Monday, February 18, 2013

eco-colonization of sub-sahara Africa

JSTOR Article

This article I found brings up the same points I had mentioned during discussion on Friday. The main point the article is trying to get across is that first world nations spend huge sums of money to preserve the environment as well as the biodiversity. At the same time, the needs of those living in these areas are completely disregarded.

There is a belief that third world nations are unable to preserve the environment, and so outside intervention from other nations carry out their "superior" preservation techniques. This is called ethnocentrism, and it happens when one believes their own opinions and actions to be superior to others.

The ethnocentric view of Africa is turning it into something it is not. Media portrays the African jungle as this incredibly dangerous place with a plethora of wild creatures around every corner. Unfortunately, this view, however false, is what visitors want to see when they are in Africa. So companies with lucrative backers manufacture their own "African Safari". This in the long run will have an adverse affect on not only the environment, but also those who live within these areas.

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