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Kenya's World Heritage Town Worries Development Will Dilute Culture

Ruud Elmendorp

   LAMU, KENYA - Kenya's island of Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is
   under threat, activists say.

   Authorities are constructing major projects on the mainland, including
   a port and an oil pipeline. They also hope to build the region's first
   coal-fired power plant. While the infrastructure is likely to boost the
   local economy, some Lamu residents worry the development and a flood of
   outsiders will affect the local culture -- and the architecture, which
   some say is already falling apart.

   "We are doing our best to prevent that kind of intervention and new
   developments, so that we can preserve the Lamu," said Abu Bakr Badawi,
   who is with the century-old Riyadha Mosque.

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