From Across the World

People say you go to school and college to learn, but what these institutions really teach us is HOW to learn. Learning is a lifelong process, and it is our responsibility to keep expanding our knowledge base beyond years of sitting in a classroom. This is the only way to become contributing members of global society. Living with understanding of your place in the global community has a profound effect: it allows you to make choices that have a more positive impact on your life and the lives of others. Opportunities to learn outside the classroom are infinite, from reading books and online articles, to attending lectures, following the news, following your favorite comedy shows, engaging in conversations with people, and just sitting down at your computer and googling things that you hear about. The important step is expanding your knowledge base, as this helps you understand how all the news, events, people and ideas around the world have an impact on your life, and your life has impacts on them.

 A one semester course, 15 weeks, is not nearly enough time to study a topic like globalization. An entire 4 year college career would still only begin to scratch the surface. What this course did offer me was the opportunity to expand my knowledge of what some implications of globalization are. We discussed slavery, labor issues, cultural impacts, tourism, world health, consumer power, and also the power of modern day resources like the internet. Just the process of discussing these broad categories inspired me to think about them, the first step in learning and leading to change. Now it is up to me to continue my education about these issues as well as others to further understand my role in this global society.

 Through my blog posts focusing on different aspects of development along the coasts of Zanzibar and Tanzania, I hope to have brought your attention to issues and perspectives about and new topics that will increase your knowledge and encourage thought about how you may connect to these far-off places. In this final post, I am combining lessons learned from this course with a few video clips that may inspire more thought on East Africa, and how you are connected to it.

 This first video clip is not specific to my focus on coastal African development, but I found it to be very powerful in putting our plush lives into perspective with people living around the world.

 I have already spoken quite frankly about the perceived benefits and negative realities of tourism development in coastal Africa: environmental degradation, cultural erosion, empty promises and local exclusion, but I would like to reemphasize the power that we have as traveling tourists to make educated decisions that will benefit communities. There are organizations popping up all across the globe working with positive forms of tourism, as well as groups working to support local communities through activities tied to tourism. This can range from where you stay to the type of excursions and souvenirs you purchase while traveling. This is all part of the education process. If you take the time to learn about issues in the area you are traveling to before you go, you are much more likely to make decisions that will leave as positive impact rather than a negative one. For example, in Zanzibar, a tourist will have many opportunities to purchase souvenirs. Jewelry, shells, wooden carvings, textiles, baskets, and paintings are all available on every corner. What the educated traveler would want to know though is that most of these souvenirs are imported, and very little of the money stays in the community. This does not mean that an informed tourist should leave empty handed. Many communities around the world are involved in cooperative artisan groups, such as MOTO in Zanzibar. This group provides local women marketing and materials to produce traditional hand woven crafts and sell them without loosing profit to the middlemen. Purchasing from groups like this has many positive effects: it employs locals (usually women but not necessarily), keeps money in the community, encourages the cultivation of traditional cultural handicrafts, and for the tourist, gives them the opportunity to interact with the people making their souvenirs. When in Zanzibar I had the choice of many handwoven bags, but made the effort to support the local women’s group that made them. Not only did I receive a beautiful bag, but I was able to talk to the women working at the shop and form a bond that makes my purchased item much more valuable and memorable.

 Shopping for souvenirs may seem like a small piece, but global problems are just the culmination of many small issues. Exposing yourself to these little issues will help you to form a more complete understanding of how you fit into the picture. To give you more background and history of the issues facing the Swahili coast, I am including a trailer to a wonderful video about coastal Tanzania.

 The only way that global problems will be solved is if people get involved. To get involved you first have to realize that there is a problem, and then gain the information to understand the problem. It is up to each of us, as individuals, to take responsibility for our actions and realize that they have global impacts.

