NO COMPLAINTS FROM UAE: PM lauds Bahamas’ participation in Expo 2020 despite public criticism

NO COMPLAINTS FROM UAE: PM lauds Bahamas’ participation in Expo 2020 despite public criticism
Bahamian performers put on a show at Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE, in January 2022. (OPM COMMUNICATIONS)

Davis says Dubai experience will prove “life-changing” for Bahamians who attended

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis yesterday heralded The Bahamas’ participation in Expo 2020 Dubai as an opportunity to be heard on the world stage and also to form invaluable partnerships.

His comments come amid heavy criticism back home over the large delegation that traveled, which failed to include prominent cultural performers like the Bahamas National Youth Choir; the choice of representatives, which included a religious group potentially in contravention of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Islamic practices; the controversial attendance of some high-ranking government and law enforcement officials; and the overall cost to taxpayers.

Our presence and participation are opportunities for both friendship and tourism.

– Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis delivers an address at Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE, in January 2022. (OPM COMMUNICATIONS)

Nonetheless, as he brought remarks during the Bahamas National Day at the expo yesterday, Davis said he was “very grateful and proud that so many Bahamians have been able to attend”.

“For small countries such as The Bahamas, it is sometimes difficult for our voices to be heard on the world stage,” the prime minister said.

“But we know that when we sing and dance and fully express our creative, cultural identity, we make a much bigger splash in the global imagination and in turn, we know that it is also a chance for us to see others, to listen to them and to learn.

“By building friendships, by exploring joint opportunities and by working together to overcome the great global challenges of these times, this is how the ‘Spirit of Expo’ is kindled and will continue…

“Whether it is an investment in a growing technological future or acting jointly to address the existential challenges of climate change, for each of us here, for all of us around the world, we can be certain that we are all in this together.”

Like some other government officials who defended the Bahamian delegation’s attendance by asserting it will help re-kindle tourism, Davis noted the marketing opportunity for The Bahamas.

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We want you to come and visit — to stay a while and experience how life can still indeed be ‘Better in The Bahamas.’

– Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis

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“We consider Expo fundamentally to be about the relationship between the peoples of the world, the promotion of friendship and cooperation through culture and the unyielding capacity of human beings to pursue a higher order of civilization through innovation and adaptation,” he said.

“It is a chance for countries to get to know each other better, or perhaps introduce themselves to each other for the first time.

“Many Bahamians here in Dubai have been surprised at how many people have never heard of The Bahamas.

“Our presence and participation are opportunities for both friendship and tourism.

“We want you to come and visit — to stay a while and experience how life can still indeed be ‘Better in The Bahamas.’”

Davis also painted the cultural immersion as a “life-changing” experience for the Bahamians who got to attend, expressing optimism that it will inspire innovation.

Meanwhile, the official opposition is awaiting a response from the government regarding its call for a detailed account of the country’s participation, including justification for how participants were selected.

About Rayne Morgan

Rayne Morgan is a copy editor at Eyewitness News. As a former reporter, she has amassed several years’ experience in the mass media field, writing for both local and international publications, and continues to lend her expertise in grammar and editing to the industry.

3 comments

Clint Watson and Shaback is not the best that The Bahamas has to offer. It was a horrible performance. What happened to The National Youth Choir?

With all the covid going around and we are warned to STAY HOME ,you dare to travel ?? And not to show any environmental issues that need to be address ,you are just telling everyone that the Bahamas are just a party tourist spot ?? Doesn’t make any sense .Just the price to enter the Bahamas is enough to turn tourists off .Makes more sense to spend a million on roads not completed ,airports in shambles ,hospitals not finished .WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ???And the environmental destruction impacted by developers I guess you’d better watch out what you wish for ,you Just might get it and you’re getting it now .Really smart ??????????????

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