May I Take a Picture of You?

Quechua weaver in Cusco, Peru.

© Marcela Torres

By Marcela Torres

Meeting people from other countries and cultures is part of the magic of traveling. We often encounter charming people that share their traditions with us and we can’t resist the temptation of capturing that moment with our photographic cameras. This enthusiastic impulse, however, may sometimes cause an unexpected negative reaction.

Several authors warn against the danger of the “tourist gaze”. What are they talking about? Sometimes people from the local community may feel they are being seen as objects; something weird or amazing that must be observed.

In addition, it is no myth that several tribes and indigenous cultures in Latin America reject photographs for several reasons, including the belief that these would steal their soul. From northern Mexico to southern Chile there are many accounts of communities that fear or distrust cameras and the intentions of the people that carry them.

A professional photographer remembers the time he arrived unannounced with some friends at a small town in the Sierra Central in Mexico and was suddenly surrounded by children who were attracted by their “curious” garments and attitudes. But the party ended the moment he took out his camera and aimed at the children, who ran away terrified.

At Ciudad Perdida (Lost City), in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, due to religious and cultural reasons, people of indigenous origin avoid having pictures taken of themselves, their homes and their objects. Tourists are warned not to insist in order not to make locals uncomfortable by invading their privacy.

The Mapuches, who live in southern Chile and Argentina, also reject photographs. To them, an image has a spirit and if someone captures it that person takes something away from them. This belief has presented a challenge to documentary producers, who always must give signs of respect in order to gain their trust and obtain their footage. Nevertheless, artists often just shoot photos or videos, promising to come back and give a copy, but never show again. It is important to understand that the Mapuches will always ask (and sometimes demand) a token of the time they gave away a piece of their soul. On a few occasions, people have been so offended by being photographed that they have broken tourists’ cameras.

The case of Italian scientist Guido Boggiani is, no doubt, the most extreme. Boggiani lived many years with the Caduveo tribe in Paraguay and was obsessed with body paintings and tattoos, shooting more than 500 photographs that he developed in the middle of the jungle. He was murdered in 1902, when he was 40 years old, and –although it is not really known for certain- it is believed that the motive was his photographic activity, since the expedition that went looking for him found his remains buried with his camera in pieces. After his death, a colleague of his published a series of 100 postcards of this Paraguayan tribe, which included a selection of 12 nude photos especially captured for scientists.

Of course, nowadays it is highly unlikely that anyone will threaten you with death just because you took a picture of them, but it is still worthwhile to avoid an unpleasant situation and show respect for the other person by asking a simple question: “May I take a picture of you?”

This entry was originally posted by the author on October 15, 2011.

World Tourism Day: Bringing Cultures Together

by Marcela Torres

Each year, on September 27, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) celebrates World Tourism Day, with the purpose fostering awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. In 2011, the celebrations are focusing on tourism and bringing cultures together.

According to the UNWTO, in 2010, 940 million tourists travelled to a different country, coming into direct contact with tangible – art, monuments – and intangible – music, food, traditions – culture. World Tourism Day 2011 (WTD 2011) is a celebration of this unique interaction and aims at furthering understanding of the values of cultural diversity.

“The message on this World Tourism Day is that, thanks to tourism, millions of people from different cultures are being brought together around the world like never before,” says UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “This interaction between people of different backgrounds and ways of life represents an enormous opportunity to advance tolerance, respect and mutual understanding”.

WTD 2011 also draws attention to the importance of preserving and promoting the cultures of the world in all their forms. Culture, which compels millions of tourists to travel and spend, is of immense value in itself, but is also a vital tool for the development of a sustainable tourism sector. As such, it must be thoughtfully managed and protected, as set out in the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism which states that: “Tourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which they should protect and pass on to future generations”.

Ancient cultures in Chile

In Chile, the State acknowledges and Chilean indigenous peoples are the descendants of human populations that have been present in the national territory since Pre-Hispanic times, that conserve ethnic and cultural traditions and have the land as the basis for their existence and culture.

