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- Convenors:
-
Nadège Chabloz
(Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales)
Anne Doquet (IRD)
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- Location:
- C1.03
- Start time:
- 29 June, 2013 at
Time zone: Europe/Lisbon
- Session slots:
- 2
Short Abstract:
Tourist mobility implied technical, human, financial and cultural flows. This panel is designed to show these transnational flows, the practices and representations of tourists in Africa and the political implications of tourism.
Long Abstract:
Often considered as the cradle of humanity, Africa now occupies a prominent place in the imaginaries of tourists in search of roots, authenticity and human warmth. The neo-colonial figure of the rich and all-mighty white tourist has been increasingly replaced by that of the cultural, responsible, fair and respectful tourist in search of encounters with the Other and/or in search with his origins.Contributions will examine whether tourists are viewed by natives solely as a resource or as potential providers of foreign "residence permits", or if the way the visited look at the visitors is more complex or ambivalent. We would also like to focus on the representations and imaginaries of African tourists in Africa, of members of a diaspora, as well as of tourists who do not come from former colonizing countries. A shift of perspective could bring to light not so much different behaviours as asymmetric desires and culturally-bounded ideologies of travel. It could also show that social dynamics of tourism refer to political issues and economic inequalities which determine the access to leisure mobility. Finally, it could examine how tourism is raising new transnational issues, either by weakening the territorial borders inherited from colonial times or by taking part in the reconfiguration of the relations between Western countries and the rest of the world.
Contributions can address these issues from various angles (human geography, history, sociology, anthropology, visual anthropology).
Accepted papers:
Session 1Julie Godin (Université de Liège)
Paper short abstract:
This contribution will examine the stakes of development projects initiated by small groups of Belgians linked with their tourism experience in Senegal. What representations do they have of each Other and how does it shape their relationship and the implementation of the projects?
Paper long abstract:
While Senegal has economic health and living conditions superior to those of its neighbors, it is the most helped country in West Africa. Moreover it is one of the countries in this area to have developed a true mass tourism. In this context a lot of tourists fall in love with Senegal and its population in search of roots, authenticity and human warmth and they decide then to start a development project with a native with whom they have sympathized during their tourist stay.
Based on a recent field research, this contribution will examine the stakes of development projects carried by Belgian citizens in the field of education and health in the very touristic area of M'bour in Senegal. I will focus on two main issues that I am studying during my PhD research. This contribution will firstly analyse the motivations that underlie these projects and the perceptions they have of each Other. In a second time it will examine how these representations shape the relationship between them and the way that these projects are implemented.
Nadège Chabloz (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales)
Paper short abstract:
The analysis of the political, economic and symbolic issues at work in some photographic encounters will allow to think more globally the construction of spiritual and primitivist representations on a new tourist destination that is today included in the « shamanic tourism » transnational circuits.
Paper long abstract:
Gabon is best known for its oil, its wood and the Bongo family. This small Central African country is struggling to attract international tourists. The Gabonese Government promotes an "eco-tourism" based on the discovery of fauna and flora in its thirteen national parks and the discovery of the local "traditions". Since 2006, expensive and prestigious projects are being implemented by the Government, as the online museum "Arts and Traditions", aimed to promote tourism and the countrie's culture intended for an international audience. In 2012, at the initiative of the first lady of Gabon, a mission was entrusted to an American photographer for a book on Gabon. Specialized in magical rituals in Africa and in the Caribbean, this photographer is guided in Gabon by Tatayo, a French based in Gabon for thirty years and who practice bwiti, a local initiation rite. This communication, supported by a 15 minutes documentary, focuses on Tatayo's intercessor's role. By describing the manner in which Tatayo negotiates the "release of the masks" with the local nganga (healers) for this photographer, the manner in which she features the characters, we can grasp how images produced by institutions, individuals and media are built. The analysis of the political, economic and symbolic issues at work in these photographic encounters will allow to think more globally the construction of spiritual and primitivist representations on a new tourist destination that is today included in the « shamanic tourism » transnational circuits.
Saskia Cousin (Université Paris Descartes)
Paper short abstract:
This paper proposes portraits of a few tourists from West Africa during their visit to Benin. We will cross paths, stories and imaginaries from Benines visiting their country, visitors from the diaspora, expatriates from Sub Region.
Paper long abstract:
This paper proposes portraits of a few tourists from West Africa during their visit to Benin. We will cross paths, stories and imaginaries from Benines visiting their country, visitors from the diaspora, expatriates from Sub Region. It will offer a comparative analysis of selected routes and experiences in relation to the sociological profiles of tourists. We will focus on quests of identity or otherness, motivations (family, social, cultural) and the terms of their travel (family, organized, with or without guides, etc.. ). As one speaks about western tourists, can we identify a way of being an African tourist, or is it totally irrelevant. And why ?
