Video: Vénus Noire (Black Venus)

This is the first half of a French film from 2010 about the life of Saartjie Baartman (sometimes known as Sarah Bartman).  Baartman was a young Khoikhoi woman who was brought to London and Paris by her "master" (whether she was a slave or a servant and whether she left for Europe of her own free will are unclear) and displayed as a sort of "freak" for money.  The Khoikhoi are native to the southwestern part of Africa, roughly corresponding to the modern country of South Africa.  Her body was also scrutinized by scientists (most prominently George Cuvier) interested in characterizing and cataloguing racial differences. After her early death, she was anatomized by Cuvier and her brain, skeleton and genitalia were displayed at the Museum of Man in Paris.  In 1994, Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, formally petitioned the French government to return her remains to South Africa.  The French acceded to this request in 2002, and Saartjie Baartman's remains were repatriated and given a funeral ceremony.  Her grave is now a national heritage site in South Africa. Both halves of the movie are available on YouTube, so if you would like to watch the second half you may.  However, that is not required. 

CONTENT WARNING: This is a quite graphic depiction of racism and sexism, with strong suggestions of rape and sexual assault.