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Cult massacre site where over 900 people died opens in 'dark tourism' trend
The location where hundreds of people lost their lives in a truly horrific cult massacre has become a tourist destination – the move has sparked backlash as some have called it 'a money grab'
The site of a cult massacre where more than 900 people died has been opened as a tourist destination.
The company Wanderlust Adventures GY, offering visitors a trip to the site of the cult massacre – as part of a $750 wider package – claimed their aim is to educate visitors on “the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority”.
The survivors of the massacre have called it "a money grab” and with some locals distancing themselves from the massacre, omitting it from their history. Located in Guyana, Jonestown the site is home to one of the deadliest cult tragedies, where more than 900 people died in November 18, 1978.
After decades of wrestling with how to handle the Jonestown legacy, Guyana has now started to allow tourists into the traumatic site where the cult operated in the small south American country.
But the move has been been met with backlash.
Kit Nascimento, 93, a Guyanese government spokesman at the time of the horrific cult massacre has criticised the move. The former government spokesperson said opening the sites only revises an image which has been fading and went on to dub the horrific event an American tragedy that happened to occur on Guyanese soil.
“It’s of no consequence whatsoever to the current population,” he said, “And I don’t think we have a particular responsibility to teach the world about cults.”
John Cobb,66, one of the survivors of the horrific tragedy has dubbed the tourist attraction as “a money grab to capitalize on a tragedy.”
Cobb lost a heart-breaking 11 relatives due to the cult including his mother and five of his siblings.
In 1977 Mr Jones alongside hundreds of followers moved to Guyana to start what the cult leader claimed was a self-sufficient, interracial community. Those admitted into the cult were required to handover their life savings, passports and possessions and laboured 12 hours a day.
After facing accusations of physical abuse and financial fraud by the the relatives cult members the U.S. mounted a legal investigation into Mr Jones and his cult dubbed the Peoples Temple.
After several members attempted to leave the cult in 1978 Mr Jones opened fire on the group killing three journalists, a member of the people’s temple and Mr. Ryan, a California congressman – who was visiting Jonestown after relatives of people in the cult reported claims of abuse.
After the incident assuming the death of the US congress man would lead to the inevitable end of Jonestown – Mr Jones organised a mass suicide.
Mr Jones ordered his followers under the threat from armed guards to drink cyanide-laced punch. Some members of the cult were even forcibly injected with cyanide from syringes.
The owner of the company Roselyn Sewcharran has claimed the goal of the tourist attraction is not sensationalism but to educate visitors on the “the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority and the circumstances that led to this devastating event.”
“I’ve always been curious about social issues and their impact,” she said.
“There genuinely was a desire to learn more about this significant chapter of our past."
Despite the backlash, some have argued that there is a double standard in where we perceive some of these "dark tourist locations" due to tourists frequently visiting places such as visit Auschwitz and the Colosseum.
Daily Star Sunday
The location where hundreds of people lost their lives in a truly horrific cult massacre has become a tourist destination – the move has sparked backlash as some have called it 'a money grab'
The site of a cult massacre where more than 900 people died has been opened as a tourist destination.
The company Wanderlust Adventures GY, offering visitors a trip to the site of the cult massacre – as part of a $750 wider package – claimed their aim is to educate visitors on “the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority”.
The survivors of the massacre have called it "a money grab” and with some locals distancing themselves from the massacre, omitting it from their history. Located in Guyana, Jonestown the site is home to one of the deadliest cult tragedies, where more than 900 people died in November 18, 1978.
After decades of wrestling with how to handle the Jonestown legacy, Guyana has now started to allow tourists into the traumatic site where the cult operated in the small south American country.
But the move has been been met with backlash.
Kit Nascimento, 93, a Guyanese government spokesman at the time of the horrific cult massacre has criticised the move. The former government spokesperson said opening the sites only revises an image which has been fading and went on to dub the horrific event an American tragedy that happened to occur on Guyanese soil.
“It’s of no consequence whatsoever to the current population,” he said, “And I don’t think we have a particular responsibility to teach the world about cults.”
John Cobb,66, one of the survivors of the horrific tragedy has dubbed the tourist attraction as “a money grab to capitalize on a tragedy.”
Cobb lost a heart-breaking 11 relatives due to the cult including his mother and five of his siblings.
In 1977 Mr Jones alongside hundreds of followers moved to Guyana to start what the cult leader claimed was a self-sufficient, interracial community. Those admitted into the cult were required to handover their life savings, passports and possessions and laboured 12 hours a day.
After facing accusations of physical abuse and financial fraud by the the relatives cult members the U.S. mounted a legal investigation into Mr Jones and his cult dubbed the Peoples Temple.
After several members attempted to leave the cult in 1978 Mr Jones opened fire on the group killing three journalists, a member of the people’s temple and Mr. Ryan, a California congressman – who was visiting Jonestown after relatives of people in the cult reported claims of abuse.
After the incident assuming the death of the US congress man would lead to the inevitable end of Jonestown – Mr Jones organised a mass suicide.
Mr Jones ordered his followers under the threat from armed guards to drink cyanide-laced punch. Some members of the cult were even forcibly injected with cyanide from syringes.
The owner of the company Roselyn Sewcharran has claimed the goal of the tourist attraction is not sensationalism but to educate visitors on the “the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority and the circumstances that led to this devastating event.”
“I’ve always been curious about social issues and their impact,” she said.
“There genuinely was a desire to learn more about this significant chapter of our past."
Despite the backlash, some have argued that there is a double standard in where we perceive some of these "dark tourist locations" due to tourists frequently visiting places such as visit Auschwitz and the Colosseum.
Daily Star Sunday