The Asian Consultation on Tourism and Aboriginal Peoples Edited by: Yvonne Lin Mei-Jung Reviewed by: Anna Borcello

The book is a collection of the papers presented at the Asian Consultation on Tourism and Aboriginal Peoples conference which was held i n Taiwan in 1989.

The reports from Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Fiji and Hawaii outline the destruction tourism has caused to Taiwan's aboriginals. Recurrent themes emerge in the country reports, in particular the way aborigine's lack of land rights enables the government to develop tourism without consulting local people. The role of tourism as a development tool, and the question, 'development for whom?' is also raised.

The workshop reports examine the issues of community control, cultural dignity and economic value. The conclusions all point in the same direction: that for aboriginal people to benefit from tourism they need local control, cooperation and respect for their culture. Alternative tourism - small scale, locally controlled and with an emphasis on cross cultural understanding - is the only way that aboriginal people will be able to benefit from the industry.

The appendix provides the reader with useful extra material, including two successful examples, by the Indian community in Lake Titicaca and Pueblo Indians of North America, to control tourism. The case studies prove that the key to success is indeed local control which in the case of the Pueblo Indians includes the right to bar tourists from certain festivals.

The book is an excellent introduction to the problems facing aboriginal people. For those who wish to understand the aboriginal struggle, and for tourists who wish to reflect on the effects of visiting small communities, the book is an invaluable resource.

Published by Huadong Community Development Center, #7, Hsiang87, Tie Hua Street, Taidong 95008 Taiwan.

Source: Contours, March-June 1992, Vol. 5, No. 5/6, p. 18. P.O. Box 24, Chorakhebua, Bangkok 10230, Thailand. Telefax: 662-5107

Resource Kit: Linking Women's Global Struggles to End Violence

Linking Women's Global Struggles to End Violence is a resource kit about Canadian, Aboriginal and Third World women coming together to share experiences, develop strategics and explore alternative solutions. For copies write to: Match International Centre 1102-200 Elgin St., Ottawa, Ontario. Canada K2P 1L5.

Source: Women's News, April 1992, Vol. 7, No. 2, p. 11. SPC, BP. D5Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.

Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign 500 Years of Resistance: 1492-1992

1992 marks the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas, an event celebrated by some as the ''discovery" and "conquest" of the Americas by European civilization. The real celebration is that of 500 years of indigenous, black and popular resistance to the disastrous consequences of Columbus' arrival -- death, destruction and repression.

For more information, write or call:

Tel.: 071 272 9619 Fax: 071 272 5476