The drought in northern Kenya has been devastating and may be the worst in a decade. People, including little kids, are dying of hunger. Also, the drought has led to a scarcity of water, which has in turn exacerbated a cholera epidemic. Lamu, the island in the Indian Ocean that I'm slated to visit my first week in Kenya, reported some of the first cholera cases. When there is insufficient water, people use dirty water, which spreads Vibrio cholerea from person to person. 119 people have already died. In addition, in Malawi there is a mysterious shortage of fuel. All of this makes me wonder whether I have chosen a bad time to visit eastern and southern Africa.
It raises moral questions: should I be traveling, for pleasure, for adventure, to a place where people are suffering? My inclination is to say no, I should not be taking in the sights in a country in the midst of a crisis. On the other hand, Kenya's tourist economy was devastated after the fighting following the 2007 presidential election; won't my dollars go a distance, however small, towards, uplifting the country, particularly if I purchase goods from local residents?
Another concern is clearly, my wellbeing. I have my rehydration therapy packets and a few courses of antibiotics. The accommodations where I will be staying will have boiled / filtered / treated water. Nonetheless, infectious disease is a concern. So are motor vehicle accidents, which are relatively common. Car accident fatalities on the route I will be traveling are high. Obviously, travelers are not immune to injury.
I'm interested to hear what you think: should one travel to a place where people are suffering? Is it callous?
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My first thought was: where aren't people suffering? (In no way do I mean to minimize the plight of those poor Kenyan families.)
ReplyDeleteIt is just a testament to the quality of your soul that you ask yourself questions like these as you are traveling. "Adventure" and "pleasure" don't mean that you have to turn a blind eye, or that you are living in luxury at someone else's expense, as you are demonstrating.
Just my initial thoughts, for what they are worth.
Looking forward to reading more!
things certainly won't get any better by you not being there. i think it is a good opportunity to be challenged and shaken up a bit. its easy to forget about those types of conditions in the world when you are not in the midst of it.
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