Zimbabwe and South Africa: Murdered farmers were not as famous as Cecil the lion

A Facebook posting is challenging Tourism Ministers from Zimbabwe and South Africa, saying murdered farmers were not as famous as Cecil the lion.

A Facebook posting is challenging Tourism Ministers from Zimbabwe and South Africa, saying murdered farmers were not as famous as Cecil the lion.

They weren’t famous like Cecil the lion, but their lives matter, too! This is for all the farmers in Zimbabwe and South Africa that have been murdered and the world did nothing.

History and the treatment of citizens, immaterial of color, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or political affiliation is something ministers of tourism need to remain aware of, or it will haunt them as they try to promote their countries across the world. Today, it is sustainable tourism that has become the buzz word, but sustainable tourism is too often limited to protection of the environment. Now more than ever, the call for protection of people is being included as a key element for a complete sustainable tourism approach.

A post this week on Facebook highlights this concept. Ghosts of farmers from Zimbabwe and South Africa who were murdered are speaking up. The attention of Cecil the lion from Zimbabwe killed by a licensed hunter is reference to the long list of white farmers murdered by state apparatus in the war that was called on land matters.

Sustainable tourism cannot be discussed until closure of such traumatic years are discussed, and it is tourism ministers who need to come out to speak up about any abuses that have taken place in their countries. Zimbabwe still has the same president and the same minister of tourism, whereas in South Africa both the president and the minister of tourism have changed in democratic elections.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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