Visitors to African countries usually experience the rural and urban areas through safe, comfortable and often manufactured forms of mediation. Driving through a slum in an air-conditioned Land Cruiser, staying in a five star hotel, buying local crafts in a shopping mall or taking pictures of villages and village people en route to a game park. I typically snub many destinations that I would probably enjoy in my own country, Uganda, simply because they are on the obvious tourist trails. Activities and locations that come attached with extortionate price tags or surroundings where I become a minority just don’t appeal to me. Tourism contributes to the national coffers, so I’m not against tourism, but it does put me off exploring beyond the city, and even though I’d like to believe I’ve explored my country, I know I haven’t. It all comes down to comfort: I’m a self-proclaimed urbanite who has spent time, effort and money adjusting my surroundings and environment to achieve my definition of comfortable living. Solutions for power cuts, cable television, heat management and so on. If I were to take a leap and explore Uganda without following a touristy itinerary, I would be quite removed from my comfort zone, one many other urbanites have similarly created – a manicured urban African life.
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