Anger as tourist performs striptease on top of Uluru

I have written before on the subject of whether or not tourists should climb Ayres Rock / Uluru or not; this is going a step too far.


The ignorance and arrogance of some tourist is truly staggering, this French lady has not only stepped over the mark but her subsequent defence just goes to demonstrate the stupidity of some western tourists.


The act of climbing Uluru is already insulting to some Aboriginal people in Australia, who ask tourists not to climb the rock which they consider to be sacred; to then add to this by stripping on the summit seems unbelievably insensitive.


It strikes me that if you have made this kind of fundamental error of judgement the only thing to do is apologise, be humble and keep your mouth shut.


Alizee Sery seems to have decided that rather than accepting she had behaved very badly, she would compound her mistake by trying to excuse it away saying “I am aware that Uluru is sacred. What we need to remember is that, traditionally, the Aboriginal people were living naked”; I feel embarrassed for her as I write this…


When I talk about Cultural Awareness I try and explain things in a way they might better understand them; I often use examples from the point of view of where they were brought up and educated.


Imagine if Alizee were in Paris and visiting the popular tourist attraction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. People are free to view the Cathedral and walk around it, but you are not allowed to behind the altar. How do you think people would react if Alizee walked behind the altar and then stripped to her bikini?


So in our fictitious situation how would she argue her case? Maybe she would say “what we need to remember is that Adam & Eve came into the world naked…”.


The point is no one would see this scenario as acceptable, so why when the scenario at Uluru would equally offend some Aboriginal people, would that be acceptable; the simple answer is, it is not.


The argument surrounding the climbing of Uluru is a different one and has been examined by me in this blog before (Click Here); local people’s feeling should always be considered in these types of situations.


When you travel you are a guest in the country you are visiting and your behaviour should reflect this.


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To view the original article Click Here
Source – Northern Territories News
Date – 28th June 2010
Submitted by – Peter Mayhew