ANTI-RACISM activists have written an open letter to the head of the City of London corporation calling for action to axe an “offensive” exhibition showing black people in cages.

London arts centre the Barbican is set to show Exhibit B: The Human Zoo, an installation by South African artist Brett Bailey exploring the 19th-century mentality of seeing African people as fascinating objects.

Barbican defended the exhibition as “educational and empowering” following outraged complaints by black activists.

Now national co-chairwoman of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts Zita Holbourne has written an open letter to town clerk and City of London corporation chief executive John Barradell, one of the biggest arts sponsors in Britain, calling him to withdraw the exhibition.

“Black communities do not need to be objectified to understand history and we fail to see how an exhibition which re-enacts the horrors of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid empowers anybody,” she stated.