PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

Much of the research in Translation Studies conducted on African literature in French and in English in the postcolonial context has focused on the hybrid nature of some of the literary works: these are seen as the site of power struggles between the European language in which they are written and the oral indigenous language(s) which influence them. This literary production is thus often framed as a form of translation of an absent oral indigenous original or at least seen as a hybrid third space, to use Homi Bhabha's term. In the context of Nigerian literature, a small body of texts by Chinua Achebe or Gabriel Okara is often used to illustrate this notion of writing as translation. Written, for the most part, during the independence era, their experimental use of English was politically loaded. It was meant, as Achebe puts it, to make English “carry the weight of [his] African experience.” More than fifty years after Nigeria's independence, however, what seems to characterize Nigerian literature is no longer an experimental use of English, but rather its multilingualism, which can be seen as a reflection of the country's linguistic plurality, a characteristic not yet addressed by Translation Studies or African Literary Studies scholarship but which this dissertation seeks to analyze. This dissertation creates a comprehensive comparable corpus including all the Nigerian literary works of fiction that were published between 2002 and 2018 and translated into French (that is 31 source texts and 31 translations) in order to: first, examine the heterolingualism of “original” contemporary Nigerian literature, by surveying its distribution (including Nigerian Pidgin and indigenous languages), typographical presentation, and the various translation strategies used by the authors to make the presence of heterolingualism more visible and accessible to the readers; secondly, to analyze the ways in which this heterolingualism is rendered in the French translations. It mak (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

The concept of Infrastructures for Peace (I4Ps) has received renewed attention in the peacebuilding literature as part of the response to calls for a more inclusive and sustainable approach to peacebuilding processes. Despite their growing popularity, very few systematic studies have been conducted on I4Ps within various settings. For the most part, researchers have relied on secondary accounts and anecdotal evidence to describe how the concept works in practice and dedicated little attention to the views/perspectives of the individuals who are involved in the activities of the I4Ps. The lack of systematic studies on I4Ps is particularly evident in the case of Ghana's National Peace Council (the NPC), which is the primary focus of this dissertation. While the NPC has been roundly praised within the I4P literature as one of the most – if not the most – successful cases of peace infrastructures, there have been no comprehensive studies on the NPC to date except for a few studies that discursively analyze its achievements alongside several other I4Ps. Seeking to address this limitation and fill part of the gap that has been created in the I4P literature and, particularly, in our understanding of the NPC, this dissertation draws on primary data that was gathered from stakeholders of the NPC to explore the NPC's contributions to peacebuilding processes during Ghana's elections. Specifically, the dissertation relies on the first-hand accounts and/or experiences of individuals who have encountered the NPC to provide an understanding of the strategies which the NPC has used to intervene in electoral conflicts. The dissertation also presents and analyzes the views of the NPC's stakeholders on the success of the NPC's interventions and the factors which they believe may have contributed to the NPC's successful interventions.

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2022, English

This thesis is a collection of essays titled A Gallery of Absence. These essays explore themes such as memory, absence, grief and tyranny through photography. The first essay, “Picturing Biafra”, chronicles the significance of photos of Biafran children in understanding the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70, and how children who didn't witness the war come to an understanding about the hardship faced by their parents. The titular essay, “A Gallery of Absence” meditates on death, absence and how grief could be a cruel, lonely process. “Picture of the Mind” and “An Image of Tyranny” both reflect on the generational impacts images of tyranny could have and how images could reflect power.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Leadership and Change

