APA-Banjul (The Gambia) Billboards in ornate language, videos aggressive in their promotional contents, theme songs, radio talk shows and national exhortations on newspapers whipping up patriotic fervour, contrive to make a bold statement.
Gambia’s date with destiny will not be denied.
The 15th summit of heads of state and government of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Banjul finally beckons (4th and 5th May) and nothing else seems to matter more than making a lasting impression for the world to take away and remember for a long time.
In the lead up to the seminal dates, everything else pales into insignificance compared with a simple short term national ambition – successfully hosting an elite gathering of some of the world’s most important political, religious and business leaders and hope immediate post-summit interest in the country will not fritter away as soon as the delegates leave.
This exercise in national self-validation is leaving nothing to chance and the power of publicity by the local media’s written and spoken word is being deployed to show off Africa’s smallest mainland nation like the latest sensation breaking free from the hard shell of obscurity and into the international fold for the very first time.
For context, the OIC is a motley collection of countries banded together by dint of a common Islamic heritage, a feature which will inform the agendas of the summit in Banjul from the political crises blighting the Middle East to poverty, terrorism, climate change and other development challenges affecting the worldwide Muslim community or ummah.
At 31.66 million km2 it commands a vast surface area of the world and boasts of 1.81 billion inhabitants evenly distributed in regions and nations as diverse as Nigeria and Mozambique are from Malaysia and Pakistan.
After a series of false dawns and near-deadline misses which raised naturally uncomfortable questions about its untried and untested capacity to host the summit of the 57-member organization, the West African nation of just over 2 million appears hungry to prove a point.
At regular intersections of Gambia’s first dual carriageway, stretching 22km from the junction of the main airport past the imposing international conference centre, which is the summit venue, to the main highway connecting the nation’s capital, oversize portraits of a smiling President Adama Barrow, stare down invitingly as motorists hurtle past.
Silhouetting his genial frame are flags of every hue representing the nations making up the OIC, an organization which since its founding in 1969 has morphed into a modern day colossus dwarfed only by the United Nations in its global reach.
Sometimes contemptuously written off as that thin slither of territory lodged precariously inside Senegal like a listless worm, its citizens can’t wait for their non-descript, lowly-rated nation to shine on the global stage given all the odds heavily stacked against The Gambia when she was first named as 2019 summit host.
The countdown to the OIC Banjul summit weaves the story of a nation desperate for the transformative power of redemption in the eyes of a world brutally skeptical of the ability of smaller states to punch above their weight.
Flushed with excitement, the mood in the country has been steadily gathering momentum.
Quiet confidence exudes among those charged with making sure The Gambia surpass expectations as a developing country inexperienced in managing such flagship gatherings of bona fide kings, sultans, governors, presidents, prime ministers and their elephantine delegations.
Their national pride surging and almost touching the sky, even citizens otherwise disenchanted over the biting economic hardships of recent times, have jumped on the bandwagon thanks to the longest streak of media sensitization relentlessly oiled by the deep pockets of the OIC Secretariat in Banjul for over three years – a national record for sustained advertisement of an event well before its ‘use-by’ date.
‘’This summit is a testament to our nation’s growing stature and the respect we command in the global community’’ said Ade Daramy, a member of the OIC media sub-committee.
‘’This is our moment to shine, to show the world the strides we have made in governance, infrastructure, and cultural preservation’’ he posited, writing in one of the country’s leading newspapers, The Standard.
While chiding Gambians for a misplaced tendency to downplay national achievements, he sounded a clarion call ‘‘to rally together, to demonstrate our unity, hospitality, and commitment to progress’’.
From a ‘Gambianocentric’ perspective, his vehement fervour is forgivable, even understandable given the sum and substance of the occasion.
A summit of this magnitude in respect of its global significance and implications is uncharted territory for The Gambia, best known as a modest holidaymakers’ destination which on average attracts north of 300, 000 arrivals for tepid six-month seasonal recreations.
The closest ‘the smiling coast of Africa’ has ever come to hosting a truly big and spectacular event was in 2006 when it was the venue for the African Union heads of state summit and attracted a vintage lineup of the continent’s political leaders at the time. It was also remembered for the much vaunted presence of Venezuela’s charismatic late leftist leader Hugo Chavez who was greatly admired for being one of Africa’s truest friends.
