Mumbai, for example, has tours through the slums. Visitors come from around the world to gawk at the malnourished children and see the cardboard and iron-sheet structures that they call home. Some think this is a good form of responsible tourism as it exposes the more affluent to the reality of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Others call it exploitation.
One person in India took this accusation of exploitation one step farther by saying,
"If you were living in Dharavi, in that slum, would you like a foreign tourist coming and walking all over you?" he sputtered. "This kind of slum tourism, it is a clear invasion of somebody's privacy....You are treating humans like animals."
A tourism official called the tour operators "parasites [who] need to be investigated and put behind bars," and a state lawmaker has threatened to shut them down.
Those are the thoughts I had in mind as all 10 of our students here in Manila accompanied our team of three into the garbage dump and slum in Cavite. We brought them in so they could experience first-hand what their teammates were filming, and to get a taste of what life is like in such a place.
Was this irresponsible “poorism”?
I sure hope not.
Did it feel weird to go in with 11 foreigners while dozens of Filipinos of all ages were scrambling … again… in the muck and garbage to
accrue the approximately $1 or $2 that most of them get by on a day? You bet it did. Ask any one of those students and they’ll tell you of feeling out of place, perhaps a bit exploitive.At the same time, ask any one of those students if they have different thoughts now of what a slum is, of the reality of its awfulness, of the horrid, filthy conditions these people live in, and you might wonder if they’ll ever stop talking. These folks have now experienced firsthand what this stuff is all about.
I think there was a cost for us as Westerners to gain this empathy and understanding. The cost was some of the dignity of the people living in that slum. They knew what was going on. They knew rich people were coming to look at poor people. That’s a definite cost.
Was it worth it?
Time will tell. These students are on their way to becoming leaders in many different arenas of life. This experience won’t leave them. Perhaps they won’t leave the experience. Perhaps one, or two, or all of them, will use their considerable gifts and talents in the years to come to make a difference.
In my mind, that’s different than “poorism.” That’s tourism with a purpose.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting this site for the first time but felt compelled to comment on your post - I lived in Manila for six months in 2006 working in a development project funded by a German development agency. During my stay, I got to know people working in programms to support kids who dropped out of school and was asked to join a "field study" in Smokey Mountain and help interview some kids there. Before going, I had very mixed feelings and was worried how I would be received. It tourned out to be an amazingly vauable experience, especially for someone who is usually stuck behind an office desk, or a meeting wearing a suit and gets to talk about but not necessarily see poverty. Not only did I meet some fantastic, bright and charming kids that day, we were also welcomed with interest and shown around with out having the feeling we were intruding. I think this is because we had a genuine interest in the people we met and an interest in helping to improve their living conditions.
I think a) if there are persons to visit a poor residential area or slum they need to be invited by the community - meaning any "touristic" endeavours should be organized by and directly profit the community, not some tourism organisation, b) this needs to be based on the communities decision to allow any such activites and, c) there has to be a qualified, educational character to any "tours" with prefably only guides from the neighbourhood. Any other form of "poorism" is really instrusive to peoples privacy - however, if students and other interested persons can benefit from the experience of visiting a poor living area in an organised manner, this could be a mutual, beneficial learining experience and perhaps even a source of income.
Best of luck with your work!
Geraldine
Geraldine,
ReplyDeleteYour post was excellent and I couldn't agree more. I think it comes down to underlying motivations and who ultimately benefits. In my opinion, it should not be a random tour company trying to profit off of people's pain and suffering without offering anything in return. Nor should "tours" be offered to satisfy callous voyeuristic tendencies of the affluent.
Requiring the community's permission is vital as well as channeling any profits directly into the community to promote progress, healthy living conditions, etc. Should a community openly welcome visitors into their “homes,” I can definitely see the potential long term benefits for both sides. Ventures such as these, however, need to be entered into carefully, thoughtfully, respectfully, and with the community’s best interests at the forefront. And ultimately, visits should leave the community enriched and encouraged as a result. Anything less would be injurious and detrimental.
Thanks for your comments Deena and Giesebrecht. You make some very fine points. To think one can exploit another simply because the other has less money, is reprehensible. We are all human. All created equal.
ReplyDelete