South-South Cooperation Against Vandalistic Tourism

The Kenya - Central America exchange, facilitated by MS Kenya and MS Central America, aspires to take joint action in the struggle of the poor against the multinationals.

By Lisbeth Madsen and John Poulsen

07. December 2004

Representatives of local dwellers on the Salvadoran peninsula of Jiquilisco bay listened to the horror stories told them by their Kenyan visitors regarding tourism with serious expressions on their faces. Over the past few years the Kenyan coasts have been turned into closed tourist areas to which common Kenyans are not allowed access. Nor is any importance given to the environmental destruction underway on land and in the sea, where coral reefs are already being destroyed. 

Jiquilisco bay, located on the Salvadoran Pacific Coast is an almost virgin beach with a mangrove forest. But it is also an area included in the government’s plans to promote intensive tourism. The exchange formed part of the much-awaited cooperation between the “Africa is not for sale” and “Central America is not for sale” campaigns. Both are efforts to stop mega-projects being executed my multinationals. The South-South meeting is facilitated by MS Kenya and MS Central America, as well as the Salvadoran Centre for Appropriate Technology (CESTA), which has organised the three-week-programme that began in mid-November.

The horrific African scenario being described by the Kenyan visitors visibly impressed the residents of Jiquilisco, and was at the same time the sorry confirmation of the grim forecasts made by CESTA in its cooperation with local organisations to exert an influence upon development plans on the peninsula. 

It is quite clear that the essential problem, both in Central America and in Kenya, is whether the poor truly can avoid that transnational financial interests simply come in and buy up the areas in which they live. However, an important step in the road is to be well-prepared, as well as to raise awareness among citizens. In this regard the visit of the Kenyan men and women made a significant contribution.

The visit from Kenya began with a three-day workshop in El Salvador. It was followed by a tour of Jiquilisco bay and a trip to Guatemala and Honduras. The exchange concluded back in El Salvador with a discussion of joint and specific actions to be taken in the struggle of the poor against multinational companies.

Lisbeth Madsen is an environmental planner and MS DDW at CESTA. John Poulsen is a writer and her spouse.