Episode 06: Voluntourism, Mission Trips + Dismantling the Savior Complex
In Episode 06 of Art of Citizenry Podcast, Manpreet Kalra is joined by Neha Sharma, Lindsay Woodruff, and Austin Miller in a conversation deconstructing the complexities of doing good in an unequal world. They explore ways in which voluntourism, may it be faith based or not, is a manifestation of colonization, reinforced by power structures rooted in imperialism. Together, they break down what sustainable change looks like, dive into elements of the savior complex, and critically analyze ways in which do-good travel can be sustainable.
Exploring Guilt Trips
Why does helping people who live far away feel different than helping those who are closer to home? From mission trips to building homes in remote villages, at what point does volunteering abroad do more harm than good? Anu Taranath says it best in her book Beyond Guilt Trips when she writes:
Our travels to culturally and economically different locations often turn into guilt trips precisely because we have little practice navigating the unequal power dynamics and different-than-me-ness we find. We're not always sure how to think or speak about the differences we notice, even though these differences might have fueled our desire to travel in the first place. Those of us with more privileges and social advantages, in particular, might be even less practiced in recognizing and saying aloud what it is we are noticing and feeling about identity, race, power, and hierarchy. Simmering in our guilt and discomforting feelings about systems we have not created but continue to participate in and perhaps benefit from does nothing for justice.
I recently spoke to a group of business school students about anti-racism and social impact. During the conversation, I noticed how most of them thought about addressing issues abroad when thinking about incorporating "social good" into their business models. This idea that those abroad are more in need of help than those living nearby stems from colonial power dynamics rooted in systemic racism.
Episode 6 comes out of an Instagram Live conversation I recently co-hosted with Neha Sharma, an embroidery artist who creates South Asian and social justice-inspired art with a background in economics and public health. During the live, we discussed how voluntourism is built on a white savior complex and how it truly isn't as altruistic as it seems, which sparked some interesting conversations with our listeners.
The Global North vs Global South
The term "Global South" is the new acceptable term used to describe "third-world or developing" countries. However, by nature, it implies a problematic top-down power structure to the way we approach difference on the global stage. In 1980, former German Chancellor Willy Brandt proposed the "Brandt Line" which is an imaginary line that divides the world map into the "Global North and "Global South" based on GDP per capita. The visual of the map is almost comical as it goes across the map and then loops down to include Australia and New Zealand.
When looking at the countries that make up the Global North, they are almost all countries that we historically consider to be "white" majority, ignoring indigenous communities on whose land we reside. Global South countries, on the other hand, are often tied to "people of color."
All too often, “do-good travelers” from the Global North travel to previously colonized countries in the Global South that are still struggling to rebuild as a result of years of extraction, which continues today in the form of capitalism and self-serving guilt trips. There's a lot to be gained that is oftentimes one sided and not two sided, keeping power in the hands of those who have it and taking advantage of those who don't.
Ask yourself: "Why are you coming into a community that are completely unfamiliar with, to a culture you have no ties to, and taking over whatever it is that they are doing? Any sort of initiative to improve a community needs to be led by that community." - Neha Sharma
Colonization, Mission Trips + Heropreneurship
I went on a three month trip, and it was sort of exploratory to see if I'd want to work in Bangladesh. And I was very inexperienced…I was not in any way educationally prepared to offer anything that to Bangladesh, except Jesus. - Austin Miller
Colonization historically was built on the idea to conquer and convert. You conquer a country and then impose your understanding of religion, culture, and living. And we see these similar ideologies manifest in the way many approach voluntourism may it be faith based or not.
Essentially, this approach is coming from a time where, you know, Europeans and North Americans generally, either generally white people believed that they had the so called duty to bring civilization and God to these, you know, so called poor people or people of color who supposedly needed Western culture to become fulfilled human beings. And it's really it's coming from a place of superiority where you think somebody could not possibly live in a different way that I do, and I need to impose my values on them. - Neha Sharma
Tom’s Shoes founder created a business model built on white saviorism and did more economic damage in the countries he set out to “help” than good.
The reality is many social enterprises or mission-driven businesses stem from these trips as well. Unfortunately, no form of economic exchange could possibly every reverse the history of colonialism. While you might be able to create jobs, you cannot bring back communities that were annihilated, you cannot un-burn documentation of community histories, and you cannot bring back languages that are spoken no more.
