In brief
The newly launched Jonestown Memorial Tour has drawn mixed reactions, raising questions about the ethics of commodifying historical trauma.
The site of Jonestown, forever associated with one of the most horrific mass murder-suicides in history, has recently opened to tourists, igniting contentious discussions about the appropriateness of such visits. Nearly 50 years after the tragic events of November 18, 1978, when over 900 members of the Peoples Temple died under the direction of their leader, Jim Jones, the clearing where the settlement stood has become a point of curiosity for travelers.Tourist Sean Traverse was photographed amidst the remnants of Jonestown, a site now marked primarily by a single plaque installed in 2009, acknowledging the sorrowful history of the area. With wooden and zinc structures that once formed the settlement having long since disappeared into the jungle, the spot evokes mixed feelings.The newly formed Jonestown Memorial Tour, offered by Guyanese company Wanderlust Adventures GY, has introduced a $750 package that encompasses a flight from Georgetown, a rugged hour-long van journey, and an overnight stay in Port Kaituma. Critics contend that such tours risk reducing a profound tragedy to a mere tourist attraction, highlighting the distressing tension between remembrance and exploitation.Notably, the tour has drawn ire not only from survivors who fear the commercialization of their grief but also from many Guyanese citizens who see Jonestown as a dark blemish on their national history. The lingering question remains: what is the appropriate way to commemorate a tragedy of this magnitude, and is tourism one of the valid paths for reflection?
