interesting and all together tragic, the book lacked detail and asked more questions than it could answer. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most. As depicted in the film, the life and times of sara baartman, baartman experienced severe language and racist brutality in europe. Black venus 2010 traces baartmans memory in our collective histories, as well as her symbolic history in the construction and identity of black women as artists, performers, and icons. The book concludes with the politics involved in returning baartman s remains to her home country, and connects baartman s story to her descendants in nineteenth and twentiethcentury south africa. Oct 31, 20 it brings to mind the sarah baartman story. The story of saartjie baartman, a south african woman exploited for her body, extends back to 1810.
Baartman became an icon in south africa as representative of many aspects of the nations history. Also you can watch the most painful story in human history here. Media in category saartjie baartman the following 21 files are in this category, out of 21 total. Saartjie sarah baartman 17891815 find a grave memorial. Sarahs sad history has made her the iconic black woman, but in a manner that reduces the black woman into a mere huge bottom and extended genitalia. Sara saartjie baartman was born in 1789 at the gamtoos river in what is now known as the eastern cape. Sara baartman and the hottentot venus princeton university press. The book concludes with the politics involved in returning baartmans remains to her home country, and connects baartmans story to her. South africas first offshore environmental protection vessel, the sarah baartman, is also named after her. Who is sara baartman and why have we named our womens center after her from saartjie baartman center, 3. Collin baartman collinbaartman kimberley, northern cape. The hottentot venus aka sarah saartjie baartman, was a woman who was possibly a slave of dutch settlers in what is now south africa. Saartjie baartman was born in 1789 into the griqua tribe of the eastern cape, a subgroup of the khoisan people who are now thought to be the first aboriginal inhabitants of the southern tip of africa.
Saartjie baartman tragic venus circa 1789 1 january 1816. The wideranging essays, poems, and images in black venus 2010 represent some of the most compelling responses to baartman. Read while you wait get immediate ebook access when you order a print book. Saartjie baartman has appeared in the following books. The saartjie baartman centre for women and children sbcwc was opened in 1999 as the first multidisciplinary service onestop centre for abused women and children in the country. About us saartjie baartman centre for women and children. Sarah baartman story saartjie sarah baartman before 1790 29 december 1815. The story of the two sarahs saartjie baartman and saartjie. Saartjie baartman 1789 december 29, 1815 was the most famous of at least two khoikhoi women who were exhibited as sideshow attractions in 19th century europe under the name hottentot venus hottentot as the thencurrent name for the khoi people. Saartjie baartman has been depicted as a mythical figure, a national grandmother, martyr and heroine, and the return of her remains to south african soil in 2002 is regarded as a symbolic ending to colonialism, slavery and racism. Sarah baartmans iconic status as the hottentot venus as victimized.
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