paradox

Antropologisch onderzoek naar toerisme in Afrika (3)

 'An interesting paradox seems to emerge here: the tourism image of Africa is that of a 'pristine', 'pure', 'uncivilised', 'wild', 'close to nature' continent with all the pictorial associations and representations that come along with these words, like huts, water buckets on women's head, dirt roads, far and free horizons, lions, danger and so on. (...)

This is the image that sells and lures (Western) tourists to Africa; a definite and extreme otherness in comparison to Europe and 'the West'. Most achievements and inventions usually associated with modernity, like cars, televisions, mobile phones etc. certainly do not fit this particularly European image. That is not 'the real Africa'.

 Therefore, if tourism would indeed bring economic growth and African people would start buying the types of consumer goods like the ones we mentioned above, this would 'spoil' the tourist image and with it probably the attraction for tourists to come to Africa.
(...) this 'tourism Africa' stands in the way of other forms of economic development (...). 

Therefore, to suggest policy-wise that tourism should be promoted in order to achieve economic growth seems like shooting oneself in the foot on the long run. How to cope with this paradox in terms of policy and implementation?'

B. Wishitemi, A. Spenceley, H. Wels (eds.), Culture and Community, Tourism studies in Eastern and Southern Africa, Rozenberg 2007, p. 3