Poverty tourism or poorism, also known as township tourism or slumming is a type of tourism, in which tourists travel to less developed places to observe people living in poverty. Poorism travel tours are popular in places like India, Ethiopia, and even places that have had natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis. After Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana became a big poorism site.
Critics say poorism is likened to a kind of voyeurism, exploiting people less fortunate, snapping pictures and leaving nothing in return. - Wikipedia
While researching travelling materials to developing countries, I see lots of pamplets encouraging me to "experience a day in the life of the native folk".
I don't mind contributing money and time to help improve the lives of the poor in these regions. But if laying two bricks on an unfinished village school and posing for photographs in the process just for the thrill of feeling charitable and sympathetic, I say no thanks.
Some places are so developed in poverty tourism that the visiting route is all planned out for the traveller who wants to "slum it". Recent trip to Siem Reap really opened my eyes to this superficial farce.
Indeed, we leave nothing behind when we visit the slums except the sense of inferiority. What gives us the right to peer and take pictures of people who are hard at work in the fields and fake our sympathy? I say it is fake because most of us will not take sustainable measures to help the poor when we are back in our cushy beds at home, no matter how saddened we are during the tour.
Oh yes, I was also guilty of being the affluent tourist who travelled to the slums to gawk at the villagers "in their natural habitat" as if they were animals at the zoo.
We took a river cruise on the Tonle Sap River whose main attraction is the floating village. We were fascinated by the floating homes, floating markets, floating chapels and basketball courts. We stared in wonder at the river folk while our boat weaved through their homes.
We were then brought to the floating provision shop to buy some stationery for the poor children studying in schools. "We will bring you to see the children later." Immediately an image of happy children hugging my legs while I give out pencils popped into mind.
At the little shop, 8 pencils cost USD$4 and 10 exercise books cost $12. Exorbitant! When I took one packet of pencils, the guide prompted, "Get more. That's not enough for the children," and smiled widely.
The our guide took us to the floating school where the children were having lessons. It was the most awkward experience! There were just 2 of us. When we stepped into the classroom, the teacher stopped and smiled at us. The blackboard was filled with mathematics equations and the children were apparently doing their work.
We looked at them and said hi. The children just stared at us, just like how they stared at the many damn foreigners before us. They did not swarm around me like I imagined. We tried to pictures with them and realised they were not responsive. After a few hasty attempts to be friendly, we scooted off. We really did not want to make them feel like an exhibition.
I don't know if the money paid for the stationery will eventually help the families. It took me a while to grapple with the fact that I was no different from any damn ang mohs - I participated in poverty tourism.
Doesn't The Sail look utterly unspectacular? It is dwarfed by the neighbouring office blocks. I remember its sales pitch was to draw people to stay in the city, above the city. And the artists' impressions showed that it stood above the sparkling lights of the city, and everything else. Hmm...
