Pure Misery, Or . . .

On the first glimpse, the slum area looks pretty miserable, and it would only be natural (at least for a spoiled Westerner like myself) to conclude that all people living here must be extremely poor. Extending that stereotypical misconception just one step further, one might start thinking about the people living here as somehow dysfunctionals, drunkards, drug addicts, sex workers, criminals or the likes, who haven't yet had the good fortune of taking part in some international development project. According to UN-workers, these are fallacies often held by urban residents and policy makers alike around the globe. But if you think that you can write off the Sukumbasi's living here like that, you would be gravely mistaken!
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