For the most part, cultural and social degradation goes hand in hand with environmental degradation of tourism development in coastal Africa. Foreign firms buy up land from the government (all land in Tanzania and Zanzibar is owned by the government), typically for total disregard to the people living on and/or using that land. Sometimes they will show interest in supporting the community to win over local support, but as development begins, reality sets in and very few follow through with their promises. Lets use an example of a hypothetical resort going in on the island of Zanzibar (there are many that I am basing this example upon). Local people may or may no directly live on this plot of land, but they would be using the beach and offshore reefs for fishing, octopus collection and cockle collection. Hoteliers specifically look for these same beaches, not necessarily to displace local people, but the attributes that make these beach areas desirable for local utilization are also what attract tourists (i.e: reefs to snorkel on, good boat access, sandy beaches). Once the land is purchased, the developer comes in to build, and at the same time will begin excluding the locals from the beach and surrounding land. There are many reasons that they claim this is “necessary:” the tourists will feel safer without locals around, the locals are interfering with the peace and quiet that the tourists want, tourists don’t want to see people killing wildlife (dragging dead octopus down the beach etc), and that the developers don’t trust the locals to not steal from them or the guests.

Not only does this exclusion of locals from the area hurt them by restricting their access to their traditional resources, but the development usually hurts them even further due to the secondary impacts of their altered island. These hotels and resorts usually do not employ locals, nor do they buy local goods or foods. This hurts the economy of these villages, and a sunken economy forces people to leave and look for work elsewhere. Fewer inhabitants lead to the disintegration of infrastructure such as schools and shops, and this leads to an even more poverty stricken area with no access to resources.

This developmental disaster is not always the case though. I would like to focus on one tourist resort that focuses on supporting and improving the local community, is environmentally sensitive, and is culturally sensitive to the area it was placed in. The resort is called Chole Mjini on Chole Island.

This resort was started by Anne and Jean de Villers, a couple who wanted to open a tourist destination that would benefit the local community on Chole Island. They made an agreement with the local village that they would hire all their staff and construction crew from the village, use locally produced materials and foods, and in return the village would only permit one development on the island. They also made arrangements for some of the profit to go directly back to the community to improve services, education and opportunity. Jean de Villers designed the tree house rooms and central common building to be open air, no electricity, and out of sustainable materials. The construction employed boat builders from the village and provided them with valuable jobs while giving the resort a unique and local touch with extremely skilled quality. Now that the resort is up and running, Anne and Jean are still working closely with the community to uphold a mutually beneficial relationship. Local guards, maids, and cooks work in the resort, and they purchase as much locally produced seafood and produce as possible.

Anne, an anthropologist, works with the community to make sure that the resort and it’s profits are used in valuable ways. Funds and Anne’s hard work has lead to the construction of a new kindergarden, an adult learning center, a more well stocked medical clinic, new construction materials at the boatyard, and a scholarship for girls to use for school on the mainland [of Tanzania, typically in Dar es Salaam].

Chole Mjini is, so far, a success story. It is inspiring to see a developer so dedicated to the people whose land they are sharing, and so integrated and involved with the local community. They are using this tourist attraction to increase the level of education, access to opportunity, and economic stability of a community. When I was at Chole Mjini, we participated in a research project with Anne, trying to get a feel for how the locals felt about current tourism levels and what they wanted/expected in the future. The response was overwhelmingly positive, that the community was very enthusiastic about the benefits they had received, and were interested in expanding to “many more” tourists. We found this to be both encouraging and discouraging news. It was wonderful that the community felt respected and that they felt that Anne and Jean’s work had brought about positive change and opportunity to them. Communities with this response were few and far between, as many had nothing good to say about development. On the other hand we realized the detrimental potential that this positive attitude could have. The community has been working with two very passionate individuals who have dedicated their lives to their resort and village, and they are not planning to expand Chole Mjini. If the villagers want growth and expansion of their tourist industry on this tiny island, they may choose to sell out to a larger developer when Anne and Jean are no longer able to accommodate, or supply the level of support the island wants. Many developers are interested in the island, and the pitch of community involvement and support is one that many villages have fallen victim to. The agreement the de Villers made with the village was that they would be the only resort on the island, and so they will close Chole Mjini if the village allows another developer to come in. I can only hope that the village on Chole realizes how fortunate they are to have tourism development that created positive change, and that they realize how easily those tables could turn.  

