Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

places clear equality on all parties. This contrasted with most of the descriptions of volunteers, who often
used phrases which placed the host community in a position of submission or dependence. Jessica, another
19-year old American volunteer, was asked whether she thought African Impact was assisting the
community and responded: “We are helping them. It’s not great strides, by our means, but I mean for
them.” What is implicit here is that the standards which we evaluate improvement are different for
developed and developing communities, which indicates inequality between the two.
Volunteer perspectives on the local culture varied. Judy, a 32-year old nurse from the United
Kingdom, said, “Respect the fact that it is different from home, that people hold different views, but to
allow people to hold those views. It’s about freedom, isn’t it?” Judy described the local culturea as having a
strong sense of community, and emphasis on the family. Her phrasing had a tone of admiration, saying
Zambian community “shows very much how, if they really come together, it can really benefit themselves
and each other.”
However, not all of the volunteers gained an understanding of the culture. When asked to describe
the local culture, one volunteer described the economic conditions of two classes she encountered during
her volunteer work with the community schools. Her description detailed how one group had televisions
and plaster houses, and the other group bathed in puddles and lived in mud homes. It did not include any
reference to social practices, value-systems, art, mannerisms, or traditions.
Conclusion
In the Zambian case study of voluntourism, the language showed that the majority of volunteers
viewed themselves, at least subconsciously, in a position of power or dominance over members of the host
community. And, while the experience had long term effects on the volunteers and was deeply moving for
many, the interaction with local culture did not effectively alter these power relations to be more
reciprocal. As May argued, these power relationships cannot and should not be destroyed--but they must
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