Stakeholder Warfare' : a critical analysis of the impact of tourism on indigenous communities in South Africa and Sweden

Abstract

Concerns over the negative impact of large-scale developments are becoming more prominent in an ever-evolving world. Linked to these concerns are the indigenous communities who continue to interact with their heritage present in the surrounding landscape, an interest that should be protected through the implementation of legislation that is truly representative of a country’s population. The comparative study presented in this dissertation was conducted at two locations; Dumezulu in South Africa and Jokkmokk in Sweden. I interviewed the relevant stakeholders in order to understand the impact each group had on the heritage resources present in the respective study areas. In South Africa, I assessed the relationship of key stakeholders (community members, Traditional Council, and the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality) involved in the construction and future management of the tourism centre. It became evident that there were a number of misunderstandings between these stakeholders. The Municipality, as a government structure, seemed to have an upper hand in terms of power. While the tourism development was the initiative of the Dumezulu community, the Municipality has the final say in decision-making because it raised and allocated part of the funding. Furthermore, South African heritage legislation does not seem to favour communities, giving more power to the state through its ownership of heritage resources. In Sweden, I interviewed and spoke to relevant authorities on Sami heritage issues. These were people who had worked closely with the Sami population. The heritage issues present in the South African case study did not differ drastically to the issues present in the Swedish case study. Inequality is not limited to South Africa, but Sweden too, where the Sami population does not command power over decisions linked to their cultural heritage resources. While the Sami have attracted interest for tourism purposes, a large number of these visitors are still mainly driven by stereotypes. As in the case of South Africa, the Swedish heritage legislation does not make special allowances for the Sami to manage their heritage resources in ways they consider appropriate for them. What I conclude is that there is the need for increased appreciation of Traditional Management Systems.