Slum Tourism as a Source for Social and Cultural Capital for Slum Residents.

www.fh-joanneum.atMANAGEMENT

Slum Tourism as a Source for Social and Cultural Capital for Slum Residents

An empirical study on the

case of the slum residents

of Timia, Northern Niger

Dr. Harald A. Friedl

Dep. of Management

Inst. for Health and Tourism

Management


Main question for cybernetic Tourism Ethics(Fennell 2006, Friedl 2007):

Is there a general theory of successful “sustainable slum tourism”?

-economically effective for affected locals(income > costs)

-(socially) respectful towards aff. locals -(wellbeing after > before)

-ecologically sensible about aff. Locals’ environment-(medium-term impacts regenerated)18.04.2023 Hier steht der Name des Autors 2


Criteries of Sustainable Tourism

18.04.2023 Hier steht der Name des Autors 3

Pentagon pyramid of Müller 1999, Sustainability in Tourism


Methods

Participating observation of encounters, guided tours, festivals during 2 month

Semi-structured interviews with30 managers of local tour operations in Agadez56 travellers45 inhabitants from the village of Timia

Several evaluated organized tours with over-night-visits to Timia


Some general challenge in the sustainable Sahara-Tourism ContextExtreme difference between

hosts and guests, if…Culture (communication, behaviour patterns, values…)

Economic system (market system vs. nomadism)

Environmental system (green Europe vs harsh living conditions)


Motives of Sahara Travelers

1. Landscape2. Animals3. Culture4. ….Encounter with

local population…

…because communication is a challenge!


Thesis: Bourdieu’s concept ofdifferent forms of capitals (Bourdieu 1996)

Cultural capital (knowing how to behave successfully)

Social capital (interacting with reliable, respecting partners)

Symbolic capital (symbolizing all forms of accumulated capital - prestige)

Economic capital (having something generally acknowledged as “valuable”)

Bourdieu, P. (1986) The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.) Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education.New York:Greenwood, 241-258.

www.fh-joanneum.atMANAGEMENT Assumption… about the Slum Population‘s capital endowment

for successful sustainable tourism

General endowment needed in…cultural capitalsocial capitaleconomic capital18.04.2023 Hier steht der Name des Autors 8


Study on the Example of the Tuareg Slums of Timia


Tuareg of the Central Sahara

• Edge of Sahel, Central Sahara

• Hierarchically organized

• 1900 – 1960 colonialized


Timia


Tuareg Economy

•pasturing, caravan trade, rezzus



Changing Image since Colonialisation

From „Bandites“…… to „noble desert guide“„‘real‘ Master of the Desert “Since 1970th (drought) „disappearing cultur“

Iconographic Symbol of the Sahara


Environmental desasters

Periodic disastrous droughts since 1970s

Nomads losing their economic base



Rural Exodus – Urbanisation – Slums in villages and towns like Timia

Growing environmental, economic and health problems



Rise of Indigenious Tourism since late 80th (Mano Dayak)

Landscape-oriented adventure tourism

Guidance and Souvenir trade as main social contact



Tourism Ideology of 80-2000

Tuareg as service partners instead of “zoo objects”


Collaps and Renaissance of Tuareg Tourism in the 90th

Tuareg Rebellion 91-97(end of cold war) Tourism Renaissance 97-2006



Timiacrises of nomadismPop. from 700 (70th) to est. 15.000 (now)difficult market access low IncomeHealth problemstrad. resistance against school…


Timia in the 80th


Tourist potentials of Timia

landscape - Tuareg culture – food (horticulture)



Image of “Authenticity”

Sort of specific charisma

Value of “Ashak”respect, dignity, veracity…(lies are taboo for noble Tuaregs)


Tourist deficiencies in Timia• No communication

skills (former nomads!)

• No organisational skills (no education)

• Simple range of handicrafts (no exchange)

• No accomodation, restaurants, cafés… (no tuareg tradition)

• NO Access to passing Tourists (no reason to stop)

• No Networks to Tour operators! (no reason to invest)


Nothing!


Organized Mass Tourist – Tuaregs: Cultural Incompatibilities

Tourist, defined by Nomad:• “Somebody very rich, • with no time, • taking photographs of

everything, • buying our garbage.”

Typical tourists look for 1. Landscapes2. Animals3. Culture4. people

“Feared” - as Tuaregs !

Car – like camera – a tool to filter “external complexity” (Hennig 1997)


Needed: intercultural mediator/coach


Change through „Slow tourists“ (Antz 2011)

Desire for• Authentic encounter• emotional acceptance• „Understanding culture,

poverty and living in the desert“

• “Deliverance” from “western guiltiness”

• Travelling as secular pilgrimages



Learning Effects of the Kel Timia:

• Seeking contact to western people

• by offering their „exotic“ front stage

• signalizing to allow access to intimate „back stage“

• allowing a perception of „authentic friendship“

• Getting into sustainable relationships



„Slow Tourists“ coming back! as partners to offer development assistance…

M. Bellevin: founded „Les Amis de Timia“:– Restoring the old FortOther researcher:

turned the Fort into a Café


Education artisans and merchants, coodinating handicraft production and marketing


Supportinginghorticulure


• Food service for malnourished children• Additional teachers, schooling material



• Medicine, transport to Agadez…

• Regular health service• Social security system• Food bank• Supported by regional

French gouvernment…


Social theory behindResponsible, ethical, slow tourists• Looking for a

coherent counter-world to alienation due to commodification

• Offering kind of “glocal” solidarity (Robertson 1998; Beck 1997)

• reinforced by direct contactbetween tourists and “exotic poor people”

• … Tuaregs playing their “role” as “poor, but friendly” counterpart

• Perfect “deal”: mercy against deliverance = secular “indulgence”18.04.2023 Hier steht der Name des Autors 33


Tuareg showing thanksfulness

• Culturally incompatibale with Tuareg culture!

• Totally against Eshek!

• Effect of socio-cultural adaptation!

• Expression of growing cultural and social capital?



Gathering social and cultural capital? • Personal „authentic“ contact to Western „slow tourists“ • offering chances for …

– Learning about tourist‘s needs, interests and habits– And how to satisfy it (cultural capital)– Leading to intensified contacts– Leading to „developping friendships“ (social capital)– Learning to better sell handicrafts– getting material support– Even credits and Invitations to Europe (economic capital)



Responsible slow tourism enables…

• Intercultural learning (“understanding”)

• Networking

• Product development and placement, representing “attractions”

• Access to “normal” tourist market =

income

“potential to stimulate entrepreneurship” (Koens 2012, Rogerson 2006…)


So… everything perfect?


Many open questions• New competences leading to new needs

– Integration into market leads to consuming culture, creating further economic dependencies and pressure…

– Sustainable?

• “Help” e.g. for handicapped persons is delicate as• External support less permanent and sustainable• While irritating existing local networks

• Sustainability dependents on a stable environment, but…– 2005 political unrest in Agadez region– 2007-08 Uranium war– Since Libya-civil war 2011 region is swept by weapons– Leading to…


Tourism collap + abandoned projects


Thank you for your attention!

“Sustainability in tourism” is an utopia,

but we are dammed to travel

on the search for it…

Slum Tourism as a Source for Social and Cultural Capital for Slum Residents.

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