DON'T MISS ANYTHING!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest news, personalised insights, and must-read stories from Jafriq Radio straight to your inbox with our free newsletters.
Listeners:
Top listeners:
LISTEN NOW: JafriQ Radio Live On Jafriq Radio
[ad_1]
I was seated near the aisle of an ASKY Boeing 737, bound for Accra. With less than two hours to go, I turned to Netflix on my phone to keep myself from dozing off. I had a few movies saved, including a new espionage series, The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Set in 1967, it recounts the events leading to the Six-Day War between Israel and Syria. Cohen plays an Israeli secret agent, tasked by Mossad to infiltrate Syria’s security and diplomatic circles. His dangerous mission was to gather intelligence that could prevent Syrian attacks on Israel.
About an hour in, I was engrossed in the second episode. Cohen’s character was driven by a fierce sense of duty, willing to die for his country. While watching, I reflected on the international communication themes that echoed through the show, realizing how the series seemed to reinforce the narrative of Israeli patriotism amidst the ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts.
“Movies really are a powerful tool of international communication,” I muttered to myself, thinking back to what I’d learned during my international communications classes in college. Just then, the pilot’s voice broke through the cabin, announcing that we were ready for takeoff and reminding us to switch off our devices. I complied quickly, as I always do, and reached for the in-flight magazine tucked into the seat pocket in front of me.
ASKY, a Togolese airline closely linked with Ethiopian Airlines, is one of the few that flies in and out of Roberts International Airport each week. The bilingual magazine (in English and French) featured stories and photos of destinations like Accra, Lagos, Abidjan, Dakar, Brazzaville, and Monrovia. Flipping through the pages, I found a spread showcasing eight cities with images representing iconic features for each one–Abuja, Lagos, Accra, Abidjan, Douala, Dakar, Ouagadougou, Kinshasa, and Robertsville.
Curious, I scrutinized the images. Seven cities were represented by recognizable landmarks, but “Robertsville” had me stumped. “Where’s Robertsville?” I wondered. My journalistic instincts kicked in, and in no time, I deduced that Robertsville was likely a reference to Roberts International Airport. However, the mislabeling did not puzzle me, but rather the image below it–a blurry aerial shot of West Point, Liberia’s largest slum.
As a communications pratitioner, I understood the importance of symbols in nation branding. The concept immediately reminded me of Liberia’s international branding discussions, where iconic features like Paris’ Eiffel Tower, New York’s Statute of Liberty, or Accra’s Independence Square helped shape global perceptions about these cities.
But the magazine representing Liberia with an image of West Point felt like a missed opportunity. Instead of projecting an image that could enhance Liberia’s identity, this portrayal could easily reinforce stereotypes about poverty, leaving outsiders with little impression about our beautiful country. Like every Liberian, I’m aware of the shortcomings – infrastructure and services – but the need for national branding is becoming more palpable.
A well-crafted image not only attracts tourism and investment but also builds a country’s soft power. France, for example, has long used its cultural symbols–like the Eiffel Tower–to communicate its sophistication, romance, and creativity to the world. For Egypt and its Pyramids, this is a message to italicize the rich history of the Africa nation’s civilization. Such branding helps boost tourism, attract foreign investors, and foster diplomatic ties. But what happens when a country neglects its image, or worse, neglect efforts to ensure negative images are not projected?
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Almost finished…
We need to confirm your email address.
To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.
There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.
As the plane ascended, I found myself lost in thought. Liberia, like any country, deserves to be seen for its full potential. Nation branding is about more than just landmarks; it’s about shaping how the world sees you and the opportunities that perception can create.
When I returned to the movie, I tried to juxtapose nation branding with nationalism and patriotism. The link I found was pretty blurry but enough to convince me that countries use motion pictures to project a positive image beyond their borders.
One week later, I’m back in Monrovia. Still concerned about Monrovia’s poor image in the in-flight magazine, I phoned my good friend Maelouisa Hill, the Assistant Minister for National Branding at the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism. She was equally frustrated as I was. I could only surmise that branding or rebranding Liberia is an arduous task.
[ad_2]
Source link
Written by: jafriqradio
africa Business current events economy Liberia news Politics sports trade travel Travel and Tourism West Africa
Get the latest news, personalised insights, and must-read stories from Jafriq Radio straight to your inbox with our free newsletters.
Учетная запись в binance on March 2, 2025
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good. https://accounts.binance.com/zh-CN/register?ref=VDVEQ78S
創建免費帳戶 on March 24, 2025
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
binance us register on June 20, 2025
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
take creatine while fasting on August 18, 2025
This is provided that you consume Creatine by
itself, such as the powder in an unsweetened beverage
dissolved in water. Merely remember to take creatine throughout your eating window, not while fasting.
