I have family members teaching in Ghana, and judging from their photos (which tend to be of their own kids surfing or playing soccer or eating delicious food), Ghana is very missable.

I’m black. Can you please tell me how much time you’ve spent abroad, how much development work you’ve done, and how that experience qualifies you to have a well-informed opinion of what and what not to do in Africa.

I bet though that kids in Paris and Dublin don’t greet foreigners with the same level of enthusiasm that kids in Ghana and Malawi do. From my experience in east Africa kids will run out of their homes to greet you, surround you, take your camera, take pictures of themselves, each other, etc. The nature of the visit is…

Yeah, I mean it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that your interactions with children are vastly different in those two areas due to poverty hey? I mean there's no way at all that you would interact more with children in places like Cambodia because they aren't in school, or have greater numbers in…

But everyone including Debra Messing is a prop in the photos

There’s nothing wrong here as usual Kara is looking for issues where there aren’t any (messing needs to take pictures of these children which seems to be mrs. Brown’s biggest beef so there’s a face to where the money is going from the charity)

The photo ops are fine— I’m sure the org wants her to do them and probably even specifically told her to. But not bothering to name people is pretty crummy and objectifying. Why couldn’t she say, “This is <insert name here>, a female village chief!” Or even name the village?

She works for an organization that helps fund testing for these communities she is visiting on the continent of Africa. So, it’s literally an HIV awareness/AIDS organization that she’s representing for the trip.

You completely nailed with the with buying local! Just like within your american community, you want to support the community you are staying! A lot of the Africans literally survive on tourism and if you’re a rich debra messing than you best be spending all your damn cash on those fabrics, jewelry, crafts, masks, etc.

As a person who has visited Kenya and Tanzania and looks forward to returning and also seeing many more places in Africa besides, I think there’s a big difference between tourism, loving a country and going and learning about it, and basically, all of the issues of “volun-tourism.”

I was going to say that! Rule of thumb: pack no jewelry and buy some while you travel! (Also it totally sets up the “I’m going to go play Africa to publicize this charity!” tweets that follow.)

But did the woman ask them if they knew when Christmastime was at all? Because that’s the important question.

That’s true, but she can also help to generate publicity for the organization(s) and efforts that she’s working for/with. Her photos can also help to illuminate whatever the issue is.

Maybe some kind of specialty stores, because I live here and have never ever seen alligator for sale.

She didn't mention the escargot, either, which is at least as unusual for Americans to encounter as alligator. Fancy French food probably doesn't support her Lawrence of Arabia narrative.

Not sure the point of hating on this trip.. Please explain young person who knows everything about everything

Pretty sure she would have the same attitude visiting Kansas as she does in Africa. But has she really never eaten in a decent Cajun restaurant in the United States?

I’m white, blonde, and 5'7". When I was in Hong Kong, people took pictures with and of me nearly every day, as if I were an animal on display in a zoo. It was never in bad spirit, though. I was just something different than they were used to seeing.

I don’t get where she says she isn’t in Kansas anymore. There’s a restaurant in Liberal, Kansas that serves alligator. I’ve found it to taste like chicken, only it’s a lot chewier.

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