Tourism's ugly side

Once-proud primitive tribes are now being exploited for crass entertainment.

For thousands of years, they have lived happily in their secluded villages, barely touched by civilisation. Little did they care for the modern life, and even less for money. But globalisation is unstoppable; these days even the remotest of tribes cannot escape the scourge of the tourist's camera.

As reported in the Review section of The National last week, the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands are the latest to suffer the indignity of being part of what are called "human safaris". Every day convoys of up to 160 cars and 25 or more buses, whose passengers have paid Rs3,500 (Dh250) or more, ride through the jungle of the Indian Ocean island to catch a glimpse of a tribe that was largely unknown until 1998.

One bit of mobile phone footage shows policemen demanding that members of the tribe dance for the tourists, in return for food. The requests are humiliatingly answered by young tribe members who are caught on video by tourists in their cars. At one point, a voice calls on them to "share" the food they were given, while another tells them that other convoys will also offer them handouts.

The Jawara once warded off outsiders with their bows and arrows. It is a shame that they are now part of what amounts to a human zoo. The greater shame, however, is on those who take advantage of these once- proud people for their own crass entertainment.