In Western Europe, billboards and posters advertising
foreign countries are unashamedly trying to tempt you on luxurious holidays to
exotic lands filled with sun, sand, culture and adventure. The displays host
edited-to-perfection photographs of pristine turquoise oceans, unspoilt
forests, snow-capped mountains and savannahs dotted with elephants, zebra and
lions. The captions read “Come Visit…”, “Discover…” and “Relax…”. The
temptation to travel ignited, you find yourself browsing online through package
holidays and weekend city trips, deciding how to treat yourself… after all, you
have been working very hard lately and the grey skies and short days are not
good for your health.
In West Africa, there are also billboards and posters
tempting people to foreign lands. But rather than extravagant tourist ventures,
they are planting the suggestion of ‘study abroad’ or a ‘work holiday’. The signs
vary hugely both in size and quality (or effort in design), but in general the
advertisement is selling the same thing. The temptation on offer is the
facilitation of (usually ‘express’) visas and passports, and assistance with
travel itineraries, accommodation at destination, and study and work
placements, among other things. No lounging women in big sunhats tanning by the
pool. No honeymoon couples entranced by exotic birds or cheetah cubs. No white
water rafting, bungee jumping, or mountain climbing. The images which tempt
people in Africa to travel are those of education, work experience and a better
wage.
The difference may simply reflect a different socio-economic
reality: Relaxing, pleasure-oriented holidays in exclusive resorts are a luxury
that more Western Europeans than West Africans can afford.
Or do the posters reflect different understandings of
adventure, of challenges, of pushing ourselves into new environments and
situations? A new job or a new step in your education is an exciting but
challenging experience in and of itself, even when it isn’t hundreds of miles
and several degrees outside your comfort zone.
Of course, advertisements cannot accurately measure
individual and household motivations for travel abroad. But they do reveal what
the advertisers think is most likely to tempt new clients to travel. It would
seem that while Western European advertising companies believe deserted beaches
and tropical wildlife will tempt Western Europeans to travel, West African
advertising companies feel the temptation lies in work or study opportunities.
Tamara Last undertook an internship at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana May-July 2013, funded by the Migrating out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium.
