Tag: Slum Tourism

Slum Tourism: ‘It’s Not Worth It’

The New York Times has an op-ed from a former resident of Kibera, an area of Nairobi that’s become a popular destination for slum tourists. Here’s writer Kennedy Odede:

I was 16 when I first saw a slum tour. I was outside my 100-square-foot house washing dishes, looking at the utensils with longing because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Suddenly a white woman was taking my picture. I felt like a tiger in a cage. Before I could say anything, she had moved on.

We’ve talked slum tourism on World Hum before: Columnist Eric Weiner asked whether it can ever be done right while Rob Verger reported from a favela tour in Rio de Janeiro. (Via @nobauerm and @robverger)


George Saunders Goes to Tent City, U.S.A.

It’s in Fresno, California, and he lived there this April. Saunders writes on his website:

It was a very moving, sort of scary experience, that had the effect of re-energizing certain tendencies in my fiction and in me as a person, I guess, among these: respect for the real; a distrust of the American capitalist juggernaut; suspicion of my own Pollyannaish tendencies; new enthusiasm for the variety and weirdness of the world.

His 12,000-word piece about it—and an audio slideshow—can be found at GQ.


Gangs and the New Yorker in Rio’s Favelas

Jon Lee Anderson’s story Gangland from the latest issue of the New Yorker isn’t online, but the magazine did post a stunning audio slideshow with photos by Joao Pina.

We posted Rob Verger’s slideshow about tourism in Rio’s favelas last June.


Brazilian Favelas, ‘Top Model’ Style

Brazilian Favelas, ‘Top Model’ Style Photo by .insanidades via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo by .insanidades via Flickr (Creative Commons)

It’s not often that my life as a travel media watcher and my life as an occasional (OK, OK—regular) viewer of “America’s Next Top Model” overlap. So imagine my surprise last night when this season’s crop of would-be models landed in a Sao Paulo favela for an “edgy” Carmen Miranda-inspired photo shoot. Needless to say, the segment didn’t have much in common with the tales of favela-based slum tourism that I’ve read in the past.

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Slumming It: Can Slum Tourism Be Done Right?

Dharavi, Mumbai REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe

Global Positioning: On the intersection of place, politics and culture

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Inside Slum Tourism

With mixed feelings, Rob Verger recently signed on for a tour of Rio de Janeiro's favelas. He looks back on the experience -- and the photos he was allowed to take.

See the full audio slideshow: »


Slumming in Rio

Slum tourism is on the rise. But are the guided tours educational or exploitive? Rob Verger joined one in Rio de Janeiro's impoverished favelas to find out.

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