World Hum | Travel | Violence, Tourism and Hemingway in Kenya

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4.14.08

Violence, Tourism and Hemingway in Kenya

In the Globe and Mail, Stephanie Nolen offers alternative safari destinations for travelers scared off by the recent post-election violence in Kenya. For those of us not currently planning a wildlife-peeping trip to Africa, though, the most interesting part of the story is Nolen’s scene-setting introduction: from the normally hustling (and now abandoned) Exchange, a Nairobi bar once haunted by Hemingway himself. She writes:

Not only could I have a wingback chair, I could have had a whole sofa and a footstool. The one young man working behind the bar stared at me in disbelief before leaping to get me a gin and tonic. “Peanuts? Chips?” he asked as he put heaping bowls in front of me. “More ice? A double?”

This frenzy of hospitality, and the echoing halls the next day at the airport, where there was no sign of the sunburned hordes carrying bubble-wrapped wooden giraffes who usually jam the departures lounge, made me realize how hard the country’s tourism industry has been hit by the political crisis.

And, she goes on to note, it’s not only Kenyan tourism that’s been affected by the Kenyan violence: “For many tourists, the country and the continent are indistinguishable; the Kenyan crisis has had an impact on the whole African travel industry.”

I’ve taken whole college seminars on the uniformity of “Africa” as perceived by outsiders, but it had never occurred to me to think about the impact of those uniform images - sun, sand, safaris, and the “big five” - on the tourism industry continent-wide. Of course, I hope that travelers feel able to venture back to Kenya soon. But in the meantime it’s worth remembering, as Nolen, writes, that “there is much more to Africa than Kenya, despite what Papa Hemingway may have led you to believe.”

Photo by Paul Mannix via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Posted by Eva Holland • 4.14.08
Categories: Weblog • Africa • Kenya

Permalink • Comments (2)

COMMENTS

We just returned from a safari in Kenya and four nights in Nairobi. The violence that cropped up after disputed December elections is over. The government has come up with a power-sharing agreement that seems to have appeased both sides.

We were told that the violence was not just about the elections. Feelings of resentment by the poor were exacerbated by the fact that there were five holidays around the December elections in which banks were closed and few deliveries of food, etc., were made. These shortages pushed some people over the brink. Kenya has taken note and will take steps to avoid this situation in the future.

By on 7.1.08 at 01:04 PM

My friend and I went to Naivasha in Feb. and it was all over. Many had been displaced and many were taking refuge in the camps but all and all recovery had begun. We decided to drive to Tanzania and visit parks there and were astounded that they had just doubled the visa cost to $100USD. only applicable to Americans and Irish. Why Irish? We had a good trip and were welcomed everywhere. When we got back to Nairobi, people were very grateful for the income from our visit and asked us to please spread the word that they need the tourists to come back. They were so apologetic that I would always reply..."I’ll tell everyone”

By on 10.2.08 at 05:50 PM