The State acknowledges the following as Chile’s main ethnic groups: Mapuche, Aymara, Rapa Nui or Easter Islanders, those of the Atacama or Lickan Antay communities, Quechuas and Collas in northern Chile, and the Kaweshkar or Alacalufe and Yamana or Yagan in the southern fjords.

According to the last census carried out in Chile in 2002, 4.6% of the interviewees identified themselves with one of these ethnic groups. Of these, the majority (87.3%) declared to be descendent of the Mapuches. They are followed by the Aymaras (7%) and the Lickan Antay (3%). The rest (Colla, Rapa Nui, Quechua, Yamana and Alacalufe) add up to 2.7%.

Protecting cultural wealth

Tourism is an economic sector based on human interaction, exchange and dialogue. WTD 2011 is a call to all those involved in tourism to act in a way that is conscious and respectful of culture, which promotes intercultural dialogue and ensures that local communities fully participate in, and benefit from, the development opportunities of tourism.

“Culture is one of our most precious assets and needs protecting. As we launch World Tourism Day 2011, I call on all people to conduct tourism in a way that preserves and enriches the cultural wealth of the world for future generations,” says Mr. Rifai.

This entry was originally posted by the author on September 26, 2011.

To climb or not to climb Uluru…

Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia.

© http://www.new7wonders.com/

by Marcela Torres

Only a couple of months are left to vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Among the favorite places featured in this initiative is the Australian Aboriginal sacred site Uluru –also known as Ayers Rock-, one of the country’s most recognizable natural icons. The time seems right to ponder over a question that has for decades been the subject of a much heated debate: Should tourists be allowed to climb the rock or not? Respecting indigenous cultures and local traditions is at the core of the responsible tourism concept and it is the center of the controversy over Uluru.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site -located 450 kilometers (280 miles) west of Alice Springs, in the state of the Northern Territory- is climbed by more than 100,000 people every year. The sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high above sea level and measures 9.4 km (5.8 miles) in circumference. Those who have been fortunate enough to visit the site, say Uluru appears to change color depending on how light strikes it at different times of the day and year.

But the popular climb of the monolith has long enraged local Aboriginals, the Anangu people. Under Aboriginal law, they are responsible for protecting Uluru and its visitors. They say the site is sacred and have called for the climb to be banned since Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was placed in their hands in 1985.

The Anangu people believe that during the time when the world was being formed, the Uluru climb was the traditional route taken by ancestral men when they arrived at Uluru. Because of this spiritual significance, they prefer that - out of education and understanding - visitors respect their law and culture by not climbing.

Safety is also an issue. The path is about 1.6 km long and takes about two hours to complete. Since it can be treacherous, the first part has a chain to hold on to. It is reported that 36 people have died and many more have been injured attempting the climb, something that worries traditional owners.

There are environmental concerns as well. Park officials say the climbing path has been worn down by the constant tread of tourists and erosion is changing the face of Uluru. The lack of toilets and garbage cans on top also means tourists leave behind waste that is affecting nearby waterholes.

Money is the matter

The park estimates that around 38% of visitors climb each year, down from 74% in 1990. Even so, tour operators in the region continue to offer the climb as the main attraction of the visit to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and they often do not inform clients of the cultural and spiritual significance of the place. The first time many tourists hear, "Please don't climb Uluru" is when they receive their entry ticket.

The market demands it, people want to climb, and since there is no law against climbing Uluru Ayers Rock, many companies continue to feature the same popular offerings: sunrise, climb, sunset.

Until now, the national park’s management has employed a visitor education strategy to face this issue, with interpretive signs expressing the distress that climbing causes the local owners and asking that visitors participate in alternative activities. However, changes in attitudes and behaviors of visitors usually take place in the long term and sometimes it is necessary to apply more direct management techniques such as banning an activity to ensure the conservation of the natural attraction and ensure that tourists will show the necessary respect.