Unless we have an intersectional approach to how we think about economic development and how we think about building just economies, we can't really create sustainable change. Sustainable change is about more than you, which is hard for many to fathom.
More people need to start doing their due diligence to understand the impact of their actions. - Neha Sharma
We need to ask ourselves one key question: "What makes me the right person to address this problem?” This want to be the hero leads to issues like heropreneurship.
Sustainable Voluntourism
Breaking cycles of racism is about giving up power, "...giving up power of being the one that distributes the money or the funds, of being the spokesperson, and saying how things are done." - Austin Miller
We need to recognize we are usually not the first person to see a problem or trying to solve it. We need to think about what are the alliances I need to build and how can I best support the work already happening, versus going in and trying to impose my own solutions. The truth is good intention alone is not good enough. Sometimes good intention can do so much more harm when executed without a thorough understanding of the issue we are trying to help address.
Sustainable voluntourism always has to have elements of expertise, and invitation, if I'm not there at the invitation of the community, then I should not be there. - Lindsay Woodruff
When thinking about how to make voluntourism more sustainable, it is also important to think about longevity. Going into a community and expecting to make sustainable change in the span of two to three weeks is naïve. We have to give ourselves the time and space to first understand the community and society we are entering, approaching those conversations with empathy and humility.
Case Study: Renee Bach
One of the most notable examples of voluntourism going horribly wrong is the case of Renee Bach, an American Christian missionary, who traveled to Uganda after graduating from high school. After coming back from spending a few months volunteering with an orphanage, she decided to return to Uganda and start a treatment center dedicated to taking in malnourished children with extremely complicated medical conditions . She named her charity Serving His Children and had absolutely no medical training or qualifications. In the process we know at least 105 children died in her charity's care.
Why does society value the lives of white children more than children of color? Why can someone get away with this for so long before she is ever charged or shut down? What makes us think that a high schooler can provide medical care in Uganda when people struggle to trust medical professionals who look too young in the United States? This is what a savior mindset looks like, at its worst.
Resources + Links
Interested in reading some of the resources I reference during the episode? Check out these links:
[Instagram Live] Guilt Trips + the Savior Complex featuring Manpreet Kalra + Neha Sharma
[Podcast] Art of Citizenry Podcast Episode 2: Tanja Cesh of Mulxiply on Empathy
[Donate] No White Saviors’ Revolutionary Library & Cafe in Uganda
[Book] Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World by Anu Taranath
[Book] Questions of Travel: Postmodern Discourses of Displacement by Caren Kaplan
[Article] African Children Need to be Saved from White Saviors | Afropunk
[Instagram Account] @NoWhiteSaviors
[Blog] The Very Worst Missionary
[Article] Buying TOMS shoes is a terrible way to help poor people | VOX
[Article] How this Couple Brought Their Love of Bangladesh to the U.S. (Ft. Austin Miller)
Connect with Our Guests
Neha Sharma, @nehaxstitch on Instagram (be sure to follow her!), is an embroidery artist who creates South Asian and social justice-inspired art with a background in economics and public health.
Lindsay Woodruff is the founder and owner of Pachamama Market, a neighborhood marketplace for fair trade, handmade, and eco-friendly goods in Troy, Ohio. Lindsay holds a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and 15+ years of experience in learning lessons the hard way. Follow Pachamama Market on Instagram.
Austin Miller is the co-founder of Kahiniwalla, a brand built on the belief that children and families deserve to play with and use items that are thoughtfully designed, made to last, and produced ethically. Austin and his partner, Marita work closely with Pebble Child, a fair trade enterprise in Bangladesh that creates hand crochet baby toys and accessories. Follow Kahiniwalla on Instagram.
Thank You
This podcast is dedicated to creating a safe space to discuss and challenge topics surrounding how we each navigate our personal advantages and disadvantages. I want to thank Neha, Lindsay, and Austin for joining me today and sharing their valuable insights.
Finally, thank you for listening! Please subscribe, download, and leave a review for Art of Citizenry Podcast — I appreciate your love and support on this exciting journey!
Also, if you want to connect, please feel free to follow me and share your thoughts with me on Instagram @manpreetkalra.