Will “The Fools” Always Live Off the “Damn Fools”? The Politics of “Lowcountry” Tourism

Abstract

Ivan Cohen, a Trinidadian tour guide from Savannah, Georgia, in a candid synopsis of cultural heritage tourism during a 2003 focus group interview, said: We have this saying in Trinidad. But there are no exceptions anywhere in the world, not even in Savannah. And the saying is, ‘The fools (F-O-O-L-S) [Mr. Cohen chose to spell it out] live O-F-F the damn fools!’ ‘THE FOOLS LIVE OFF THE DAMN FOOLS!’ It applies in Savannah. It applies in Trinidad. It applies in every city. And we would be damn fools if we expect white people to tell our stories. That's a damn fool idea. {Loud yells}. Let me finish. I conduct this African American History tour for the Civil Rights Museum. A couple of weeks ago, two white people got on the van. I discovered midway through that one of them was a part-time travel tour guide. I said, ‘Give me a critique of the tour; what did you think?’ And he said, ‘Well I learned a lot of things I didn't know.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but give me something critical; this is where you improve.’ He said, ‘You didn't say much about Oglethorpe!’ {Eruption of laughter}.