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By Fred Itua, just back from Dubai
Dubai, unlike other holiday destinations for folks across the globe, stands out for so many obvious reasons. The allure and tourism face of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a testament that nothing is impossible if the right leaders are in power.
From the horn of Africa to the cold mountains of Australia; from coastal cities of Florida, to the desert of Libya, holiday lovers besiege Dubai, as the preferred destination. Each time you visit, there is always new that stares at you. The skyscrapers, high-rise buildings, man-made beaches, desert ride, among others, make your stay in Dubai, a memorable experience.
In the first week of March, global Afrobeat community, converged on Dubai, for AfroZons Dubai Soundoff. The event gave participants an opportunity to see Dubai with an Afrobeat theme. It was sponsored by Dubai’s Department for Economy and Tourism (DET), in partnership with American Afrobeat promoters, AfroZons.
The Soundoff had in attendance Radio hosts, celebrities and key opinion leaders in the Afrobeat community from across the globe. Popular Afrobeat sensation, D’Banj, who was the first ever artist to put an Afrobeat song in the UK top 10 with his single “Oliver Twist”, tantalised participants with unforgettable tunes.
Over 150 people from around the world participated. Travellers from the USA, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda, UK, and Angola, joined Afrobeat celebrities from around the world to go through this mind-blowing tour of Dubai
Over 20 journalists from across Africa attended. The journalists did not only experience the glamour of the Soundoff, but had stories of participants to tell.
During the buildup to the event, radio hosts, gave their listeners the opportunity to win free tickets to attend the Soundoff. About 72 winners were cleared to attend the event.
The winners were from the USA, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, and Angola. The winners received flight tickets, accommodation, tickets to Expo 2020, access to the very exclusive AfroZonsDXB Desert Party and all activities linked to the Soundoff.
Beside the fun and other ‘associated’ experience, there were other side attractions about Dubai that are worth telling.
Museum of the Future
A visit to Museum of the Future, was an experience worth keeping. It is an exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services, and products. It is located in the Financial District of Dubai. The Museum of the Future has three main elements: green hill, building, and void.
It was ounded by the Dubai Future Foundation. The Museum of the Future claims that it seeks to foster solutions to the challenges that future cities face, in addition to housing innovations and being a hub that brings researchers, designers, inventors and financiers under one roof.
The museum has hosted innovation labs dedicated to several sectors, including health, education, smart cities, energy and transport. It also supports and tests new inventions in partnership with research institutes and universities.
When next you’re in Dubai, visit, just for a token. The experience will leave you with lasting memories.
La Perle Theatre Show
The show, which I witnessed, was a modern masterpiece. From acrobats and motorcyclists who perform gravity-defying stunts, the show is a stunning spectacle. There were several instances where the performers left you gasping and afraid of their lives.
For example, one such stunt is five motorists performing at lightning-fast speed in the Globe of Death. This sequence left me and others in awe of the performers. The show incorporated the culture of the Middle East, with twirling dervishes adorned with illuminated dresses on a dark stage. The show also featured Chinese Lion Dance which includes incredible leaps on elevated platforms.
The show is a 90-minute long bewitching spectacle and the cast comprises of 65 world-class performers from over 23 cultures. You may try that when next you visit Dubai.
Desert Safari ride
Desert Safari in Dubai is the peak of all experiences. It gave me an adrenaline rush as soon as I hit the sands. The enthralling adventure was unique. The sunset and how serious leaders turned a huge disadvantage into something that is exceptional are shocking.
If you’ve a phobia for desperado kind of ride, avoid Desert Safari ride. You’ll technically die and come back alive. In all, it was a worthy experience. One I won’t forget in a hurry.
The Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa Tower, is a skyscraper in Dubai. It was one of the sites visited during the one week ‘workation’ to Dubai. Beneath the edifice, is the world’s largest shopping Mall, Dubai Mall. It takes hours to navigate through the huge expanse.
The Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, supplanting Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status. If you’ve a phobia for height, well hold your breath. But it was a worthy experience.
Paramount Bay Hotel and delicacies
Ranked as one of the biggest and best hotels in Dubai, Paramount Bay, located at the heartbeat of the city, was a good host. The five-star got, had everything in place. Good customer service. Brilliant staff and almost zero per cent racism.
For folks from other parts of the world, their cuisines were perfect, but not so for a village boy like me and for many other Africans. For one week, we were tormented with cuisines that were alien to us, until we were rescued by Kiza Restaurant, where we had a taste of real African delicacy.
The verdict and appreciation
My trip to Dubai, which came as a pleasant surprise, wouldn’t have been possible without the magic wand of Tonye Princewill- a philanthropist, an engineer, a politician and now a tourism guru. Supported by Dubai Tourism, he made the trip a success.
But beyond this, he offered a pathway on how Nigeria can learn from the success story of Dubai. For him, African leaders must get it right. He appealed to Nigerian leaders to begin to take the issue of development more seriously.
Speaking during the tour, he said: “I came here with media practitioners from all over Africa to show them what we are missing and give them a chance to see first hand, what is possible. My hope is that they will tell others what we need to be doing differently in our own environments so we can get different results.
“A close look at Dubai and you can see that they are in the business of thinking. As you may have heard, there is a famous saying that ‘you are not what you think, but what you think, you are.’
“Dubai is thinking and they are driving us all to think differently so that we can prepare for the implementation of our thoughts. Every future project, begins with an idea, a concept and as we say in engineering, a design.
“If other children are preparing, we should be preparing too. It’s the duty of all of us to be forward thinking, but it’s the duty of leaders to make sure it happens.
“The Museum of the Future is asking you to begin with the end in mind and this is what Africans need to be doing. A future without oil can only be addressed by a people who prepare for it.”
