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By Chrispin Inambao from New Era
BEIJING
FOR a week, journalists from a number of African countries were accorded the once-in-a-lifetime privilege to have a transitory glimpse of the Beijing 2008 Olympics attended by royalty, presidents and multitudes that got underway on a spectacular note.
Over the weekend the African media contingent were bused to the Tianjin Olympic Stadium to watch the women soccer match that ended on a one-all score between Canada and the host nation.
It appears despite the negative publicity from certain quarters hell-bent on ridiculing the organisational capabilities of anything that is from a developing country, these poignant Doubting Thomases will this time around be forced to eat humble pie and see the light.
Because since last week's gala opening, experts have showered China with praise for its flawless and breath-ta-king official opening that will be almost impossible to mimic.
Over the weekend the director of Beijing Olympics, Zhang Yimou, boldly said the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, the largest in the Games' history, was unlikely to be surpassed by the next host city, London (2012), or others at least for the next decade.
One of the challenges to Olympians and to organisers alike was the sauna-like climatic conditions and gray hazy skies, plus ill-timed terrorist attacks intended to ruin the games.
China, the third Far Eastern country to host the global sporting extravaganza, splurged tens of billions in hard currency to upgrade and to build fabulous facilities such as the magnificent Bird's Nest Stadium in the vicinity of the world-class Olympic Village.
One thing that is certain is the fact that the Beijing 2008 Olympics would forever change the world's largely ill-informed perception of China that has generally been wrongly seen as a mass importer of junk electronics and cheaper inferior clothes and poor imitations.
Jacques Rogge, the International Olympics Committee president who is a veteran of many Olympic games, including the 1972 Munich Games and the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada, says the Beijing 2008 Games will forever change the world's perception of communist China.
Up to a billion people will watch the games live on television while millions of people are in China for the Summer Olympics.
And from a marketing point of view, the Olympics would beat any known medium for product and brand marketing as the whole world zooms in on this global spectacle.
Before the Seoul 1988 Olympics in South Korea, many countries made it a national pastime to laugh at any product bearing the brand name Samsung that they regarded as voodoo-tech.
The same happened pre-1964 Tokyo Olympics when Africans and others heckled traders of Sony and other Japanese products that they viewed as "low-class" and nothing but junky.
But today the makers of Sony or Samsung have sold and made fabulous fortunes that easily eclipse the GDPs of many African countries combined.
They count among the reasons why the economies of Japan and South Korea are where they are, while other countries, particularly in Africa, are still caught up in the blame-game of attributing all their ill-fortunes, even in blood-socked regimes, to colonialism and the like.
For instance in countries such as Nigeria experts say it generated over US$1.2 trillion in oil revenue but there is nothing to write home about on what it has used this immense monetary wealth on, particularly at the grassroots level and in terms of the much-needed infrastructure.
But this aside the general view is that little-known (outside the domestic market) but high-quality Chinese brands such as Li Ning a sports clothing line, Lenovo computers, TCL high-definition television sets, the Chery car and the multi-function Huawei cell-phone and other communication gadgets carrying this name will become global household names.
For the above brands are to China what Sony is to Japan and Samsung to South Korea.
Of course in this age of globalisation one would not be surprised to see our informal liquor-vending outlets in Katutura and up-market bars selling Tsingtao, the thirst-bursting Chinese lager filled in dumpy green pints and quarts. Full-bodied, it is silky on the tongue.
It should be noted these hospitable people who smile from their hearts just like us in Africa are highly globalised and in their showrooms one can easily see gleaming Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentleys and other toys made for tycoons and for the landed gentry.
Humorous Moments In Beijing
As for members of the African media group who were feted like royalty complete with police escorts, they visited the famed Great Wall of China and one of the highlights was an energy-sapping tour of the world-renowned Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
In short, Tianmen Square is the heart of Beijing and the largest public square in the world. The 44-hectare square is 500 metres wide, 800 metres long and paved with specially treated light granite slate. The Monument to the People's Heroes and Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall stand on the southern end of the square and are visited by millions each year.
During one highly nourishing, multi-coursed Chinese banquet there was drama involving a group of journalists who acted as if they were competing for a gold medal as they nearly emptied the food-laden plates placed in front of them by colourfully attired waitresses.
As they seemed intent on filling their tummies they did not ask their English-speaking Chinese guide on what this or that dish was and un/fortunately they demolished a whole frog. And when they were alerted to what they had just eaten one panic-stricken scriber bleated: "Was that a land or a water frog?" As if that was going to change anything!
It should be noted that in as much as certain African tribes, even some Namibians, eat frogs and in France where they are a much sought-after delicacy, in China they are widely eaten.
And despite the die-tary preferences seen as "backwards", its economy is booming lending credence to my recently-coined axiom: it is not what you eat but what you do that counts. | 