From One Book Lover to Another

Since I was a child, I have always loved reading. My bedroom at home is lined with bookcases, filled to overflowing with well-thumbed books. My passion growing up was always fiction – to quote Beauty and the Beast, “it’s my favourite: far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!”. Needless to say, I am a big geek and very proud of the title.

In the past five years, I have expanded my personal library and literary tastes to non-fiction, and, to my everlasting delight, have discovered that they are every bit as interesting as fiction, if not more so.

In this post, I would like to share with you some titles that I have found interesting and applicable to International Development and related topics. They are a mixed bag of non-fiction and covers a wide variety of topics. In sharing these books with you, I must also share a disclaimer: many of these books have very politicized messages. Through my recommendation, I am not endorsing any particular book’s political message. I am merely directing you to an interesting read.

Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond: This Pulitzer-prize winning tome explores historical theories of development. Very interesting but also heavy – definitely not a light read.

Out of Poverty, by Paul Polak: This book discusses practical methods of eradicating poverty in the Global South, based on one man’s experience building a successful social enterprise. A quick and entertaining book full of real-life examples and applicable ideas.

America in the Age of Genocide, by Samantha Power: A moving analysis of genocides in the 20^th century and the United States’ failure to act. This is a thick book but is easy to read, and very helpful in understanding contemporary political situations.

The Collapse of Globalism, by John Ralston Saul: Saul’s insightful book investigates the role of globalism in shaping our world today, and what it means for the future. This book is written for people already acquainted with development issues and global politics, so may be challenging for readers newly introduced to the field.

In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan: This book talks about the Western diet and our many dietary challenges. It uses a nice mix of rhetoric and applicable lessons in smart eating, but for that same reason may be off-putting: grocery shopping has become more challenging for me after reading this book, so approach with caution!

Spellbound, by Karen Palmer: I have only read ¾ of this book so far, but it is spellbinding. A description of witch camps and belief in magic in Ghana and Western Africa, written in an easy-to-read tone.

A Long Way Gone, by Ismael Beah: the very moving story of a young boy growing up in war-torn Sierre Leone, forced to become a boy soldier. This is a beautiful book that provides valuable insight into the effects of war on children.

Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: an autobiographical book about a controversial political figure; Ali writes about her experiences as a Muslim woman and refugee. This book is fast-paced and fascinating, and I highly recommend it.

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell: a very well written book that explores the spread and retention of ideas. A must-read for anyone working in any field!

King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild: a historic book detailing the role of King Leopold II of Belgium in the establishment and exploitation of colonial Africa. This is an amazingly well-written book that appeals to readers of many ages and genres.

Since this post is already very long, I will wrap it up with one last recommendation: if you like fiction, read Joseph Boyden’s Through Black Spruce and Three Day Road. These novels are about First Nation’s men from northern Ontario and their experiences. Beautiful and moving.

If you have any book recommendations for me, I would be thrilled to receive them! Please feel free to post titles for myself and other readers.

Confessions of a Guilty Tourist

Mass tourism is a hot topic for discussion in development circles. In Caribbean-type holiday destinations, there are many negative impacts resulting from resort-style tourism, and there are few benefits.

I’ll let you in on a deep, dark secret: I am a mass tourist.

In April I spent a week on a beach in Cuba, drinking piña coladas and absorbing some rays. And I am not a one-time offender either – I’ve done the same in the Dominican Republic. What can I say? I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love the sun. I will probably do it again, too.

So, why is this fact such a shameful truth?

In numerous classes I have taken on development and geography, we discussed mass tourism. Sadly, every step of the path is fraught with unsustainable actions: the minute you get on the plane, your carbon footprint skyrockets from the plane’s fuel emissions. The very nature of resorts requires environmental degradation: huge construction projects parallel beaches for kilometers, leaving little undeveloped natural land for local ecosystems. Huge amounts of pesticides are dumped on resort grounds to minimize tourists’ discomfort. Incredible amounts of fresh water are used in pools and by hundreds of thousands of tourists in their suites. Significant amounts of erosion occur when the same hundreds of thousands of tourists decide to go walk the beach. Coral reefs, dolphin and whale pods, and exotic fish are stressed by swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers wanting to interact with the beautiful aquatic environment. The list goes on, and on, and on and on and on.

