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Accepted Paper:
The melting glaciers of Kilimanjaro: on the touristic appropriation of African nature in aesthetic modernity
Urte Undine Froemming
(Free University Berlin)
Paper short abstract:
This paper addresses various aspects of aesthetic modernity which have led to the worldwide attraction for, and conquest of, Mount Kilimanjaro. Examinations focus on the consequences for the local population as well as the arrangements formed between local inhabitants and international tourists.
Paper long abstract:
Over the past decade, the melting glaciers of Kilimanjaro have become a media symbol for the effects of global warming. Large-scale tourism, with its air travel and energy-hungry hotel facilities, have become recognized as major aspects of human influence on the climate. In western perceptions, Mount Kilimanjaro is an epitome of overwhelming beauty, representing wilderness and adventure to the more than 12,000 international tourists who climb the mountain each year. This paper addresses various aspects of aesthetic modernity which have led to the worldwide attraction for, and conquest of, Mount Kilimanjaro. Further examinations focus on the consequences for the local population - such as the disappearance of traditional mountain spirit rituals, and the appropriation of religious footpaths to produce the Coca-Cola Route for mass tourism - as well as the arrangements formed between local inhabitants and international tourists.
Large-scale tourism in small-scale societies
Session 1