This documentary examines the growing trend among women who go on holiday to looking for romance, and two very modern Shirley Valentines tell their stories.
This weeks was about the Dominican Republic next weeks about Turkey
Shame.... some channel 4 stuff is thought provoking.
The guys involved in this sometimes did it with their families blessing...to catch a white women. Even if they had children and local girlfriends.
They saw it as a pragmatic approach to improving their lot.
Going clubbing and picking up white women was considered WORK.
Interesting to get into mind set.
They werent considered prostitutes. How would a women be viewed? Diffently I expect. They were more like gigolos..... Seemed as if the men were incharge to me.
Oh that's a shame, sorry Momodou I thought you would be able to access though the link. Maybe it will be put on you tube.
I think next weeks one on Turkish toyboys is more relevant to the convo Turk and I had.
They were suppose to be filming in Gambia but that was cancelled this April.
This basically followed 3 woman over 50 to a hotel in the Dominican Republic. One of the woman had met a guy considerably younger than her and had spent in the region of 5 thousand pounds visiting him in the hotel that year or should i say this year. Another had a 'boyfriend' that you didn't hear much about and her friend in her 60s (67 I think) had met a guy this visit 30 years younger than her and basically it just viewed these relationships though 'their' Lens.
I found it hard to determine who was the hunter and who was the hunted. I personally thought that both party's played a good game.I certainly found it hard to buy into anyones naivety and thought the hotel manager was right on the ball. I think it would have been interesting to have seen those womens reactions when they watched the final edit the men seemed brutality honest about their feelings or lack of them at least on Camera.
I think the women would have been shocked and hurt by the final edit. But TV companies do what they need to do to make good TV. The guys didnt dress it up for the cameras at all.
Do you think the mind set is the same in Gambia?
I think a 30 year age gap is difficult in any culture.... Ok in the short term...but what about when one is 80..and the other only 50.
I watched this last night on 4OD..Hmm..it's all in the editing you know. I have a feeling that those women knew the score quite well and wouldn't have been at all surprised at the final edit. Sensationalism that ain't, though.
Yeah, sex and economics have always been interlinked. I recall recently a similar programme about male sex tourists in Thailand; we were invited to feel similar pity for them. Well I don't. How many marriages here in the UK, say, would have gone forward had fortunes fallen? Why 'pity' people who in some small way are brightening their lives? A chaque a son gout and all that.
Yeah I didn't think it was sensationalised. In fact I was surprised as to how 'honest' it was.
Bits I wasn't comfortable with the 'lock up your sons' on the school gate comment, having a 'relationship' with a man you not only have nothing in common with but also cannot name 1 thing you actually talk about!!! I think that woman seemed more in love with the notion of being in love, that might have been a turning point in her life.
I do think theres a refreshing honesty about the 'relationships' that go on in the Caribbean as opposed to say Gambia or Ghana maybe because its a new phenomena in west Africa. I certainly think theres been a rise in the past 5 years say.
I do agree Formby that these women were switched on I felt no pity, the reluctance to talk about how much money was left or changed hands ,yet he was quite blatant in asking for money and to show his disdain when he thought there was no more coming.
I think the only one that didn't really get it was the young girl (no idea where she was from) and that I've seen a lot in Gambia.
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Posted - 06 Dec 2008 : 21:33:45
