I remember when the movie Bourne Legacy was filmed here in Manila. Filipinos were very optimistic that the World would finally see the beauty of our country however many of the film locations are not exactly noted for their physical beauty. Many of the scenes were shot in what we filipinos call "Squatter Areas". While the government hoped that the movie would help boost the tourism in the Philippines, it gave birth to another type of tourism here in our country: Slum Tourism.
Slum Tourism is a tourist practice wherein travelers visit poor areas (mostly slums) to observe the local inhabitant's way of living. This type of practice started in the late 1800s; Wealthy New Yorkers would visit the Lower East Side to observe how the people from the poorest side of the city lives. Nowadays, more and more people get curious of a slum lifestyle; thanks to movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and Fast5, organized slum tours exist in many parts of the World such as Rio de Jenero, Mumbai, Egyt, Mexico, Johannesburg and recently, joining a long list slum capitals, the Philippines.
Slum tourism has been heavily criticized, especially for being voyeuristic and not bringing significant benefits to locals. However, several travel agencies who organizes slum tours continue to persuade locals and tourists alike that slum tourism could actually help ease the situation of these areas. In an article entitled "Slum tourism: Patronizing or social enlightenment?" from www.bbc.co.uk, an interview with Mr. Krishna Pujari, owner of Reality Tours and Travels, states that he tries to show a positive side of the slum, to people who think slums are just about poverty, danger or begging. He explains how his company is a social business with 80% of all profits given to its sister organization - the charity Reality Gives.
"We do we do this because a large percentage of our income is generated through the slum tours and we felt that it was right to put most of the money back," Mr Pujari asserts.
As a traveler I do think there are benefits to these tours. Most of the tourists who participates in slum tours are from developed counties. Slum tours increases awareness of poverty issues, making it more real rather than just seeing it on television or reading about it in books and magazines. Many tourists often come to put their life into perspective and experience world problems first hand. It is also a chance to see how these people struggle with their day to day lives. It is also good, however, to see that these places aren't just a place full of misery, but are vibrant communities that knows how to deal with their problems.
While doing my research on slum tourism, I stumbled upon another article entitled "Slumdog Tourism" by Kennedy Odede from www.nytimes.com, it states that slum tourism is a one-way street: tourist get photos and the locals lose a piece of their dignity. Odede is a Kenyan from Nairobi’s Kibera slum. In the article he narrates his experience with slum tourism. He was 16 when he first saw tourist roaming around his neighborhood taking pictures of everything they find interesting; It didn't bother him at first but the moment of enlightenment of the real situation happened when he turned 18. He founded an organization that provides education, health and economic services for Kibera residents. While doing a documentary for a Greek filmmaker, Odede realized the real condition of Kibera: feces, rats, starvation, houses so close together that no one can breathe. He then realized that he didn’t want the people to see it, didn’t want to give them the opportunity to judge his community for its poverty — a condition that few tourists, no matter how well intentioned, could ever understand.
"Slum tourism turns poverty into entertainment, something that can be momentarily experienced and then escaped from. People think they’ve really “seen” something — and then go back to their lives and leave me, my family and my community right where we were before." Kibera said.
"We do we do this because a large percentage of our income is generated through the slum tours and we felt that it was right to put most of the money back," Mr Pujari asserts.
As a traveler I do think there are benefits to these tours. Most of the tourists who participates in slum tours are from developed counties. Slum tours increases awareness of poverty issues, making it more real rather than just seeing it on television or reading about it in books and magazines. Many tourists often come to put their life into perspective and experience world problems first hand. It is also a chance to see how these people struggle with their day to day lives. It is also good, however, to see that these places aren't just a place full of misery, but are vibrant communities that knows how to deal with their problems.
While doing my research on slum tourism, I stumbled upon another article entitled "Slumdog Tourism" by Kennedy Odede from www.nytimes.com, it states that slum tourism is a one-way street: tourist get photos and the locals lose a piece of their dignity. Odede is a Kenyan from Nairobi’s Kibera slum. In the article he narrates his experience with slum tourism. He was 16 when he first saw tourist roaming around his neighborhood taking pictures of everything they find interesting; It didn't bother him at first but the moment of enlightenment of the real situation happened when he turned 18. He founded an organization that provides education, health and economic services for Kibera residents. While doing a documentary for a Greek filmmaker, Odede realized the real condition of Kibera: feces, rats, starvation, houses so close together that no one can breathe. He then realized that he didn’t want the people to see it, didn’t want to give them the opportunity to judge his community for its poverty — a condition that few tourists, no matter how well intentioned, could ever understand.
"Slum tourism turns poverty into entertainment, something that can be momentarily experienced and then escaped from. People think they’ve really “seen” something — and then go back to their lives and leave me, my family and my community right where we were before." Kibera said.
His article spurred endless debates on wether slum tourism could be a responsible practice. Odede's article made me think about my positive attitude toward slum tours. He raised very strong points from a resident’s perspective against slum tourism. I realized that the huge part of the problem was the fact that the practice is actually insulting and degrading to the local community and even more bluntly creates a situation wherein one person thinks that they are inherently better than the other. We're usually reminded by our parents that we are fortunate by comparing our situation to people living in slums. It's a shame that we have to look outside our lives to be recognize how fortunate we all are. Growing up, we develop guilt simply because we are living in a comfortable life and we get rid of the guilt by trying to "give back" to the community where in fact the truth is all human activity is at least partially (and I would argue mostly) motivated by self-interest, even when it comes to helping others- an arguably inescapable component of self-hood.
In conclusion, I think slum tourism will take its toll on the culture of traveling. One of the main purpose of traveling is to close gaps between the people's culture and religion; However, the extreme differences of wealth and lifestyle between locals from slum areas and tourists can cause resentment.
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