A note to the reader: There are examples of responsible development and tourist destinations that benefit the local community almost anywhere you want to travel. It is your responsibility to support and patronize these establishments, and understand that your travel choices have real consequences on the areas you visit. Do your research, and pick places that have taken the time to make good choices with regards to the people and environment around them.

If you are interested in learning more about development in Coastal Africa (specifically Zanzibar and Tanzania), here are some links to help guide your search. This is in no way a complete list, and is based upon the resources I have drawn upon.

1. planetandpeople.net provides terrific background on the complex relationships between cultures and our planet, and also provides insights specifically to issues dealing with the ocean

2. earthwire.org is a website providing information about current development issues, and in the Africa section of the site, there are case study articles

3. To learn more about how South Africa (one of Africa’s developed nations) is dealing with issues of sustainable development and environmental policy, check out there site on the “White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa”

4. The AEO (Africa Environmental Outlook) compiles information about the cumulative effects of coastal development as well as states the current “state of the environment” in Africa

5. UNSCO offers case studies related to coastal development in communities around the world that give examples of the impacts that development brings

6. If you would like to know about local academic research efforts related to development and/or coastal issues, check out the University of Dar Es Saalam website that can connect you to faculty working in this area

7. In addition of the UDSM website, the USDM Institute of Marine Sciences, located on Zanzibar, is working on research related specifically to seaweed farming and other subsistence resource use issues in the area

8. The United Nations Environment Programme website has a wealth of information regarding coastal development and it’s impacts around the world

9. To learn more about what ecotourism is (and isn’t), the site that has been around the longest is planeta.com. Keep in mind while reading sites like this what you as an independent responsible traveler would need to be aware of in making your travel decisions.

10. One of the most well-known and respected biologists of our time, David Suzuki, has a foundation website that provides fantastic and accessible information about our planet and the developmental challenges it faces.

11. A fabulous article on the Encyclopedia of the Earthwebsite presents clear information about development, ecological and social conditions in coastal Africa

12. A source that I trust for more global news coverage is the BBC. You can search for articles on development and coastal issues.

13. The New York Times also provides current news and can have articles that will further inspire you to understand how we are connected to this place on the other side of the world.

14. One of my personal interests in how development has affected coral reefs in Africa (and around the world). This site, as well as NOAA, can provide fantastic knowledge about this unappreciated ecosystem and it’s impacts from development.

15. Part of learning about a problem is being able to view it from many frames of reference. Many of these sites linked above share a view of development as a problem for the environment, and focus on ecological aspects of these impacts. I wanted to throw in another link that I believe is important to understand as well. Zanzibar.netis the most popular tourism site for Zanzibar, and is what most tourists would learn about before planning a trip (if they do any research at all). It is important to view the information that foreigners receive so that you can have a broader sense of the drivers of this issue.

I have to admit that sometimes your own search and curiosity can yield the best results, and a great place to start with that is none other than google.com!

In traditional Zanzibari culture, men are the breadwinners for the family. The role of women follows the stereotypical image of homemaker: caring for children, cooking, cleaning and caring for the elderly. This power structure traditionally gave men all the decision making power in the household, and would leave the women totally dependent on their husbands. However, social roles have changed over more recent times as global ideas of gender roles and morals have influenced east Africa. Today, women in Zanzibar are interested in being able to support their own families, have equal decision making power in the family, and generate their own incomes for economic independence from their husbands. There are a few main routes that women are taking to gain employment, or generate income. The tourism industry has opened a few limited opportunities, but the majority of the options available to these women are natural resource based: making charcoal, harvesting cockles (a bivalve similar to a clam), and the most popular, seaweed farming which was introduced in 1989.

Seaweed, or rather the secondary products extracted from seaweed, are widely used in products that you use everyday. Dried seaweed provides products like algin (used in cosmetics, car paint, paper production, and in waterproofing or flame retardant products) agar (biology lab plates) and carrageenan (food thickening agent). Without these products, you as a consumer would not be enjoying products with the desirable textures you have come to expect. My favorite examples are toothpaste and ice cream. Read the labels, they are probably contain this naturally occurring thickening agent derived from seaweed.

