The Invention of the Savage: Human Zoos exhibition is coming to Ireland

The Invention of the Savage: Human Zoos exhibition is coming to Blanchardstown Library, Fingal and will run from Monday June 10 - June 30.

The free exhibition is a project from the International Decade for People of African Descent funded by the Irish Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth hosted by Insaka Ireland, the African Youth and Cultural Movement organisation.

First staged in the Quai Branly Museum in Paris in 2011-12, The Invention of the Savage was curated by the former French International Footballer, Lilian Thuram who heads his own anti-racism foundation.

Thuran states that "it became clear to me that racism was above all an intellectual construction and as such, it was susceptible to de-construction. That's what we are trying to do with the exhibition: putting on display the information that allows people to understand why there are still fault-lines in society based on the colour of our skins".

The exhibition came to Ireland via Scotland where it was staged in a number of universities including Strathclyde University, Glasgow.

The exhibition is a wider commitment by Insaka Ireland to the understanding of the historical roots of contemporary racism and our contribution to anti-racist education so necessary in Ireland of today.

Organisers of The Invention of the Savage: Human Zoos  issued a special thanks to Senior Blanchardstown Librarian, Patricia Brady, who they said "has been of great assistance".

The exhibition will travel to public libraries, universities and schools around the country over the next twelve months.

Further information about Insaka Ireland and the work they do can be found here.