Saartjie, Saartjie, Baartman,

her name warrants repetition.

She was a Nubian queen who

was exploited without permission.

They dubbed her the "Hottentot Venus,"

as though she were a freak,

stripped her of her dignity,

then marvelled at her physique.

This African woman is the reason

why black females are still fetishized.

She had no say or control

over the shape or size of her thighs.

My spirit weeps for Saartjie,

paraded throughout Europe, like some kind of clown,

and whenever I think of injustice,

her name is the first to come to mind.