The Farming

The seaweed farms are run worked exclusively by women and children. It is strenuous, backbreaking work. The seaweed is grown on suspended lines in 20×30 foot plots, usually about 100 to 200 feet from shore in shallow water where they will not be exposed during low tides. The areas used for the farms must be sheltered from currents and waves, so they are located inside either a natural coral reef or artificial barrier reef made from concrete blocks.

Although the women are making money on the seaweed, it is miniscule and far below the market value. It takes anywhere between 1 and 3 months to grow seaweed to harvestable size. The women then dry the seaweed and sell it at a fixed dry weight price of around 200 Tanzanian shillings per kilogram. This is roughly 20 cents US. The seaweed buying/selling process is fixed due to a monopolized market. Buyers supply village women with the lines they need to set up the farms in exchange for the promise of all the seaweed they produce. Each line will yield only approximately 1.5 kilograms of dry seaweed, but will require her careful, daily attention for over a month.

The Effects

The environmental effects of seaweed farming are may seem limited, but combined with so many other environmental impacts that the area is experiencing, even seemingly inconsequential practices are far reaching. Calm, shallow water protected from the rough open ocean is prime ecosystem to support sea grass beds. These naturally occurring lawns are extremely important for coastal ecosystems. They act as natural filters for sediment and nutrient runoff from the land, as habitat for many fish and invertebrates, as well as breeding grounds for many reef and pelagic species. Seaweed farms thrive in the same conditions as sea grass beds, so in Zanzibar, almost all natural beds are now covered by farms. In order to harvest and tend their seaweed, women must walk out to the farms over these sea grass beds. This stirs up sand and sediment that increases the turbidity and tears up the sea grass structure. In turn, the sea grass beds are no longer able to function as the buffer between the land and coral reefs. The reefs in Zanzibar are dramatically weakened due to coral bleaching, sedimentation and destructive fishing practices, and so this simple destruction of the sea grass beds only amplifies the susceptibility of these reefs.

On the social side of the equation, seaweed farming has had profound impacts on improving the lives of the women, and their families, in these villages. Increased financial stability has changed the power dynamic in homes, and studies have shown that husbands and wives are now making decisions together, women are more likely to leave unhealthy relationships, and that communities are more likely to have healthier children.

Obviously there are positive and negative aspects of this industry, as there are in all that are natural resource based. An important aspect to consider is the long term sustainability of this farming. With global climate change so greatly effecting coastal areas, it is legitimate to question the long term viability of these farms. Will water temperatures be conducive to farming? How about the changes in species diversity in these areas? Perhaps changes in the diversity will bring new predators or diseases that will disintegrate the industry. Perhaps this will be the only surviving agriculture practice in Zanzibar and is therefore critical for the people living there. Only time will tell.

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There are two types of development that I would like to talk about in coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar. The first is development of cities with expanding populations, such as the Dar es Salaam area on Tanzania’s east coast. However, in order to understand the development, one must first have some understanding of the economic and political situations that drove these developments. Following Tanzania’s independence in 1964, the country went through many different stages of economic hardships, and that has shaped where the country is today. During the late 1960s, Europe pulled economic support from Tananzia because of feelings that the Union Party (the ruling party in Tanzania at that time) was identifying with more communist ideals. This was an economic disaster for Tanzania, and forced them to turn elsewhere for economic aid.  The country fell into even more social unrest as the government attempted to group rural people into self sustaining economic centers (essentially combined villages that would support themselves, as well as allow for services such as schools and medical clinics to be established). The 1980s brought Tanzania into a war with Uganda, and at the same time the Tanzanian government mobilized troops into Mozambique. The financial burden of these wars coupled with the already fragile economy in place forced the country into bankruptcy. In 1986 Tanzania signed an agreement with the World Bank and IMF that with their support the country would allow free employment, de-nationalization, and have a de-valuation of their currency. Changes began to really take hold in the early 1990s as multi-partyism became popular politically, international aid money began to take effect, and Tanzania began to operate on the open market just as the world economic boom of the mid 90s hit. Things had begun to look more promising for this African country. However that silver lining did not last long, as the economic collapse began in the late 90s (and is still going on), Tanzania began to experience increased government corruption, the formation of cartels, and economic monopolies that sent the country further into economic recession. Life in the countryside became very hard as the de-valued currency could no longer buy basic necessities. Crop prices fell consecutively with the increase of imported goods, and this forced many rural Tanzanians to search for alternatives to their traditional lifestyles. The economic disparity between the social classes is expanding and heath care and poverty are large issues both in the cites and rural areas.

