AT first, there was outrage in Africa over US president Donald Trump’s vulgar comment about the continent. Now, some governments and tourism operators are seeing the funny side to help promote Africa’s many attractions.
Trump referred to African nations as “shithole countries” last week during a meeting in Washington, according to several participants, although the US leader denied using that language.
The Gondwana Collection, a private tourism operator in Namibia, has released a video featuring the southern African nation’s wildlife and natural beauty.
OKAY! Absolutely great PR. https://t.co/DYEWoo7msq
— Fred Martins (@fredmartinx) January 16, 2018
A narrator mimicking Trump’s voice and repeating his remark invites people to visit “Africa’s number one” such country. He also reminds listeners of an earlier gaffe when Trump met African leaders and referred to a non-existent country called “Nambia”.
Gys Joubert, Gondwana Collection’s managing director, said: “You can fight the negative with the negative, or you can give some pushback with the tongue-in-cheek approach.
Botswana’s government, which also relies heavily on wildlife tourism, has posted images on Twitter of elephants and other animals drinking in the wild of what it calls a “waterhole country”.
Last week, Botswana authorities summoned the US ambassador to clarify whether the country really was held in such poor regard after years of good relations with the United States.
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