Beyond Ebola: Fundraising and the Impact of Ebola on Music and Dance Tourism in Guinea

Local, national, and global responses to Ebola contributed to have severe economic consequences during the outbreak in Guinea, West Africa, in 2014 and 2015. In this article, I utilize ethnographic fieldwork data gathered between 2014 and 2016 in the United States and Guinea to examine intersections between Ebola and drum-and-dance tourism camps. I highlight the formation and activities of the Guinea Arts Cooperative (GAC), a community-driven organization that raised funds for the social networks of Guinean expatriates living in Seattle, Washington. Finally, I position the GAC's work among a species of actions that involved leveraging the Ebola outbreak, and interrogate the ethical ramifications of the GAC and its activities.