Today, “promise” of jobs and opportunity in the city encourages massive relocation of people from rural areas to these larger economic centers. However, these areas are under no enforced building codes or regulation, which is leading to uncontrolled urban sprawl of communities that have no services: sewage, schools, electricity, medical services etc. One example that I witnessed was the development of an abandoned concrete mine. Rural immigrants looking for opportunity near the city moved to the outskirts of Dar es Salaam and build cement-block houses on the unused abandoned land. This land was already mined in a very environmentally destructive way, and the increased pressure of unregulated construction on this land just increases the environmental strain. It is illegal for these people to build here, but the political system caters to politicians who will look the other way in exchange for these constituent’s votes. The mine will eventually fill with these “homes” filled with unemployed people, no access to services, and these factors all compound the issues in Tanzania.

The second type of development I would like to speak about is very recent, and this is the foreign investment development. Tanzania has had a history of tourism throughout the 20th century, but this was mostly with respect to two of its inland national treasures: Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti. Coastal development has been a more recent phenomenon, particularly with respect to the development of tourism destinations, such as the large hotels and resorts that run along the coasts of Tanzania and Zanzibar. These large resorts pose a list of potential problems for the area. First of all, the fact that the investment is foreign translates into all the profits leaving the county. Many of these investments have very little financial benefit for the local area. Many people assume that tourism would promote jobs for the local population, and this can be the case for some, but there are far more people NOT employed by these hotels that are employed. In addition to not being employed by the hotel, many more people are further unemployed from their traditional subsistence living patterns that took place on these lands. It is true that tourism is a large portion of the economy, particularly in Zanzibar. The tourism industry is the largest slice of the economic pie in Zanzibar. To them, the economic impact of this foreign investment is more valuable than what may be in their best long term interest. Tanzanian government encourages further development of this industry, and aims to make the area one of the top destinations in the Indian Ocean. One question that we must ask ourselves is about the local people that are being pushed aside for these developments, and how they are impacted by these investments. Resort policy typically excludes locals from their land, and this can interrupt shellfish gathering, fishing and other historic lifestyle patterns. The building of these grand resorts also has profound environmental impacts. Studies on these buildings show that many were built with poor construction technique, and were not sensitive to issues like erosion, sedimentation or land preservation. In fact, some of the hotels built in the past 20 years are now closed and abandoned due to complete erosion of their beaches, thus making them undesirable to visit and a worthless investment. The investor pulls out, leaving unemployed workers, an abandoned building and an ecosystem totally destroyed.

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First hand experience and observation is a key component to understanding the complexities of development/culture/environmental degradation. During the fall of 2007, I studied at a field school (School for International Training) in Tanzania and Zanzibar, focusing on coastal ecology and environmental issues facing costal East Africa. Over the course of a semester, I learned about many of the facets that are shaping land use and influencing culture in this area. I hope to bring some of these issues to light through this blog, and expose readers worldwide to the realities of development in East Africa.

Most of my time abroad was spent on Zanzibar, a small island 100 miles off the Eastern coast of Tanzania. Zanzibar was one of the main trading ports in the Indian Ocean, serving as an epicenter for the spice, slavery and ivory trades. It was a prosperous country, with close relations to the Arab world. The island changed rulers many times, first settled by Arabs, then the Portuguese, Oman, and finally was under control of the British Empire. In 1963, Zanzibar gained its independence, and then in 1964, merged with neighboring Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Zanzibar is currently a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania.

