A country in need of a national image

In the Lonely Planet guidebook, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is introduced as being "famous for its cold winter".

It's just one example that some locals use to show that, outside of the country, few people know anything about this former Soviet state.

Astana, which is in the northeast, has a population of 850,000 and contributes about 40 percent of the national GDP. Next year, it will host the world expo.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is the largest country by geographical area in Central Asia, has rich natural resources, good relations with its neighbors, especially Russia, and is growing closer to the European Union and China.

Yet experts say the country still lacks any strong national image.

The topic was a major theme at the 13th Eurasian Media Forum in Astana in late April.

In one discussion, Roman Vassilenko, the Kazakh vice-minister of foreign affairs, says Kazakhstan cares a lot about how it is viewed overseas.

The country is a peaceful one with more than 190 ethnic groups, he explains.

"We have a goal to make our country 50 percent green by the 2050s," he says, while adding that the nation is helping it neighbors via bilateral systems, economic structures and development agencies.

Yerbol Shormanov, vice-chairman of Astana Expo 2017, also added in a group discussion that he believes Kazakhstan can become a global leader in green energy.

The expo, to be held June 10 to Sept 10, has "Future Energy" as its theme and is expected to attract 100 countries as well as at least 10 international organizations, 10 innovative technology companies and more than 2 million visitors.

However, Simon Anholt, an independent British policy adviser, economist and branding expert, says staging a major international event is no guarantee of a better national image.

He cites the football World Cup finals held in South Africa and Brazil, which according to his research damaged both countries' image.

"When people watch it on TV, they do not just watch the football, but also hours of documentary footage about the host," he says. "If your country that has a lot of poverty or inequality, which people were not previously aware of, they will see all that on the TV and they will be surprised, and will downgrade your country."

Anholt does feel that China's image was improved by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and continues to improve each year.

"A lot of things China is doing are absolutely the right things to do, such as trying to collaborate with NASA on Mars missions," he says.

To project a good image, he advises countries consider the why as much as the how: "If your policies and your actions are driven by the desire to improve your image, then they will be false."

For example, Anholt adds, if Kazakhstan wants to promote the value of existing on sustainable energy, it should invest in replacing fossil fuels with green alternatives.

"If you do the right thing, for the right reasons, eventually, people will recognize that, but it does take a long time," he says.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/13/2016 page28)