DOES OUR WILDLIFE REALLY BENEFIT US?

Unlike all other continents, Africa is teeming with game in both the national parks and private game sanctuaries. We are informed that this is a major attraction that brings tourists to the continent. There are many wildlife conservation projects in Africa that are funded from the West, which actually seem to be doing well, otherwise were that not the case, under the present circumstances in the continent, the big five would probably be threatened with extinction. But, how come that wildlife conservation projects work and not food production projects which equally receive funding through aid and exorbitant loans from the same western capitals? How come we are the only starving continent yet we have friends who visit in droves every year to watch our wildlife and in the process "leaving behind" tons of cash? Where does all the money that we are told comes from tourism go, if it is not put in support of food production projects, water and medicines?
The simple answer to this, which Africans need to know, is that tourism and wildlife business may be transacted on the continent but the cash belongs elsewhere. The private game sanctuaries, which date from the colonial times are retained by the original owners through complex pacts and in some cases with the local political class as shareholders. The tourism revenue we talk about is either there on paper or at best is only a fraction that is actually due to us. Tourism packages including air travel, accommodation, food, drinks and game safaris are concluded and invoiced in western capitals where the big tour companies are domiciled. Therefore, the only real cash we can talk about is the little tips to our tour guides, payment for dance troupes, a little cash to our women in the night and payment for the trinkets they take home as souvenirs. The big money for stay in thousands of private homes and luxury tented camps is also concluded elsewhere. Is it, therefore, any wonder that Kenyans view tourism business and game parks as belonging to the foreigners and not us?
To test the above explanation, let's look at the Nairobi National Park, which is just next to the capital city where we have the biggest concentration of middle income and affluent African families. However when you ask how often they visit the park for relaxation and enjoyment most will answer in the negative. Now, if the sophisticated urban families with reasonable disposable income and with kids who have never seen live cows haven't seen the need to visit a park at the edge of their homes, then I wonder whether they give a hoot if its there or not. Africans continue to be duped by imperialists about the large revenue figures that say, come from tourism and flower exports, but the truth of the matter is that very few if any of us have the time and capacity to look at the audit figures to ascertain whether we get value for money or not. I think it's fine to conserve the wildlife for posterity, but for God's sake, let's demand accountability from this resource so that we may use it to feather the nests for our future generations. It's such a tragedy that those who exploited our wildlife in the colonial times still continue to do so by earning obscene revenues at the expense of the nation when even the neighboring communities continue to languish in abject poverty. It's not enough for them to do window dressing PR shows when they call the press to witness the donation of a school desk here and a sanitary there. That's atrocious!
If this continent had leaders worth talking about, they would demand that all tourists who come here to see our wildlife be required to pay for all their services locally at international rates. In the same vein, all the private game sanctuaries would revert to the government who would in turn run then in conjunction with the local communities. That way, conservation wouldn't be much of a problem because the current human/wildlife conflict would cease as the locals would be getting value for money. But as it is now we have no control of the cash that is derived from this important natural resource but instead it goes to the pockets of those who have little respect for us and would rather we were replaced by the game that they love so much. It's a tragedy!!