The Sunday News
Phineas Chauke
IT is not only viruses that are borne in and transmitted through the air. Love and affection too can be diffused in the same manner. If you exhibit confidence in yourself and love yourself, others will catch on the vibe, but if you do not love yourself you render yourself unlovable. Sometimes we unwittingly and unconsciously send the wrong signal to the world, that there is something wrong with who we are, our way of life and everything that surrounds us.
It is up to Zimbabweans to love and cherish brand Zimbabwe and everything that it embodies and represents, then, and only then, will the world give us meaningful attention. Prevailing trends and available statistics indicate that Zimbabweans have not fully risen to the occasion in as far as exploring and consuming the diverse tourism products that we, as a nation, wish to serve to the world.
In the African set up, it is taboo for one to prepare a meal, serve others and not partake in it themselves.
Zimbabwe has so much to offer to the world, products that can raise the profile of the nation and brighten its fortunes tremendously (and I am still talking about tourism). We need to package it appropriately and position it strategically. It is probably time we look into more holistic ways of promoting our tourism. Let’s bear in mind that in this business, all things are connected to one another.
If negative publicity can have adverse effects on our tourism performance, any shred of favourable publicity in any field can be harnessed to boost tourism. Other countries have managed to use the things that in the local scene have been considered negligible, to make a long-standing and domineering impression on global citizens. The United States of America have managed to influence world contemporary cultures through music and film thereby asserting themselves as the epitome of human civilisation.
Closer to home, South Africa and Nigeria have left their footprints across Africa through production, packaging and distribution of their cultural products such as music and film production. People fall in love with places they have never been to through movies and an affinity with such places develop.
They swear they are going to visit those places with their loved ones before they die. South African and Nigerian music is played across the continent and names and pictures of icons and places in those countries are depicted everywhere in other African countries including on motor vehicles, public places, entertainment and leisure facilities.
What this tells us is that the people who have such names and pictures on whatever platform have a wish to visit such places. What then shall we say is the problem with our music and our films. Probably nothing but one sure thing is that they have not managed to make disciples for Zimbabwe in the international market. But first things first, how is the uptake of these productions locally?
Is our interest in these productions big enough to inspire confidence in foreigners? Could it be a mere coincidence that Oliver Mtukudzi who enjoyed tremendous support locally also had overwhelming success beyond our borders? What about the film industry? Could it be a matter of quality of productions? I may not be qualified to give answers to these questions but sure fact is that these artistic products could be used as tools to national tourism.
Zimbabwe also has a wide variety of local (traditional) food stuffs that could penetrate world markets, only if we are bold and confident enough to prepare and present them to the tourists. This could be a stepping stone towards commercialisation of such food items to the international market thereby exporting Zimbabwean culture to the world.
That would boost the nation’s tourism in a big way. The scenario that quickly comes to mind is if a tourist were to stay with a Zimbabwean family for two weeks, would they see any of such foodstuffs as umfushwa, amacimbi, amasi, umxhanxa, umcaba, ibhobola among others on the dining table or they would see Western foods prepared in Western recipes throughout their sojourn?
While it is good to appreciate the offerings of others, it is prudent to embrace our own, cherish it and guide others to realise the value in it. We could also leverage on our artistic talents and productions for the promotion of Zimbabwe as a tourist destination.
– Phineas Chauke is a Tourism Consultant, Marketer and Tour-Guide. Contact him on: +263776058523, [email protected]