This qualitative research aimed to study the experiences of Kenyan female leaders and explore Kenyan maternal influence in their lived experiences. It examined how maternal influence shapes female leadership in Kenya by embodying relational and transformational leadership qualities and proves that maternal influence makes women congruent with leadership roles. Despite global advances recognizing the principle of women's political, economic, and social equality, Kenyan women continue to be marginalized in many areas of society, especially in leadership and decision making. Kenyan women also continue to rank very low in their communities' social hierarchy, yet they play a critical role in their homes and societies and deserve attention as leaders beyond the nurture and childbearing topics. One-on-one interviews were used in a narrative inquiry approach and a constructivist worldview; this research developed an understanding of Kenyan maternal influence and constructed the meaning of its role within female leadership in Kenya. The analysis of the interview transcriptions revealed 12 significant traits in the participants' perceptions of their early leadership development, as observed from their mothers. Mothers are indirect leadership scholars in a patriarchal institution that is oppressive to women. Central to this research is recognizing that mothers and daughters benefit when the mother lives her life and practices mothering from a position of authority, authenticity, and autonomy. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Indigenous West African farmers are among the most climate change threatened globally. Food insecurity is prevalent in West Africa because ecological, social, political, and economic instabilities, and globalization worsen climate pressures. In this study, I collaborated with the community of Bikotiba (bih-CO-ti-buh), Togo, to understand their household agricultural food access, one aspect of resilience to food insecurity. I adopted a feminist approach of reflexivity, radical vulnerability, and radical empathy, combined with decolonizing principles, to argue that there could be an ethical way for well-trained Western researchers to engage Indigenous communities, if negotiated carefully. Together, Indigenous Research Assistants and I developed and conducted semi-structured interviews in the local language, Bassari, with 56% of the heads of households in Bikotiba, and led community meetings with the demographics of men, women, and students. We learned that maize production in Bikotiba is threatened by climatic, political, and environmental changes, making maize subsistence a glaring leverage point in the community's food security, in addition to the social-political-economic and human rights injustices keeping rural farmers impoverished in Togo. This study demonstrates the cross-cultural possibilities to advance food systems research with Indigenous communities if Western scholars foster feminist decolonizing principles. This research is only possible if supported by communities like Bikotiba, and this study provides compelling insights on the possibilities when communities support research.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Mass Communication (Communication)

Despite high adoption rates of new communication technologies in Kenya, the role of emerging technologies in the Kenyan child trafficking market and the influence of online anti-child trafficking activists in combating child trafficking remain under-researched. In this study, I have used digital ethnographic approaches that included virtual interviews, online participant observation, and social media analytics to realize five main findings. First, emerging media technology has been used by criminals to traffic children, whereas it also provides opportunities to online activists to combat child trafficking. Second, there are different types of online claims-makers actively advocating against child trafficking. Third, the claims-makers framed the exploitation and risky situations that victims of child trafficking go through as sexual exploitation, organ harvesting, infant trafficking, child marriage, organized begging, terrorism, organized crime, and child labor. Fourth, the claims-makers used the 5P framework to diagnose and offer a prognosis of the child trafficking situation. Finally, the claims-makers were able to influence diverse sentiments among their target audience. This study has practical and theoretical recommendations for researching and designing social and behavior change interventions against child trafficking and other social challenges.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, English

Although sexual violence against women is rampant in Nigeria, there is a dearth of feminist studies that examine sexual violence against women in Nigerian films and at the same time answer the question continuously begging for an answer- why is sexual violence against women so rampant in Nigeria? Therefore, this thesis studies Emeka Nwabunze's Child, not Bride, Kunle Afolayan's October 1, and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa Eye documentary, Sex for Grades and argues that the prevalence of sexual violence against women in Nigeria is a consequence of incorrect notions about femininity in the nation's culture. Julia Serano's book, Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity and Catherine MacKinnon's essay “Sexuality from Toward a Feminist Theory of the State” serve as the feminist methodological framework of this thesis. Serano's work clarifies two things: 1. The possession of femininity is often used to rationalize injustices done to women and, 2. Patriarchy ensures that femininity is perceived as inferior to masculinity by imposing inferior meanings on femininity and interpreting feminine expression as consent to sexual objectification and violence. Based on the notion that human beliefs and behaviors are dictated by culture and, therefore, cannot be legitimately judged without the proper cultural context, this thesis employs Yoruba culture as a microcosm of Nigerian culture and explores Yoruba cultural notions about femininity. The social significance of this study is that it is a valuable tool for women's rights organizations in their fight for the prevention and elimination of rape in Nigerian society.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, African-American and African Studies

