 |
 |
|
|
The Impact of Human Safaris |
|
Human
safaris basically refers to the practice of organizing tourist expeditions to
areas inhabited by cut-off and isolated communities. The focus of these
expeditions is the ethnic people and their lifestyle. There have been strong
protests registered by various human rights and ethical groups over human
safaris. The issue became the topic of fierce debate when it was revealed that
tour organizers to the Andaman and Nicobar islands offered money to tribals
living in the dense forests to perform their traditional dance for tourists.
Reports
also indicate that every often tour operators try and incite tourists to these
human safaris by offering titillating accounts of the experience awaiting them.
An article published in the Guardian, UK quotes extensively from brochures
published by various tribal companies. Some of the brochures make for shocking
reading. For example, the Guardian has republished an excerpt from a travel
brochure exhorting people to take a tour to see the Bonda tribals in Orissa
states, “The scanty dress of the Bonda women and the homicidal tendency of the
Bonda males make them the most fascinating people.” Yet another brochure claims
that the agency would show tourists “The lifestyle of tattooed, heavily beaded,
nearly naked tribal people, their day to day activity and their extremely
primitive way of living.” Human
rights activists and non-government organizations working for the welfare of
the tribals have flayed the practice of human safaris. The main argument is
that by asking tribals to dance and sing for the amusement of tourists is
reducing them to a sub-human level. Such tours are against the very concept of
human dignity. There
is also a danger that the exposure can do incalculable harm to the tribal’s
lifestyle as well as their health. There have been instances when entire
isolated communities have been totally wiped out once they were exposed to
“outsiders” and “outside influences.” Continuing with the examples of the
Andaman and Nicobar tribes, experts quote the example of the Great Andamanese. The
tribe which numbered 3000 was wiped out once their traditional lands were
encroached upon by timber companies. In fact, studies indicate that it is communities
who fiercely protect their isolation who continue to survive. The
human safaris also pose a health hazard for the tribals. These areas have no
medical facilities and the tribals are not immunized against diseases like
measles and mumps. As a result, exposure to such diseases from the tourists who
come to see them could result in serious health problems for the tribals. But
there is the other side of the coin too. There are critics who flay the policy
of isolation that ensures that the tribals will continue with the present
lifestyle. Their argument is that it is not right to deny the benefits of
modern living to the tribals. The state or human right organizations, they
claim, cannot decide how the tribals will live. If the tribals wish to make
contact with the outside world and earn money by exhibiting their traditional
skills, they cannot be deprived of this right. The choice about what kind of
lifestyle they should lead should be a decision made by the tribals themselves.
Perhaps
the best way to avoid the demeaning aspects of the human safari would be up to
the tourists themselves. People visiting such areas should be sensitive enough
to ensure that the dignity of the tribals is maintained and that there is no
exploitation. Human
safaris basically refers to the practice of organizing tourist expeditions to
areas inhabited by cut-off and isolated communities. The focus of these
expeditions is the ethnic people and their lifestyle. There have been strong
protests registered by various human rights and ethical groups over human
safaris. The issue became the topic of fierce debate when it was revealed that
tour organizers to the Andaman and Nicobar islands offered money to tribals
living in the dense forests to perform their traditional dance for tourists. |
Tags |
Places in this article |
Recent articlesView all |
