Alluring opportunities : tourism, empire, and African labor in colonial Mozambique

**__Alluring Opportunities__** **examines the lives of African laborers in the tourism industry in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique and the social ascension that many of these workers achieved in spite of demanding conditions.** From the origin of the colonial period until its end in 1975, the tourism industry developed on the backs of these laborers and ultimately became an important source of foreign exchange for Portugal. Todd Cleveland explores the daily experiences of local tourism workers in the genesis and expansion of this vital industry with analytical utility that transcends Africa's borders by complicating the narrative established and reinforced by an expansive body of literature that stresses the exploitation of indigenous tourism workers. He argues that just as foreign tourists embraced the opportunity to travel to various locations in Mozambique, so too did many Indigenous laborers seize opportunities for employment in the tourism industry in an effort to realize social mobility via both the steady wages that they earned and their daily interactions with sojourning clientele. __Alluring Opportunities__ reconstructs these workers' lives, highlighting their critical contributions to the local industry, while also prompting a reconsideration of indigenous labor and social mobility in colonial Africa. As a result, Cleveland reveals new ways of thinking, more broadly, about the ways that tourism shapes processes of empire, inter-racial interactions, and power relations.

Alluring Opportunitiesexamines the lives of African laborers in the tourismindustry in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique and the socialascension that many of these workers achieved in spite of demandingconditions. From the origin of the colonial period untilits end in 1975, the tourism industry developed on the backs ofthese laborers and ultimately became an important source of foreignexchange for Portugal.

Todd Cleveland explores the daily experiences of local tourismworkers in the genesis and expansion of this vital industry with ananalytical utility that transcends Africa's borders by complicatingthe narrative established and reinforced by an expansive body ofliterature that stresses the exploitation of indigenous tourismworkers. He argues that just as foreign tourists embraced theopportunity to travel to various locations in Mozambique, so toodid many Indigenous laborers seize opportunities for employment inthe tourism industry in an effort to realize social mobility viaboth the steady wages that they earned and their daily interactionswith sojourning clientele.

Alluring Opportunities reconstructs these workers'lives, highlighting their critical contributions to the localindustry, while also prompting a reconsideration of Indigenouslabor and social mobility in colonial Africa. As a result,Cleveland reveals new ways of thinking, more broadly, about theways that tourism shapes processes of empire, interracialinteractions, and power relations.

Alluring Opportunities examines the lives of African laborers in the tourism industry in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique and the social ascension that many of these workers achieved in spite of demanding conditions. From the origin of the colonial period until its end in 1975, the tourism industry developed on the backs of these laborers and ultimately became an important source of foreign exchange for Portugal. Todd Cleveland explores the daily experiences of local tourism workers in the genesis and expansion of this vital industry with an analytical utility that transcends Africa's borders by complicating the narrative established and reinforced by an expansive body of literature that stresses the exploitation of indigenous tourism workers. He argues that just as foreign tourists embraced the opportunity to travel to various locations in Mozambique, so too did many Indigenous laborers seize opportunities for employment in the tourism industry in an effort to realize social mobility via both the steady wages that they earned and their daily interactions with sojourning clientele. Alluring Opportunities reconstructs these workers' lives, highlighting their critical contributions to the local industry, while also prompting a reconsideration of Indigenous labor and social mobility in colonial Africa. As a result, Cleveland reveals new ways of thinking, more broadly, about the ways that tourism shapes processes of empire, interracial interactions, and power relations. Contents 7 Foreword 9 Acknowledgments 15 Introduction: The Codevelopment of Tourism in Colonial Mozambique 21 Chapter 1 The Promise and Delivery of Tourism in a Colonial Space 42 Chapter 2 “Europe in Africa” Tourism in Lourenço Marques 70 Chapter 3 Urban Nightlife The Powerful Allure of the “Forbidden Fruit” 94 Chapter 4 The Lure of the Game International Hunters and African Guides 112 Chapter 5 Safari Shooting Mozambique’s Wildlife with a Camera 137 Epilogue Postcolonial Legacies of Colonial-era Tourism 160 Notes 177 Bibliography 193 Index 209 "This book reconstructs the birth and development of the tourism sector in colonial Mozambique, from roughly 1890 to 1975, with a focus on the experiences of African laborers in the industry."-- Provided by publisher