While the number of U.S. foundations operating in the field of African higher education continues to increase, not much has been written on this topic. Given the amount of influence that Foundations have had on higher education in the U.S., the absence of research which evaluates foundations' influence on African higher education deserves attention. My work argues that the period between 1950 and 1980 was a significant moment in the African history because it saw both the development of the modern African university and increased support of African higher education by U.S. philanthropic foundations, but also paradoxically perhaps, the establishment of U.S. "Soft Power" imperialism when European colonial rule was ending. Drawing from six archives in the U.S. and Zimbabwe, government reports, newspapers, Rockefeller Foundation (RF) Annual Reports, and interviews, my dissertation examines the RF's Cold War interactions with the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland/Zimbabwe, as a case study to demonstrate the long-term ramifications of U.S. foundations' activities on African higher education and politics. I examine three key areas: (1) the creation of networks that came into being through RF grants, (2) the operation of networks created, and (3) the RF's relationship with the U.S. government. By tracking RF Trustee Board members' careers from Washington to the RF and back to Washington, I demonstrate that the interpersonal exchanges between the two institutions blurred the line between philanthropic and U.S. government interventions in Africa. The tracking also shows that the Cold War ideological compatibility between the RF, Washington, London, and Salisbury directed the foundation's grants focus on projects which promoted the Anglo-American world order over the Sino Soviet. Thus, even though the RF grants contributed to the development of Zimbabwe higher education, trained African leaders like Nathan Shamuyarira to articulate their demands for independence, an (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

This study evaluates the popular Nigerian-based women's magazines, Today's Woman, Genevieve, and Exquisite, to uncover how the editorial content of these publications represent Nigerian femininity and womanhood, using social representations theory, originally coined by Serge Moscovici in 1961, as a theoretical framework. This study also evaluates how the representations of women featured in the editorial content of these magazines align with the theory of africana womanism. By conducting a qualitative textual analysis of 60 articles, this study found that Nigerian women are most frequently and significantly represented by their jobs/careers, the condition of their bodies, their self-esteem/self-sufficiency, the opinions of others, and their life challenges. This construction of Nigerian femininity and womanhood supported the following tenets of africana womanism: ambition, role flexibility, recognition, strength, black female sisterhood, respect, wholeness, adaptable, self-definition, and male compatibility.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

