Thailand photo exhibition “longneck” villages

On Tuesday, June 11, the opening of a special traveling photo exhibition about current tourism and the future possibilities in Rotterdam will take place in Rotterdam.longneck” villages in Mae Hong Son, Northwest Thailand.

A large portion of the Kayan hill tribe of Burma/Myanmar (also called “longnecks” because of the gold-colored rings the women wear around their necks) fled to Thailand in the XNUMXs and XNUMXs to escape violence and forced labor by the military junta in their homeland. Due to the rise of tourism in Thailand, these unusual looking people were taken from the refugee camps and placed in villages to serve as a tourist attraction.

Renske Folkeringa, Joney Habraken and Charlotte Louwman-Vogels traveled to these villages in January 2013 from Changemaker and Fair Tourism to map out the situation by means of photos and with personal stories from the Kayan. Because they have no legal status in Thailand, their freedom of movement is restricted to Mae Hong Son province.

Travel organizations and travelers who find this exploitative boycott tourism to the villages. But that doesn't do the Kayan any good either. There may be an alternative, namely the so-called community-based tourism, in which the local population and tourists are on an equal footing, through real contact and interaction, which leads to mutual understanding and respect.

The experiences and findings have been translated into a traveling photo exhibition. The photo exhibition can be viewed until June 6 in the Kunstenkabinet at Saxion Hogeschool, Handelskade 75 in Deventer. The second opening event will take place on Tuesday 11 June from 20 to 22 pm in The Hub Rotterdam, Heemraadssingel 219.

After viewing the photos, a presentation will be given, followed by a discussion with the public about the current situation and the community-based tourism opportunities in the Kayan villages. By buying raffle tickets, you have a chance to win a photo of your choice. You also have the opportunity to buy authentically made scarves from the Kayan women. All proceeds will be donated to the Kayan villages. The entrance fee for this opening night is €5, which includes snacks and one drink. Together, tourism in Kayan villages can be changed for the better!

For further information, please visit www.fairtourism.nl or email to [email protected].

The photo exhibition can be admired in The Hub until August 26. At the end of September the photo exhibition will be opened in De Rooi Pannen in Tilburg.