The AfricaMuseum was founded at the start of the 20th century by Philip's ancestor, king Leopold II, then the absolute ruler and private owner of the Congo Free State, where a colonial reign of terror was conducted. The museum sprang from the temporary colonial exposition as part of the Brussels International Exposition (1897). Due to the exposition's popularity, it was made permanent a few years later: in 1904, construction began on a stone museum (with some deparments dedicated to scientific research inside and about Africa), which was completed in 1910. In the earliest stage of the permanent exposition, there was a section (disapprovingly called a "human zoo" by later commentators) for which Leopold II moved 200 Congolese people to Belgium in order to show visitors what daily life was like in the Belgian colonies. This project got out of hand, and seven of the Congolese died; since the reopening of the AfricaMuseum in December 2018, these 7 Congolese are commemorated on an information sign.