More than a game

Cricket unites; but wait a minute, it does more than that; it is a leveller; unlike many other games that are class and colour specific in their representation and popularity cricket just breaks the ceilings on haves and have nots, those who know and those who don't, those who watch and those who hear, those who play and those who don't; take this; ICC Championship final 2017, India Vs Pakistan, and this is true for not just watching it live but watching a replay for the millionth time - Mohammad Amir taking Virat Kohli's wicket, the reaction of somebody in designer clothes watching inside his executive suite and a labourer standing outside a small shop with an ancient TV, reaction is in unison, the raise of hands, the joy on the face and the exclamation, all are identical.
Cricket has long grown out of being a lordly gentleman's game to a street boy battle that has made class, education and resources immaterial. Legends are now no longer Oxford-educated people of a certain class but those who have played cricket on mud, sand, concrete at locations which defy description. Thus, when the final matches of PSL happened last year in Lahore and this year in Karachi we saw unbridled joy and excitement on every face in the country. This sentiment was of course a manifestation of an expression of love but also an expression of what we represent as a nation and as Pakistanis; this was a voice to ourselves as a nation that we are a normal, patriotic, fun loving country; this was a voice telling the world that what you believe is not what we are; this was a voice of a nation that is a far cry from what it is perceived to be.
However to make a concerted effort to project this image in once a year sports event is not enough. We need constant communication to the world on how Pakistan really is. This can be done with a two pronged strategy - Firstly to project our best face to the world and secondly to make the good faces in the world say good things about us. Pakistanis stand out in all fields including sports. Every profession has extraordinary names that the world would love to hear and know more about. From the field of arts and from the domain of science we have established new names that have a unique story to tell about their journey and Pakistan's journey. These individuals need to be listed, engaged and projected.
From the entertainment industry to sports, from software wizards to cultural folk singers, from entrepreneurs to philanthropists we have amazing stars that can shed a positive light on the name of Pakistan. We need to make them our goodwill ambassadors. If United Nation all over the world choose these individuals to promote causes to the rest of the world, why can't Pakistan choose them for the cause of projecting Pakistan a peaceful and progressive nation? I am sure there is no cause higher than this and I am sure no artist or professional will refuse this opportunity of contributing to this cause.
Similarly, we need to develop international goodwill ambassadors. If people like Darren Sammy and JP Duminy can be bowled over by Pakistan's hospitality and culture so can many other stars in other fields. Again, it is a question of strategically planning whom to target. We have many overseas artists and professionals who are willing to visit Pakistan and write and share stories of their experience. These individuals can be from international media, entertainment industry, archaeologists, scientists etc who can be firstly engaged to visit the country and if the experience is positive for them they can become goodwill ambassadors of the country.
This effort needs to be planned not only at the country level but at the city level. All over the world major cities are branded to project country images. London, Paris, NYC (New York City) are symbols that carry branding value that enhance national perception. This is not automatic as they are marketed as well as a coke or pepsi. Merchandising city names on T shirts and mugs are just one way of promoting the name. Indian city of Gujrat was branded by having city ambassadors to create goodwill both nationally and internationally. Amitabh Bachan was the city ambassador who made Gujrat compare to the more illustrious Mumbai or Delhi. Thus for Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta we can have City ambassadors who feature in local and international promotional events.
Every city and every country faces image issues some time in their history, however their goodwill is sustained through a series of planned actions that are in place to face such eventuality. Bangkok was in the grip of terrorism for a long time, so was Colombo, but every time an incident happened they would project various international figures endorsing the country. That is why we say perception is bigger than reality. An example of this is the recent happiness index released by United Nations. Pakistan figures at 75th place much higher than India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The Index is based on not only per capita but social support, freedom to make life choices and generosity. This reflection that Pakistanis are a more happy go lucky nation is a complete contrast to the misery that is portrayed on the international media about us. Similarly, India that is placed on 122, almost 47 positions below Pakistan comes across as a nation which is much more free, modern and progressive.
In today's visual and digital world images can be made and destroyed in a flash. One picture can change the whole image of an individual and a nation. What is needed is a crafted plan to protect the perception of the country. They say no matter how good a product is, it needs to be marketed. Pakistan is a case study of not just not being marketed but being negatively marketed. We don't need big budget spending to upgrade images. What we need is a few reputable names, a diversity of faces with versatile skills, and a constant projection of them to the right audience to create a positive perception. The will to see, promote, project the good is what goodwill endorsement is all about. (The writer can be reached at [email protected])