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Ear to the Ground

Kenyan Poverty Tourism

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Posted on Sep 26, 2009
Kenya
EPA / Stephen Morrison

An estimated 1 million people are crammed into Nairobi’s sprawling Kibera slum, divided by open sewers.

Poverty has apparently become a kind of spectacle: Places such as Brazil’s favela slums and India’s shantytowns have become part of a “poverty tour” industry. Now Kenya has jumped on the bandwagon, with several organizations selling guided trips through the wretched Kibera slum in Nairobi.  —JCL

The Guardian:

The Dutch tourists came well prepared for the walking safari: strong shoes and sunscreen, backpacks and bottled water. Ahead lay an afternoon visiting one of Kenya’s most recognisable sights – but one that rarely features in tourist brochures.

“It might seem a bit strange to come here,” said Eric Schlangen, as the guide led him towards the sea of tin-roofed shacks that constitute Kibera, often described as one of the world’s largest slums. “But I wanted to see how people live in this country, not just the animals.”

Slum tourism is taking off in Kenya. Several local organisations have started selling guided trips through Kibera, a short drive from the luxury hotels that serve most foreign visitors in Nairobi.

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By G. Michael Schneider, July 1, 2010 at 4:18 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

When my wife and I were working in Nairobi, we were invited by a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity to spend the day assisting residents of Kibera, one of the largest and poorest slums in Africa—a day described in my post “Father George, Poverty Tourism, and the Slums of Kibera.”  (otherguysdime.wordpress.com)  It was a difficult and emotional experience but an informative one, especially for a traveler like myself who had never been outside the developed world, and I am very glad I went.  However, we were there by invitation of someone living and working in Kibera, and we were there to assist the residents.  I think that is an appropriate way to visit , but simply snaping photos from a tour bus seems inappropriate and highly exploitative.  If you want to go there, volunteer your services, whatever they may be.

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Leefeller's avatar

By Leefeller, September 27, 2009 at 8:00 pm Link to this comment

Capitalism may have scruples but they must be tucked safely away where the sun don’t shine, after all opportunism yam what it yam.

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By freedom loving american, September 26, 2009 at 6:22 pm Link to this comment

This is the republican dream for America.  Just think of it, since 1980 many throughout the world hate Americans thinking all are rude brutal idiotic republicans that have no morals values or ethics.  So the repukes could make a killing attracting tourist to the American slums which have grown faster than private prisons (although not by much).

The repukes could schedule tour-busses through ghettos and slums throughout the US They could see the big city ghettos and more importantly the quaint small town and rural slums that have been totally decimated by the latest wall street derivative scam. 

These rural areas would be particularly profitable since they would be in beautiful areas spread throughout the nation in the South, Midwest, east and west (however not so much on the coasts).  Not only the scenery would be beautiful but the real selling point for foreign tourist would be that those that live in the squalor vote for republicans.  They could talk to and meet these morons in person.  For a few extra bucks the republicans that benefit from the republican agenda about (probably about 100,000 people) could make the tours so they could spit and piss and the small town hicks.  I’m ready to invest…

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