The multitude of different tribes in Africa is what makes the continent rich and diverse. At the same time, this diversity, when combined with self-centered and exclusive behaviors, can yield detrimental impact on the economy and society. This dissertation examined tribalism, defined as favoritism based on kinship, and its impacts on socioeconomic development on the Republic of Chad. Specially, this research investigated tribalism and its direct and indirect influence on corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development in Chad. This mixed-methods study comprised a two-phase design. The first phase was mainly a quantitative survey that was administered to 161 participants, followed by a qualitative approach comprised of semi-structured interviews. Finally, an integrated analysis, synthesizing findings from the two phases, provided a comprehensive view on tribalism and its impact on socioeconomic development in Chad. Findings from this study demonstrated that while tangible progress has been made on many fronts in Chad, participants' perception about tribalism, corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development indicated that more work remains to be done. The study also highlighted the existence of multiple linkages among tribalism, corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development. The findings further indicated that in addition to direct linkages with socioeconomic development, tribalism indirectly influenced development goals through corruption, human capital potential, and social justice. Finally, the results and insights informed the creation of an emergent model on tribalism and its impacts on socioeconomic development. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Anthropogenic activity has been documented to have negative impacts on wildlife that include altered behaviors, lower body mass, and decreased reproductive success. Although wildlife viewing provides support for conservation efforts, it is also one of many human recreational activities that pose a threat to wildlife. The painted dog (Lycaon pictus) is a popular species for viewing by tourists, and one of Africa's most endangered carnivores. Anthropogenic-based actions such as persecution, snaring, diseases transmitted via domestic dogs, and habitat fragmentation contribute to their decline, and human disturbance at den sites, primarily via tourism, is an emergent threat for this species. I explored the potential effects of direct and indirect human activity on painted dogs during their denning season using a mixed method approach for free-ranging and captive populations. This included: (a) identifying areas where humans visited painted dog dens using social media posts and content analysis, (b) developing and testing a noninvasive measurement tool (belly score) to assess the body condition of painted dogs via images, (c) comparing carnivore and herbivore activity on human-modified game trails and unmodified game trails using camera traps, and (d) comparing feeding regimens and morphometric measurements between two captive painted dog litters. Results from this study showed that (a) painted dog dens have been visited by humans in at least seven of the 14 countries where painted dogs are known to exist, with the majority of visits reported in South Africa, (b) belly score means differed significantly between two populations of painted dogs (Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe) while seasonal variations were similar for both populations; demonstrating how this tool may be used to assess body condition, foraging success, and fitness between and among individuals and populations, (c) carnivores were observed on human-modified trails more frequentl (open full item for complete abstract)

MFIS, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

Afrofuturism is a cultural and aesthetic movement within the African Diaspora that draws on the present and historical experiences of Black people and reimagines a future filtered through a Black cultural lens. There has been a growing number of fashion creatives and enthusiasts throughout the African Diaspora who are adopting this aesthetic in order to celebrate Black culture and identity. However, the role of Africa in Afrofuturism continues to be debated as many believe the term to be inherently centered on Black American experiences and cultures and not necessarily on the African experience. The purpose of this research is to explore the connection between Afrofuturism, fashion, and cultural identity in the African Diaspora. A qualitative approach using interviews and an arts-based creative online collage exercise was used to uncover the role and signification of cultural identity in the Afrofuturistic expressions of West Africans in Africa, West Africans living in America (Diasporic Africans) and African Americans. Because fashion has been likened to a form of symbolic language, this study also aims to uncover the “codes” involved in each group's communication of their cultural identities. Through the data gathered, a 3- look capsule collection was created to represent a visual summary of the views of each group on Afrofuturistic fashion expressions.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

The former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (2014), repeated the core promise in the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, in which the General Assembly called for an approach guaranteeing meaningful participation of everyone in development and the fair distribution of the benefits of that development. To this end, partnerships are central and can lead to the dignity of the citizens involved as they participate in the development of their own communities. This dissertation research conducted in Manyatta A and B in the Port City of Kisumu, Kenya sought to do just that. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the role of participatory development planning and collaborative technology platforms of geographic information systems (GIS) and GeoDesign in strengthening sustainable development and enhancing of human dignity. The study used a multimethod design comprised of participatory action research, situational analysis, problem tree analysis, and stakeholder analysis approaches in partnership with the government, academia, business, civil society, and other stakeholders. The study shows how the newly formed government structure, post devolution, provides a functional framework to assist county and city governments to better determine and envision the future they want. This vision can be realized more rapidly through integrated planning to achieve poverty eradication and social, economic, and environmental sustainability, which are the three pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The citizens of informal settlements represent those who are farthest behind and who should be given priority. This study demonstrated the potential of inclusive and participatory development planning in restoring the dignity of those groups. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Female students in public, coeducational high schools in rural Kenya encounter a lot of challenges, and the majority obtain low grades in the national exams. Lack of impact after massive activism for gender equality via education raises questions about the quality of efforts that schools put in to help the girl child. This study examined the systematic approach of two coeducational high schools in Western Kenya's Kakamega County in promoting women's education. The study also analyzed in-depth the role of gender in the educational experiences of female students. Two coeducational schools took part in the study. One school has single-sex classrooms, and the other one has mixed-sex classrooms. To capture the educational experiences of female students, I interviewed eight female students, two teachers, and two principals. These female students also filled open-ended questionnaires to express themselves more freely. Rural-based, coeducational high schools in this study provide a variety of support services such as gender-specific advice to female students. Nevertheless, there is too much of a burden on principals and teachers of these schools to go above and beyond to provide fees, food, sanitary towels, learning materials, and uniforms to female students in need. Poverty immensely hampers girls' education. The two coeducational schools need the government to employ more female teachers to act as role models to the girls and also to increase the funds it allocates them. On the role of gender in education, findings revealed that girls believe that their fellow girls do not take academics seriously, and neither do they provide much support and motivation. The likely cause of schoolgirls not performing well is that the majority look up to a man as a way of survival, and they do not work hard in class. These attitudes result from the way society socializes females. The articulation of masculine power and female subordination is rampant in a mixed-sex classroom. There i (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2020, African Studies (International Studies)

