Ethical travel : Slum tours
“War is the hottest ticket for ‘extreme tourists.” This was a headline in the London Metro last week. And like the headline offers, this is a story about rich tourists travelling to war-torn countries in Africa and South America to have their picture taken with a child solider. Those who run the tour packages attempt to justify their practice by saying that they are providing a living to those affected by the conflict.
This new breed of adventure traveller have gone sky diving and swimming with great white sharks, they’ve hiked to dangerously high altitudes and have been to Antarctica. In search of a new thrill they have taken to exploiting and enjoying the strife suffered by those living in constant poverty, violence and peril. They spend a few thousand dollars paying for their flights and accommodation, securing a personal armed guard/tour guide to take them into these coveted no-go zones. Then they shell out a dollar or two to the child soldiers for a photo and believe they’re doing their part.
According to ITP Business, approached with sensitivity the west can avoid sensationalizing this brand of reality tourism. Although they do acknowledge that this new proposition will be controversial, at least at first. But is sensitivity possible when you are introducing people who have everything to those with nothing. It is tantalizing and tormenting to the people whose lives are defined by the poverty and violence surrounding the ‘tour route’ as they watch happy and safe people swoop in for a few photos and then leave this waking nightmare behind them for the security of their own homes. On the other side, those who partake in these tours, however well meaning, are equating the political hardships of a country with a circus sideshow that they can visit for an afternoons education and enjoyment.
Theoretically this is a brilliant idea as tour guides tell the story of their home country. How they have managed to survive through turbulent periods in the past and present while still remaining a strong culture with a rich history. However, throw in the option for big bucks and corruption and see how close the outcome remains to the theorized ideal.
Along the same lines as the War-Zone Tours are packages offering to give you a first hand perspective on a Third World Slum. India, Brazil and South America are all popular destinations for the slum tour. And again, the biggest attraction is the children. The street children, who are addicted to ink correction fluid, who have to steal and beg for the food that they so badly need. Here the seemingly immoral factors of the tour are justified away by labelling the tours an educational-experience. By getting people out to these slums they are able to understand the devastation of the millions of people who live here and carry this message home with them. By spreading the word, the advantaged world would be more driven to take the steps necessary to help change the situation.
Again these are ideals. There will be a portion of the population that will become inspired to dedicate their lives to helping the poor and needy. A few more will make a few donations. But the majority will talk about the travesty of it all, shake their heads and get on with their life. However, it is a case of perspective. A portion of the ticket price is usually given to charities set up to help the people living in these slums. And people are learning about a whole country and a whole culture, not just the squeaky clean bits at the tourist resort. The people that go on these tours are open enough to explore a new insight and not simply ignore it. But the cost is the dignity of those whose lives are now a tourist attraction.
The dead, the impoverished and those fear-stricken by a daily dose of violence do not want their picture taken by rich Westerners out on a thrill-seeking adventure. Especially not when, at the end of the day, they get to go home and escape from the pits of hell on earth.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia, Zijad Jusufovic leads tours through what used to be once of the world’s most fierce war zones. In an interview with the BBC, Jusufovic talks about his time with the Red Cross during the Bosnian War, he talks of what happened to his country, why it happened and how Bosnia is today. People show up for his tours as they’re interested in non-media driven perspectives on a piece of recent history. They are taken to significant areas in the city and surrounding countryside. Stories are told, questions are asked. But in the end no one points a finger another and passes judgment or pity. This doesn’t make one tour right and the other wrong, it is for each to decide their own boundaries and act accordingly. It is after all, just a matter of perspective.