In 2009, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management took the initiative in drafting a 10 year management plan recommending closure of the climb, highlighting that the activity is culturally insensitive. Although the measure did not have strong political support, climbing Uluru has its days counted anyway.

Under the terms of the lease the Anangu elders granted in 1985 to the National Parks Service, the right to climb expires in 2020, and the national park is currently recruiting a professional to oversee the closure of the climb. If the climb is permitted beyond this date, the lease would have to be renegotiated.

Some industry stakeholders argue that the prohibition could lead to reduced visitor numbers and that it would have serious financial implications for the Anangu, who receive 22.5% of all gate receipts and have sole rights to undertake commercial activity within the National Park.

There are several attractive alternatives, however, of tours within the park with activities that do not upset the traditional owners. These include walking expeditions to explore rock formations and Aboriginal art sites around the base, escorted by local guides and an interpreter. Visitors learn about myths of creation, bush foods, traditional didgeridoo-playing, dot-painting and spear-throwing.

A brochure available at the Cultural Center in the park carries an important message from the Anangu elders:

“That is a really important sacred thing that you are climbing . . . You shouldn’t climb. It is not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything. Listening and understanding everything. Why are we going to tell you to go away (and ask you not to climb)? So that you understand this . . . so that you understand, we are informing you: Don’t climb. And maybe that makes you a bit sad. But any way, that is what we have to say. We are obliged to say. And all the tourists will brighten up and say: ‘Oh, I see. This is the right way. This is the thing that is right.’

This is the proper way: No climbing.”

This entry was originally posted by the author on September 7, 2011.

La Tirana Festival bets on cultural tourism

Dancers in front of La Tirana Church, in northern Chile.

© Hernán Torres

by Marcela Torres

This Saturday, July 16th, marks the celebration of La Tirana Festival in Chile, in honor of the Virgin Carmen, patron of the country. The town La Tirana, with a population of 560 people, prepares to receive approximately 250,000 tourists, of which it is estimated that 70% are Chilean and 30% are foreigners coming from neighboring countries, such as Peru and Bolivia, as well as other faraway places like Spain, Germany and Belgium.

During this festival, the place transforms as dancers and merchants flood the town where believers praise the Virgin with music, dance and offerings. Among the folk dances, the more traditional ones are the “devil dances”, called that way because of the devil mask and suit worn by the male dancers. The dance represents the clash between good and evil, mixing elements of the Catholic religion introduced during the Spanish conquest with ancient Andean rites.

The town of La Tirana reportedly marks the burial spot of an Inca princess known as the tyrant of the Pampa del Tamarugal because she inspired terror amongst conquerors and converted indigenous people of the area in her fight against Spanish rule during the 16th century. According to the common tale, she fell in love with one of her prisoners, a Portuguese man who converted her to the Catholic faith, and both of them were killed by her Inca warriors while he was baptizing her. Her last words were a request for a cross to be placed on her tomb. A Spanish monk is supposed to have found the cross, where La Tirana is now located.

The July 16th festival represents the mix of both cultures and is one of the most popular typical events in Chile. Although the people who live in La Tirana anxiously wait for this day, both for its religious significance as well as its increased visitor flow, the activity also presents risks such as tourists surpassing the locality’s carrying capacity.

Another challenge is to avoid having La Tirana depend economically on one specific date per year. That's why a women’s association of the town got together and obtained government funding to create a tourism information center, which opened in May 2011, betting on the fact that La Tirana has enough interesting places and activities to attract visitors all year round.

It is important to promote a sustainable development of tourism so that the festival does not have more costs than benefits and so that the local community can have the necessary tools to create high-quality tourism products and to market them efficiently in order to increase these people’s income. Festivals are an important element of cultural tourism and can, no doubt, contribute to preserve ancient traditions.

This entry was originally posted by the author on July 15, 2011.