SRI LANKA @ EXPO 2020: Paradise Lost!
Source:Island
Sri Lanka showcases its pavilion at EXPO 2020, in Dubai, within the South Asian region. When I saw the pavilions of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Afghanistan (this country has no official exhibit but a private collectors items), the SL pavilion is a huge disappointment, indeed. An EXPO is held to show the world where we are heading, more leaning on futuristic hope…not on showcasing only what we have/had…EXPO happens once in five years (Olympics is held every four years) and it’s a once in a decade opportunity. Where is the “WOW” factor in our pavilion? It is NOT about money but I got to know we have spent USD150 million – by any means quite a sum – and created a “pavilion” good enough to be a regular ‘stall’, at a local show, at the BMICH, in Colombo.
Do we have to exhibit so many masks or some girls behind four pots of tea? These we have done over and over and now it’s almost obsolete…instead where is the concept to ” think out of the box ” and offer the visitor a wow factor?
The concept of design of a mega event of this scale and magnitude must be assigned to an internationally-reputed, experienced company. I am not saying we don’t have capable people, locally, but if we assign a task like this to a set of youth – do they have the right exposure or even seen a previous EXPO? Who was the event manager for this?
Instead of displaying a monotonous array of never-ending small posters, then so many masks, couldn’t we have touched on the five senses of delight? Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch: for example mega wall screens with the Kandy Perahara, with sound and real-life ves dances in front, illuminated replica of Sri Pada, in the centre, touching on spiritual wellness and adventure with a virtual tour experience, Ministry of Crab for taste and exotic, flavour, Barbara Sansoni for her fabric magic, etc.
To touch on five senses, we could have created a rotating circular platform on which we position the majestic Maligawa tusker and behind it the mega screen lights up to beats and the Kandy Perahara, next comes two tea-pluckers and screen takes you to the hills, next two tourists with surf boards and we showcase miles of golden beaches, next food, etc,.
We could create a futuristic Lanka with the Lotus Tower centered OR a cube – where a guest walks into a space as he turns, mega screens on top, bottom sides shows Sri Lanka from hills, to Jaffna, to beaches a “universe within a small island” OR have a touch screen where upon touching you get ideas of a four day trip, five day trip digitally lighting up..
Spending USD 150 M surely we could have done much better than installing a few flat screen TV’s on the walls ? Anyone watching a local reality show on our private TV Stations can see what they create backstage nowadays.
My final assessment – Sri Lankan stall gets (not a pavilion) only a pass mark at an exhibition ONLY at the BMICH in Colombo. By the way, I am not comparing that ours should be on the scale of India – but we could have created a wonder even if it’s small).
Rajitha Seneviratne
