Does Victoria Falls need a KFC?

I have been fortunate to spend some time in Victoria Falls in two trips over the last three years. Both were to attend weddings and I am eternally grateful to my friends who got married there and invited me. As the Zimbabwean economy improved I noticed the increase in tourists as well as commercial enterprises geared towards tourism. This is wonderful because the town and the country need the foreign currency and jobs desperately.

One evening on my short walk home from dinner I noticed that there was now a big shiny KFC along the road adjoining one of the petrol stations. Im not sure why KFC caught my eye immediately after dinner. I’m also not sure how long it has been there but I had never noticed it before. Disclaimer: I don’t visit the Falls that often, it’s so expensive. I also dont eat KFC that often, despite how it looks!

Anyway, seeing that KFC made me think. Why does Victoria Falls need a KFC? The town has wonderful tourist attractions and very good restaurants and eateries so what value does this establishment actually add? At the same time I was horrified to find a notice in the hotel I was staying which asked tourists to resist the urge to buy curios from local vendors as this will “encourage them and make the problem worse”.

So cholesterol and heart disease peddling KFC (please don’t sue me KFC) adds more value to Victoria Falls than the entrepreneurial curio sellers who are selling personalized, handmade artwork and supporting their families with the proceeds? Something didn’t add up.

KFC are very stringent in their food standards so I imagine many of the inputs into their “cuisine” are imported or sourced from suppliers all over the world. Which means there must be a limited amount of local content originating from Victoria Falls. But the curios sellers have artifacts made from natural resources originating from the same municipal area.

The KFC will employ maybe 10 people with the profits being distributed through the supply chain and terminating with the franchisee and franchisor. There are hundreds of curio sellers with all the tiny profits going directly to feed their families. Why then is it harder for a curio vendor in Victoria Falls who is from Victoria Falls than an American franchise business?

This time I honestly don’t have a solution to propose. It just struck me that maybe the way society determines what is worthwhile or valuable is broken. Victoria Falls doesn’t need a KFC. But it sure as hell needs a thriving local art and curio market that can support hundreds of families. Sadly, only one seems to be making progress and it’s the one that eating too much of could lead to heart disease.