Just say the word Dubai and the images appear: impossible glass structures glistening in the year-round sun, perfect man-made beaches, yachts, private helicopters, malls and spreads of food that would satisfy Roman emperors - all the things huge amounts of new money can buy.
And yet for me these images are the opposite of what should come to mind.
Having spent the last three months travelling there, I no longer think of the seven star Burj Al Arab hotel when I think of Dubai, but of emaciated, wretched men, lining up for buses before the sun has risen, resigned to the fact that their hard day's work wouldn't earn them enough to buy a round of coffee here. The branding of Dubai has to be one of the greatest PR triumphs of the past 20 years. More...
Watch the BBC video here...
See also:
- No more "inappropriate" behaviour in Dubai...
- Dubai: job losses mount as boom becomes bust...
- Dubai, where domestic workers are sexually abused...
- The dark side of Dubai...
- If you're going to Dubai, read this first...
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