The Bedouin wife

Uneasy encounters between tourists and locals arise when the power differential is not only apparent but outright disturbing, namely when human beings become the object of tourist attraction and nothing more. Turton has analyzed the power of the photographer vis-à-vis the local Mursi woman whose cultural attribute of lip-plates is object to much tourist curiosity. In this relationship, the power differential immensely reinforced to the detriment of the Mursi woman. While she is being gazed upon and as a picture “possessed”, the tourist is “invisible behind his camera”. Turton claims this “predatory nature of the photographic act” is basically exempted from “any form of ‘normal’ social intercourse.’”[1] 

I imitated this experience.

In the dessert, we visited Bedouin tents and Omar decided to fool our group. He secretly had me dressed up fully-covered and introduced me as a Bedouin wife. Omar then encouraged everyone to take pictures of me. Rather taking aback, only a few students approached me with their cameras. Becoming an object of tourist attraction was quite funny. However, in this scenario, the woman I represented became the object of attention without being asked and the situation discouraged to engage in social interaction before pictures were being taken.

We should seek for sustainable tourist encounters with local cultures and societies.[2] Through real engagement in social interaction, the power differential that is created by the gaze of the absorbing camera can be avoided. This means to begin an encounter not through the lens of a camera but face-to-face, and to respectfully take the norms and customs of locals into account. My experience reinforced my principle to ask before taking a photograph – or leaving the camera aside and creating memories of ‘natural’ social encounters. With some Jordanians we experienced their eagerness to have pictures taken together – with our and their cameras.

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[1] David Turton, 'Lip-Plates And 'The People Who Take Photographs': Uneasy Encounters Between Mursi And Tourists In Southern Ethiopia', Anthropology Today 20, no. 3 (2004): 3-8.

[2] My reflections follow our discussion in class on sustainable tourist encounters with local cultures and societies.

"the predatory nature of the photographic act"
(source:  Pexels.com, 'Free Stock Photo Of Man, Person, Camera', last modified 2015, accessed September 14, 2015, https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-person-camera-taking-photo-1838/.)