Obama name makes good marketing for Africa

As one enters the African pavilion at Dubai’s Global Village it’s hard not to notice a huge banner bearing the smiling faces of Obama family members.

With inscriptions reading “Son of Africa”, the huge poster placed conspicuously at the entrance plays a rather vital role and according to Jalal Balala, the chief organiser of the pavilion, “it’s a deliberate move that brings in the much needed publicity.”

From Accra in the west to Johannesburg in the south and Nairobi situated in the east, the African continent is currently riding high on US’s President Barack Obama’s name to market itself.

“The Obama buzz makes good marketing sense for the African continent and with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa fast approaching, the ‘Obama effect’ has sparked a surge in interest in much of Africa as a preferred business and tourist destination,” Balala told Alrroya.com.

For four weeks in June 2010, South Africa will be the centre of the world as the nation hosts Football World Cup - the world’s biggest sporting event after the Olympic Games - in terms of television audience.

An estimated three million international visitors are expected in the country, with billions of viewers worldwide expected to follow the games on televisions.

“There’s no doubt that his reign as the US president would make a huge contribution to Africa’s socio-economic growth and to the development of the continent as a whole,” Balala said.

African-Americans tracing their roots

The election of President Obama, whose father was an immigrant from Kenya, already appears to be encouraging African-Americans to trace their roots and respective countries have not been slow in capitalising on this move.

Kenya’s Tourist Board (KTB) says the fact that President Obama’s father was from Kenya has led to an increase in Americans visiting the country.

“Ripple effects of Obama’s election are already being felt in Kenya, with a significant surge in visitors eager to trace the president’s African roots,” a KTB official says.

Last week, analysts in Madrid at the annual Fitur Trade Fair said Africa is slowly starting to fulfill its vast potential for both business and tourism.

“There has been a shift in the way people look at Africa,” said Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

“Compared to 10 years ago they have come a long, long way. Africa is now considered a very serious destination for leisure and business travellers from the major generating markets,” he added.

It was the only continent to see a rise in the number of international visitor arrivals last year - with travellers increasing by 5 per cent. That compared to fall of 4 per cent worldwide, attributed to the economic crisis and the swine flu pandemic.

However Rifai said Africa’s share of the tourist market was still only 5 per cent - or around 50 million tourists from a total of nearly 900 million.

Obama merchandise sells hot

Thirty-two nations, including the US are taking part in the June World Cup event and the Game’s Organising Chief Danny Jordaan hopes Obama’s name will help push the number of travellers to Africa even higher.

“The competition will help promote the country’s tourism industry in new markets, especially in the Americas,” he said. Last year, Fifa President Sepp Blatter revealed that president Obama had accepted the invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the soccer finals.

Sounding sentimental, Edward Mwangi, the Charge d'Affaires at the Kenyan embassy in Abu Dhabi told Alrroya.com: “The World Cup is the most important and exciting thing to happen to Africa, and not just the host nation, South Africa. The event comes at a crucial time when there’s so much interest in Obama’s life story, which also touches on the story of Africa.”

Elsewhere, Dubai-based trader Chris Tswane is designing his range of ‘Obama’ merchandise that he plans to sell in his home city of Johannesburg, during the 2010 World Cup games.

At his humble store situated in the back alleys of Deira, Tswane’s ‘stock’ includes T-shirts emblazoned with famous Obama’s quotes, earrings, pens, scarves and caps bearing delicate mosaics of the famous ‘Son of Africa.’

“Obama is good marketing for my merchandise,” the burly trader says, adding that his business has been doing well since “many people in this region have developed a particular liking to brother ‘Hussein’.”

Fondly referring to Obama’s middle name, Tswane says “Many Arab’s in this region might not be knowledgeable about Africa, but with brother Hussein’s election the continent has been thrust into their imagination.”