18 years later that seminal moment is on the verge of being dwarfed, if the views of many Gambians are anything to go by. The stakes couldn’t be higher and national pride couldn’t be more fiercely articulated when the second largest gathering of world leaders after the UN General Assembly convenes in Banjul for its periodic discourse on contemporary issues affecting the Islamic world.
Leading this national charge is President Barrow who has suddenly found his voice, taking full control of the public relations jauggernaut, exhorting lukewarm sections of the population to take pride and belief in the mantra of pulling off ‘the mother of all OIC summits’ which would change how the rest of the world view this dirt-poor modest country with barely the correct infrastructure to put on a show of any kind for its international friends.
Generally criticized for being too disinclined to talk about burning issues affecting his compatriots, President Barrow has suddenly loosened up and comes across as a very articulate promoter and defender of the country’s reputation as a stable democracy that has earned its stripes as the centre of world attention during the summit.
One big challenge is to ensure the rest of the world maintains more than a cursory interest in his country beyond the timescale of the summit.
President Barrow was an unknown quantity when the responsibility of hosting the event went to The Gambia, the second ever venue in sub-Saharan Africa after Senegal (in 1991 and 2008). That privilege fell on his predecessor Yahya Jammeh, who championed Gambia’s bid while attending the 12th OIC summit in the Egyptian capital Cairo in 2013.
Jammeh had talked up his country’s suitability for an OIC summit and other delegates had obliged by their vote, confirming Gambia as a host country.
Three years and two summits later, the former soldier-turned statesman suffered the ignominy of a presidential election loss while his successor sits on the cusp of enjoying the unprecedented distinction of finally bringing the OIC community to Banjul albeit on the back of two embarassing postponements.
As self-appointed promoter-in-chief President Barrow has been very swift in his PR offensive, even smooth-talking the media through the course of a rare interaction at state house where he set about literally counting the costs and the blessings as host.
The summit he said is too good an opportunity for his country to miss out on, explaining the curt refusal by his government to give in to repeated calls for The Gambia to forfeit its hosting rights to other nations waiting in the wings to snap up the chance.
“We want the world to see what we are capable of as a country… and although we may be small we want to prove to the world that we can host events of such magnitude” he told local journalists who were asked to temper professional inclinations with patriotic ardour in relation to turning the country into one whole exposition fair.
The most obvious blessing for President Barrow is having his country on the world map for good reasons.
To boot, the international conference centre named after late founding President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, being the main showpiece of the event as its venue is already generating money on hire. Built to the tune of a $50 million investment package by China in 2019, the centre located within the tourism development area to ensure easy access to nearby hotels, has plenary and banquet halls, thematic rooms, press quarters and a cafeteria. It is reputed to be one of the biggest of its kind in West Africa.
Another perk for The Gambia as OIC chair is presiding over meetings and events of the organisation for the next three years, an opportunity which President Barrow said his government will exploit to cut trade and investment deals with potential investors during this period.
In monetary terms a $92.5 million grant provided by Saudi Fund for Development went into building the infrastructure required for the summit. They include Gambia’s first dual carriageway, stretching 22km along the OIC concentrated area, a VVIP lounge at the country’s main airport, the national energy grid’s transmission and distribution network and a system for the production, treatment, and distribution of water.
While a five-star hotel being built will not be fit for purpose on time for the summit, there are enough hotel accommodations for the 3000 delegates being envisaged for the event, according to President Barrow.
However, Gambia’s limited hotels and small flight landing space at its only airport means some contingencies have been made with neighbouring Senegal, according to the grapevine.
Since hosting some of the world’s elites requires a top-of-the-range security system in place, the government has been in locked steps with its counterparts in West Africa for the gathering and sharing of intelligence to this end.
Morocco had undertaken to train up to 3,000 Gambian security personnel being readied for the summit.
Meanwhile the summit venue has been rendered off-limit to people and activities not associated with the event as national security guards manned gates leading to the 14,000 square-meter conference center.
The summit’s theme is ”Enhancing Unity and Solidarity Through Dialogue for Sustainable Development”.
WN/as/APA