Women play an important role in the fisheries and aquaculture sub-sector in Kenya. They constitute between 45% and 60% of the farmers in the broader agricultural sector. Through this paper I examine the role that small-scale women fish farmers play in ensuring self-reliance and socioeconomic growth. The research data were collected in the form of interviews, participatory observations, and archival materials as my method. The target population was Central and Western Kenya, specifically Kakamega, Kisii, Nairobi, Kiambu, and Nyeri counties. I argue that while women play a pivotal role in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, they are often neglected as participants in the decision-making process of the policies aimed at its development. Through the research, I found that women played a role in each aspect of the sector, but were more inclined to the value addition, processing, and marketing of fish, while men were more involved in production, particularly site selection, pond construction, and how capital would be used. Women's participation in the sector was limited by various factors, with limited land ownership and difficulties in accessing finance as the main factors affecting them. Likewise, I found that there exist gender biases when it comes to cultural, religious, dietary practice, and gender dynamics. Women in the research areas also integrated fish farming with diversified livelihood strategies in an attempt to increase their income and self-reliance. I make three policy recommendations: increased dialogue between the key stakeholders to influence policy reforms about gender bias and disparity; an equitable access to resources; and an increase in support from the government and other NGOs to AAK and other similar organizations that can help improve their capability.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts)

The dissertation aims to engage a critical analysis of the cultural implications of translation practice in the context of postcolonial African literature and film in Setswana language. It argues for the integration of decolonial and culturally relevant translations in post-colonial African-language cultural productions. The dissertation shows that, through the application of decolonized methodological practices to translation, cultural meaning can be retained, and therefore, empower the relevance and global visibility of marginalized literatures. The study is cognizant of the fact that cultural translations constitute an essential aspect of growth and expansion of postcolonial literatures and films from Africa, especially for minority literary communities across the continent. Furthermore, the dissertation makes an innovative contribution to the ongoing debates on postcolonial literatures and films produced in Africa, and more importantly, to decolonizing the study of translation as culture in Setswana literature and film. The period of colonization in Africa was characterized not only with the impositions of the European literary cultures and canons on their colonies, but also with varied assumptive views on literary translation practice. For example, most literary translations only focused on the written word represented using the Latin alphabet, but overlooked the possibilities of other translation practices implemented and widely used by the culturally displaced literary cultures. Some of these translation practices entailed the translation of oral tradition and its integration into both the written forms of literature and cinematic adaptations. Furthermore, the exercise of translation also involved the translation of the postcolonial canons, and its defining aesthetic features that account for a distinct style of the cultural productions considered in this study. The study makes a critical observation that the colonial translation practice of Setswana language (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Mass Communication (Communication)