The future seems bright for integrating creatine and intermittent fasting to take creatine while fasting your health progress
to the subsequent level.
Supplementation helps muscle cells produce extra energy, enhances train performance, and hastens muscle development.
Many people are most likely to take branched-chain amino acids (BCAA’s) once they train during fasting.
Nevertheless, technically speaking, amino acids will induce an insulin response that can cease
the autophagy process and break your quick. As we stated before, creatine is
great for fasting and gained’t break your fast.
Nonetheless, if you have the choice, Is recommend taking creatine
with meals. Insulin ranges won’t rise during fasting, so creatine will not be
completely absorbed.
Pre-workout typically incorporates components like caffeine
and creatine which have minimal caloric content. Whereas they might stimulate metabolic processes, whether or not they disrupt fasting is determined by particular person factors and the particular fasting protocol
you are following. Particular Person reactions to creatine
and fasting packages can differ tremendously.
Luckily, there are a number of pre workout choices that
don’t include any calories. For example, Cellucor C4 has
no sugar or sweeteners and is a superb possibility for many
who apply intermittent fasting. It contains caffeine for energy, citrulline malate to increase blood flow and delay fatigue, and other necessary elements for your exercise.
To maintain your fasting state, it’s greatest to opt
for pre-workout options which are free from calories
and insulin-stimulating ingredients.
Anyway, here are a couple of of essentially the most distinguished ingredients in pre-workouts and their effect on a quick.
This also means a decreased threat of type 2 diabetes, primarily based on many research on the topic, and reducing dangers
of coronary heart illnesses, up to an impressive 19%, with a daily consumption of seven-hundred ml of
coffee. This article/study, done on a really small pattern of patients,
seems to indicate that espresso consumption had no impression on ghrelin or leptin levels.
In the article, they even say that decaffeinated coffee seemed to
have extra impact on appetite than actual coffee.
Please know that ingesting coffee or taking caffeine
in complement form is totally okay, and it
won’t break your fast. First of all, creatine doesn’t
include any calories, so technically it is not going to have an result on your fast in any method.
Nevertheless, some people claim that creatine spikes
your insulin levels, which is not true. Creatine, quite the opposite, improves insulin resistance and
glucose tolerance in wholesome people and in people
with kind 2 diabetes.
Nonetheless, while consuming creatine, you have to eat meals full of carbohydrates and protein. This is because carbs and proteins might help absorb creatine well.
Instead you should drink plenty of water to ensure optimum absorption. Avoid drinks with sugar, fake sweeteners, or anything caloric that could spike
your insulin and finish your quick. These pure drinks are your greatest wager
for staying hydrated while fasting.
The proper strategy not solely makes your drink
extra pleasant but also helps you maintain a consistent
daily consumption. This technique entails fasting for 20 hours
and eating within a 4-hour window, sometimes
at evening. Since meals are concentrated shortly, nutrient-dense foods and supplements may
help optimize well being. By selecting fasting-safe dietary supplements, you’ll have the ability to assist your body’s wants while maintaining
the benefits of fasting. Making the right decisions will
assist you to keep energized and really feel your finest all through your fasting journey.
Taking pre-workout 1-2 hours BEFORE your exercise could allow the metabolism-enhancing results to fully kick in so that you end right as your eating window opens.
That means, no interval of your intermittent
fasting schedule is interrupted.
When combined properly, pre-workout dietary supplements can increase the advantages of
intermittent fasting. By picking pre-workouts with science-backed elements like these or taking
them solo, you build upon intermittent fasting’s already impressive benefits.
No, analysis shows that creatine has little effect on insulin ranges,
therefore why it doesn’t break a fast. Despite flashy advertising claims, research
persistently exhibits that different varieties don’t outperform the unique monohydrate model.
One study actually discovered creatine ethyl ester was
worse at rising blood and muscle creatine ranges. While creatine HCl is 38 instances extra soluble than monohydrate,
there is no evidence this improved solubility interprets to higher
results.
aryba.kg on August 18, 2025
best creatine to gain muscle fast
References:
creatine on a fast (aryba.kg)
testosterone trenbolone dianabol cycle on August 20, 2025
sustanon and dianabol cycle
References:
testosterone trenbolone dianabol cycle
https://www.keeperexchange.org/employer/wachstumshormone-als-medikament on August 21, 2025
dosage of hgh for bodybuilding
References:
hgh wirkungseintritt Bodybuilding, https://www.keeperexchange.org/employer/wachstumshormone-als-medikament,
Valley.md on August 22, 2025
definition steroids
References:
Valley.md