REBRANDING AFRICA FROM MAURITIUS

Published on Monday, 02 June 2014  Written by Wole Olaoye

When our party of Nigerian public relations professionals landed at the Sir Seewoasagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius, we were mortified by the elegance and cleanliness of the airport.

Trust my countrymen. One thing that we have going for us as a nation is our ability for self-criticism. The average Nigerian traveller is not ashamed to admit the obvious: that he/she wished there was at least one airport back home that could be favourably compared with the Mauritian edifice. That island country is a land of only 1.2 million people but the nationals and their government are taking giant developmental strides.

More about that later. The 26th All Africa Public Relations Conference with the theme ‘Advancing Africa’ was the magnet that brought together PR professionals from many countries in the continent. As happened last year, the African Union fully identified with the cause of rebranding the continent to prepare it for its manifest destiny as the new frontier of investment. The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union chaired the opening ceremony. Every speaker at the forum expressed the sentiment that there was more to Africa than hunger, disease and Boko Haram.

The African story had often been told by foreigners with various agendas. It was time Africans rose up to tell their own story instead of leaving the field for those whose favourite pastime is stereotyping the black man. The conference dispassionately examined the paradox of Africa being more united in the past under military regimes than now when democracy has taken root in most countries. The conference was of the view that strong and purposeful leadership was required to weld the various countries together so that the continent can march forward with unity of purpose. Or how can African people unite when their leaders are operating from the various chambers of the Tower of Babel?

The conference was rich in experienced voices: Loula Zaklama, Peter Mutie, Paul Holmes, Jeremy Galbraith, Tony Ojobo, Wole Adamolekun, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Ian Riley, Jane Valls, Mildred Kaunda, Lekha Seebaluck, Donald Gwira, John Ehiguese, Muyiwa Afolabi, Anthony Okara, Robyn De Villiers, Marilyn Ogar and Kunle Ayeni.  

Zaklama’a presentation on how communication makes or mars a leader with specific reference to Egypt was, in my view, one of the most poignant papers with tons of lessons for any leader who wants to learn from the mistakes of others. Mubarak used to be a great communicator, always in touch with the aspirations of the people. When power fatigue set in, as it often does with those who have overstayed their welcome, he treated his people with contempt. When they poured into the streets, he did not bother to communicate with them for the first 48 hours. When he finally did, he chose the unholy hour of 12 midnight when honest people are supposed to be in bed. And the message? Fire and brimstone on the ‘enemies’ of the state; he would run them all out of town; the protest was the handiwork of his enemies!

It was the political equivalent of pouring petrol on raging flames. Egypt exploded. The people said death was better than enduring the continuation of Mubarak’s corrupt and insensitive rule. They made the streets their home. Eventually Mubarak fell.

In the same vein, President Morsi rode into power on a gale of popularity that signalled a new beginning. But not long after he sniffed the heroin of power, he started losing touch with the people. President Morsi no longer had the communication skills of Candidate Morsi. He was more interested in amassing even more powers that would entrench him as supreme ruler instead of catering to the immediate needs of the people. He fell.

We might as well carve this theory in stone: In the contemporary world, leaders succeed or fail to the extent that they maintain a healthy communication line with their people, not when the only opinion they tolerate is theirs and their sycophants’.

Am I communicating?

The PR challenges confronting Africa seem daunting. But where there is a will, there must be a way. First, African countries have to put their acts together to change the narrative. With the best will in the world, it is impossible to flaunt a bad product. As the Rastaman said, “You can fool some people some time but you can’t fool all the people all the time”. There is a crying need for professional management of the reputation of African nations and their leaders. Gladly, the African Union appears to be up to the game and has stepped up to the plate.

Mauritius 2014 may go down in history as a game-changer if all the lofty ideas ventilated are put to use.

And we are not talking of rocket science here. The island of Mauritius already shows us that great things can be made to happen in small places. We were impressed by the sugarcane plantations forming a ‘guard of honour’ on both sides of many highways with giant water sprinklers to nourish them.  Throughout our tour from village to beach to city, we didn’t encounter a single pot-hole on the roads. Electricity didn’t blink—thanks to a combination of electricity generation modes, especially from compost. Nothing goes to waste. Tuna fish is canned and exported worldwide. Tourism is a cash cow. No wonder there is zero unemployment. Right from the moment you deplane, the smiling immigration officer or some other official asks you, “Is this your first time in Mauritius? Welcome! Have a pleasant stay!” The taxi drivers are also a bunch of professional, patriotic brand ambassadors.

To be sure, the island had its own share of diverse groups—descendants of Indians, Europeans, Africans and Chinese find brotherhood under the Mauritian flag. Religion is never an issue. Most of those we encountered are bilingual as English and French languages are freely used in the course of day-to-day interactions.

Mauritians are proud of their country as many Africans ought to be of their patch of earth. The fierce waves of the Indian Ocean are controlled by dykes, kilometres from the shore so that when the waves make a landfall they are already tame; otherwise the ocean could have been a threat to lives instead of being a tourist attraction.

If we can make a Mauritius of every local government in Nigeria, we may yet be on our way to becoming the biggest paradise under the sun.