Both Tanzania and Zanzibar are undergoing many development changes that are impacting the environment, as well as local people. I am most familiar with the impacts to coastal ecosystems and people, and that will be the main focus of these entries. As one of the poorest countries in the world the Tanzanian government is eager to welcome foreign investment. Development, particularly from foreign tourist investors, is occurring along Tanzanian coasts at a very fast rate.

This heavy development of the coast has reverberating effects throughout coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar, many of which are linked to the degradation of their natural resources. Tanzanian coastal culture is based upon a tradition of subsistence lifestyles. Harvesting octopus, fish, and small scale farming are a tradition that is quickly becoming secondary to one of working for a living. Some may argue that this is “the way forward”, incorporating these people into a world based upon consumerism is a good thing. However, I will argue, and present evidence throughout this blog, that these changes from outside investment are in fact harming the local people and culture. Particularly in connection with the environmental degradation that is accompanying this development and change of lifestyle.

Specific topics that I hope to cover in the course of this blog about environmental and cultural degradation in Coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar:

• Tourism (ecotourism?) and it’s effects

• Marine environmental degradation (specifically coral reefs and fisheries)

• Local attitudes towards development

• The role of women in this changing culture and environment

• Seaweed farming

• Physical construction and it’s effects

• How we can make a difference from across the world

Professor Elin Torell, of the University of Rhode Island, speaking about coastal development:

“Most coastal nations are experiencing problems of habitat loss, pollution, and declining resources, conflicts between users, poor planning and decision making cause all these problems. The problem in developing countries is particularly severe because people are much more dependent on the natural resources around them, and they have fewer options when local natural resources decline or vanish.”

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After today’s discussion about Salmonella infected peanut butter and how we Americans respond to this crisis (in contrast to how we respond to, say, the crisis of child labor in sweatshops), I am posting a link that I feel is very relevant to this discussion. It also illustrates the power of journalism, particularly highlighting the growing influence and importance of blogging. Written by Andrew Schneider, acclaimed journalist of the Seattle Post Intelligencer, wrote the following blog in response to the current peanut butter investigation. It received thousands of hits upon publication, and has received comments from around the world. I found it to be a prime example of the potential that our thoughts and words can have to influence ideas, thoughts, and ultimately, CHANGE.

Consumerism is such a fundamental part of life in America that most people never even slow down enough to question if it something that they should look into. Initially thinking about this stream in my personal life, I like to think that I am more careful about what I consume and how I dispose of the waste than an average American. I recycle, use re-usable grocery bags, walk everywhere, and compost. However, in the process of taking inventory of all the stuff (food, clothing, energy, electronics etc) that I use everyday it still came as a shock how much stuff passes through my life.

Understanding the pathways that each of these products took to get to me was not an easy task either. My daily banana at breakfast had it’s own sticker making it as a product of Ecuador. That must have been quite the trip. From the field in a truck to the port where it was loaded onto a huge ship filled with case upon case of green bananas, then arriving in a port somewhere in the US to be loaded on a truck and driven to the grocery store for me to buy and then drive home to put on my counter. A long, fuel intensive trip.

Tracking the origin of a banana is one thing, but understanding the production pathway of something like the keyboard I am typing on (something that gets hours of use each day) is more challenging. It is made of plastic, metal and probably some paint, and was most likely assembled in China. But where was the petroleum for the plastic drilled from and which country mined the metal? And then it has its long journey (in a cardboard box from trees from who knows where) in boats, trucks and a car just like my banana.

Disposability is something that we all live with. Everything we buy is encased with layer upon layer of unnecessary packaging that just ends up in the garbage because we bought something that comes inside it. You can opt out of a plastic bag at the store, but opting out the packaging is not an option. This is a fundamental issue that we as a society will need to address in order to reduce the disposability of our consumer lifestyles.