I made it almost a whole month in East Africa without buying anything new. But I didn't. Kennet and I debated a bit about the tourism economy and all the shops that are mostly filled with crappy tchotchkes. On one hand, they create an income for people who might not otherwise have an income (obviously there are a lot of people in Tanzania and Uganda who do not have work or who get paid very little). On the other hand, they redirect energy that might be better used to improve living conditions or contribute to society in a more productive way.
As a rule, I am usually very discerning about purchases I make on vacation, so I don't have to carry a bunch of stuff home, but also because I care about how things are made and how people are paid. So I made two decisions while I was in East Africa.
In Zanzibar, I bought two hand woven scarves (the one with elephant butts on it is not pictured, bummer). I really wanted some fabric that could be used in a quilt or other project. It turned out most fabric there is made in India and looks it. I really wanted something locally made and I found this scarf in an alleyway shop where I could see the weaver at the loom in the back room. While I can't vouch for how much of what I paid went to him (probably little), I felt better knowing that at least production costs didn't include travel from India.
On one of our last days in Uganda, we were visiting a friend of David's who has been living there for some time. She had these baskets in her home and I loved them. She took me to a craft market where I could pick out a few- the kind of place that also carries the
Bead for Life necklaces. I figured that buying something clearly handmade and well made was ok because it supports the local economy of what David says is actually becoming a Second World country.
Spending money in these parts of the world is something to be thought carefully about. I wanted to contribute to the economy and support local workers as much as possible. It's hard to do as a tourist- one has to be concerned with what money goes where because it's very easy for it to go to the wrong place. People time seems to be worth very little there, so a tip can go a long way. We tried to be generous in the right places because we can be, and not just throw money or things where it isn't right. I don't think we did perfectly, but we tried.
Though I usually try not to collect stuff, it is nice to have some beautiful things that I think I will use to remind me of our trip.