Many argue that this is weighed by the economic gains of tourism. For many Caribbean countries, tourism is the core of the economy and a major source of employment.

There is a downside to that too, though – scholars counter that argument, saying the mass tourism is exploitative of the local people, who work menial jobs as groundskeepers and maids, with little or no education, or need for education. Also, since most of the vacation spots and interchangeable to tourists (we don’t really care whether we visit the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, etc., as long as there is a beach), the influx of tourists is unreliable and can fluctuate easily. If the evening news reports that instances of tourist muggings are high in Mexico, people will decide to visit somewhere else en masse, and the Mexican economy will suffer. This is a pivotal point for the difference between resort tourism and more destination-oriented tourism, which is location specific (for example, wanting to visit the Sistine Chapel).

Now, how do I reconcile my love of the beach with this knowledge? This is a challenge for me to rise to, by making more informed choices and supporting more environmentally-friendly tourism initiative. It is time for me to put my money where my mouth is and take more responsibility for my actions.

Fighting for the Spotlight

I read a news article today about the Ivory Coast – follow this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/cotedivoire/8401230/Ivory-Coast-risks-becoming-forgotten-humanitarian-disaster.html

This article discusses the fact that, with all the international drama going on – earthquake and potential nuclear meltdown in Japan, violence and unrest in Libya – the civil unrest in the Ivory Coast risks being forgotten by the international community. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the country and need aid, but demand is not being met.

Thinking about this makes me reflect on the fickleness of the international community and the general public. We will band together to raise tons of money for disaster relief, but cannot do the same for malaria control or hunger relief at a significant scale.

It seems that problems have to be immediate, solve-able, and uncontroversial to get the public’s attention and help. Other problems that are too complex or intimidating are brushed aside; problems like the conflict in the Congo, HIV/AIDS, and climate change.

For progress to occur, something needs to change.

Lessons from Fort Albany

My hometown has many First Nations community groups and also serves as a commercial hub for all the communities in Ontario’s far north. For years I’ve been very interested in the challenges facing First Nations peoples in the north – many isolated reserve communities face huge challenges in education, infrastructure, health, and so forth, yet most Canadians are unaware of this. Although I’m studying International Development, my goal is to apply my knowledge locally and work with Canadian communities. In this post I want to talk briefly about my experience visiting the northern community of Fort Albany.

I travelled to Fort Albany in 2009 with the Timmins MNR Far North team. The purpose of the weekend visit was to allow a face-to-face meeting with members of the community and MNR staff where a number of things would be discussed, including but not limited to some new policy changes, animal and fish population tracking, water quality in the Albany River, and band council and elder concerns.

We took an 8-seater plane on a 5 hour flight to Fort Albany from Timmins. Upon our arrival, we were screened for H1N1 and given information packages about the virus. At the time, there was great concern over the fact that isolated First Nations populations seemed to be more susceptible to H1N1 than other Canadian demographic groups.

Most discussion was through a translator, as many of the elders were not fluent in English, and the MNR staff (and I) were not fluent in Cree. The meeting lasted for several hours, during which I was taken aback many times over the differences between how such a meeting would proceed in any ‘Western’ town, as opposed to a Aboriginal community.

Near the end of the meeting between the MNR and the Fort Albany community leaders, the floor was opened up for general discussion. A community elder introduced as Gilbert stood up and spoke for about 45min (about an hour and a half with a translator).

He told us about how the whitefish in Albany River have become slimy and sick compared to how they were in his youth, and how the river had become dirty and cloudy. He knew that there was a greater amount of sediment in the water because he could no longer make tea from river water by letting the sediment settle to the bottom of his teapot – the water was just too murky. Finally, he spoke about a place where the river was eroding the edge of a cemetery and how coffins and bones were becoming uncovered (I was shocked to hear this).

The reverence with which the other community members and the MNR staff listened to his discussion made me think, ‘This is the way it should be’. Often we – Westerners - brush off the opinions of older generations as being old-fashioned or uneducated, when really we should be listening and learning. This cultural difference reminded me that I was a ‘Western’ visitor to the local Native culture.

Fort Albany, ON is located about 450km north of Timmins on the Shore of the Albany River, near James Bay.