Anne Doquet (IRD)
Paper short abstract:
In Mali, tourism has ended up in the heart of the French-Malian diplomatic relations and the Malian government tried to invert the disastrous image of Mali by promoting cultures of the North, in particular Tuareg, seen in the imagination of European as " blue men "
Paper long abstract:
Red zone against blue men : tourism in the French-Malian diplomacy
Long perceived as a model of democracy, stability and hospitality, Mali, and particularly its northern territories, has gradually been shown in the media as a zone of traffics, terrorism and religious extremism. This degradation of the external image of the country led to a set of security measures adopted by the French embassy (and followed by other embassies), among which the implementation of a red zone, where travelers were "formally discouraged" to go, that hasn't stopped growing since 2009. On site, these warnings were perceived as a revenge from the French president on his Malian counterpart, who had refused to sign the agreement for the readmission of Malian immigrants in France. Whatever is the basis of this interpretation, tourism has ended up in the heart of the French-Malian diplomatic relations and the Malian government tried to invert the disastrous image of Mali by publishing statements , organizing tourist events in the red zone and promoting cultures of the North, in particular Tuareg, seen in the imagination of European as "blue men". Concurrently, tourists who attended these events found themselves at the heart of this image war and were often driven, by local tour guides, to invest in an unforeseen militance.
Siw-Inger Halling (Rosendalsgymnasiet)
Paper short abstract:
The Swahili society on Lamu Island has a thousand year history of contacts with other cultures through trade and shipping. Today tourism is the gateway to contacts with distant peoples. The study reflects on socio-cultural consequences within the host community caused by contemporary tourism.
Paper long abstract:
Modern tourism is ought to be closely linked to sustainable development in economical, ecological as well as socio-cultural respect and could be regarded as an important part of an open society. Tourism gives opportunities for interaction between people from various backgrounds, but the consequences of this interaction could be difficult to predict.
Since 2001 Lamu is a World Heritage Site and tourism is based on its economic history and well preserved culture in combination with a rich but sensitive tropical landscape. One concern is how to develop tourism business and at the same time preserve a certain set of landscape values. This paper is based on observations and interviews within the host community in Lamu, focusing on the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability and discusses the residents' adaption to and conceptualization of the transformations in their envisaged and experienced landscape as a result of the involvement in tourism activities.
The analysis shows that the interaction gives certain effects in the socio-culture landscape such as an accentuation of dissimilarities and tensions already existing between diverse groups in the local society. Tourism presence also creates the evolvement of a more explicit and complex moral landscape which serves to distinguish cultural insiders respectively outsiders from one another. In addition tourism participation indicates the importance of functional institutions and strategies to achieve sustainable development in all respects.
The work is conducted during 2009-2011 as a Licentiate thesis in Human Geography, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Akbar Keshodkar (Moravian University)
Paper short abstract:
Sustainable development of tourism advocates socio-economic upliftment of host communities. This paper examines how evolution of tourism in Zanzibar has not only failed in promoting this goals but is directly responsible for continuing socio-economic marginalization of the local population.
Paper long abstract:
Tourism was touted by government officials and international consultants as Zanzibar's savior after the collapse of the economy during the socialist era, in the early 1980s. However, almost 30 years later, the quality of life enjoyed by majority of Zanzibaris continues to deteriorate, subjecting more people to abject poverty. With foreigners controlling the tourism industry and corruption rampant, Zanzibaris also have to compete for tourist jobs with large number of people migrating from throughout Eastern Africa, for whom Zanzibar offers better economic prospects than mainland Africa. As a consequence, Zanzibar, initially aspiring to promote cultural tourism, now primarily prevails as a destination for sun, sand, and increasingly, sex tourism. Based on over 10 years of ethnographic research in Zanzibar, the paper evaluates how growth of tourism in Zanzibar has transformed the social and economic condition of its people, in turn shaping new inequalities and raising new modes for defining ideas of belonging to the islands. The paper further examines how the evolution of tourism in Zanzibar correlates with models of sustainable tourism advocated by the World Tourist Organization, which emphasize maintaining values of cultural integrity and protecting and enhancing future opportunities for host communities.
Michele Carboni (University of Cagliari, Italy)
Paper short abstract:
This paper will seek to understand the relationship between native inhabitants of Zanzibar and migrant workers from mainland Tanzania, which are competitors in the tourism job market of the island.
Paper long abstract:
Zanzibar has opened up to international tourism during the 1980s, and the industry has been growing since then. The surge in the tourist business - strongly influenced by foreign investment - has had relevant impact on the island. Although it had some positive outcomes at local level - most notably the improvement in infrastructure - it is also to be noted that it has also had negative effects, such as in terms of environmental degradation. Even the impact of the tourism-led growth on the Zanzibari job market is debatable.
Tourism has understandably created new employment opportunities, which however have only in part benefited the local - Zanzibari - community. In turn, it has promoted considerable migration of workers from mainland Tanzania. These migrants are often met with hostility from the local population. It should be also noted that pro-independence movements in Zanzibar are as old as the Union with Tanzania.
The proposed paper will seek to understand the "rivalcy" between local and migrant workers in the tourism sector. The research - currently ongoing - takes into consideration the perspective of managers and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, trying to understand the reasons behind the frequently observed preference given to migrant workers over the local ones. Can this be explained with better education and training? Do cultural and religious issues - being mainland Tanzanian mostly Christians and Zanzibaris muslim - play a role?