AND HERITAGE

AN AUTHORI - TOPIA (AUTHORITATIVE UTOPIA)

The barrier erected amidst the city conveniently partitions the sanitized pictureperfect grandeur of the past from the intangible heritage of the Walled City of Lahore. This intangible heritage is callously perceived as flawed and inadequate for the purpose of minting money. It is easier to commodify a ‘heritage theme park’, skillfully concealing the very real, imperfect, yet complex world behind a brick wall. The tourists must not see what lies behind the division – it doesn’t sell. The local residents of Old Lahore must not be involved in the decision-making of how their heritage is molded, objectified, or liquidated. Why share the economic benefits? Let’s construct higher walls of brick, mortar, and deceit until a faction of the city turns into a museum, and its people lose all rights to their home and legacy.

The ‘Disneyfication’ of heritage sites, by creating controlled, developed, and deviously preserved zones for mass tourism, conflicts with the interest and lifestyle of the residents. The trend places their culture in a sterilized ‘bubble’ while varying agencies extrapolate the benefits of tourism.

In such a situation, a need for a personalized model of sustainable tourism arises for the Walled City of Lahore.

COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM