A Message from the Founder and Chair, Ann Van de Graaf
A Message from the Co-Chair and Spokesperson, Dr. Myra Gordon
Ota’s Story
Benga was a Congolese individual who was taken from his home and brought to the United States in 1904 by Samuel Phillips Verner, who was commissioned to survey the former Congo Free State and exhibit Africans for display. In 1904, Ota Benga was placed on display at the St. Louis World’s Fair in Missouri, but he would later be moved to the Bronx Zoo in New York, where he was displayed in the Zoo’s Monkey House along with an orangutan. Read more here
Our Mission
To keep the story of Ota Benga alive and use it as a clarion call for efforts to increase human dignity, respect for diversity, and social progress for all.
Goals
- Education
To keep the memory of Ota Benga alive domestically and in Congo and to use his story to promote the values of human dignity, cultural diversity, unity, and progress for all. - Cemetery Preservation
To maintain and develop the place where Ota’s remains will be memorialized forever. - Validation of Pygmies
To work for the acknowledgement, elevation, and protection of Ota’s people. - Repatriation
To fulfill Ota’s dying wish to go back home to Congo by returning his remains. - Restorative Justice
To seek repair from those who were involved in the violations of Ota’s human dignity.
The Ota Benga International Committee provides updates about the committee’s work, important cultural events, and other current news through articles published on our website. Click the Subscribe button below to have each post automatically emailed to your inbox