This dissertation examines the civic engagement as well as the online and offline discursive and performative practices of faith among Muslim youth in Burkina Faso. It specifically maps out how members of Association des Eleves et Etudiants Musulmans au Burkina (AEEMB), a Muslim student organization with over 100,000 members, negotiate the meanings of their Islamic faith and participate in debates on issues of national and global interests. Since the emergence of violent radicalism in the French speaking, Sahelian West African region over the past decade, scholars have turned their attention to political Islam with a focus on established branches of Islamic denominations such the Sunni movement, the Ahmadiyya, and the Wahhabi and salafist reformist groups. Most scholars are now widening this scope to include less well-established Muslim groups including youth associations and student militancy. One of the major underlying assumptions in this surge of research on religion in the Sahel is the persistent belief that, somehow, there is a correlation between the region being predominantly Muslim and the rise of non-state armed forces. This study challenges such assumptions and examines the communication practices of Muslim youth with a specific focus on those educated in the secular education system of Burkina Faso. It analyzes the complexity of youth activism and how youth claim their religious and other various social identities online and offline.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

This research is a qualitative case study of two festivals that showcased South African music in the USA: the South African Arts Festival which took place in downtown Los Angeles in 2013, and the Ubuntu Festival which was staged at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2014. At both festivals, South African government entities such as the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), as well as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) were involved. Due to the cultural, economic and other mandates of these departments, broader South African government policy interests were inadvertently represented on foreign soil. The other implication is that since South African culture was central to these events, it was also key to promoting these acultural policy interests. What this research sets out to do is to explore how these festivals promote the interests of South African musicians while furthering South African government interests, and how policy was an enabler of such an execution

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Music History and Literature (Fine Arts)

Using Senegal's Islam-infused popular music as lens, this dissertation examines the ways in which modern Senegalese singers have used musical lyricism and performance to celebrate collective Muslim identities, but also to negotiate a pan-ethnic and trans-religious discourse of national unity. Focusing on mbalax and jolof rap as the country's signature music genres, the dissertation proposes that contemporary Senegalese singers blend indigenous verbal art with modern poetry to create a new musical language aimed for bridging over religious and ethnic marginalities. By codeswitching the Wolof language with French, Arabic, and other local languages, I suggest that this musical language embodies a culture politics whereby the pan-ethnic national is prioritized over the ethnic. To put it differently, I propose that the lyrics and performances of mbalax and jolof rap artists foreground symbols of a collective Senegalese national identity, as well as a response to the postcolonial challenges of national integration. Grounded in the theories of nationhood, modernity, and cosmopolitanism, this dissertation argues that popular music, as a cultural element, can have impact on the grassroots processes of nation building, especially in a postcolonial context. Approaching Senegal's mbalax and jolof rap musics as such, I study both genres as collective (entertainment) symbols through which artists seek to reconcile the Islamic with the non-Islamic, the local with the foreign, with a tendency to blur local ethnic boundaries. Along these lines, I have studied mbalax and jolof rap as two distinct - but dialogically related - musical forms around which popular musicians construct and circulate narratives of collective identity, pluralism, and national solidarity. In addition, I analyze mbalax and jolof rap as synthetic musics, because the compositions of both blend local elements with foreign imports. I suggest that this creative synthesis is what defines Senegal's musical moderni (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

Tourism is an ever-growing industry in the world; it is particularly popular in places of cultural, historical, and natural significance. The diverse countries of Sub-Saharan Africa constitute one such area. Sub-Saharan Africa's tourism sector has been substantially increasing over the last few decades, so questions must be posed in order to understand the impact of the drastic contrasts and interactions between the tourists of the developed world and the local destination of the developing world. A tremendous amount of research has been done pertaining to social, economic, and global impacts of tourists within both developed and developing countries. However, there has not been an ample amount of questions posed relating to how the tourists feel that they influence the local environment of a destination. With nature-based tourism as the primary draw for tourists to Sub-Saharan African countries, it is crucial to understand what role travelers are playing within the destination. This research explores significant perceptions of the tourists that visit such areas within Tanzania through web-based surveys of both international tourists as well as the local tour operators.