It is no secret that Zari Hassan, Zarinah Tlale, Zari The Boss Lady or whatever you want to call her is one of the most followed personalities on social media in the region. But the ‘Tulambule ne Zari’ campaign is on the verge of backfiring if the tourism ministry does not twitch their gameplan.
As junior tourism minister, Godfrey Kiwanda rightly put it, her following is exactly why Zari was appointed Uganda’s tourism ambassador despite most Uganda expressing concern to the contrary.
But from the photos Zari is posting across her social media platforms, it has become increasingly clear that the ‘Boss Lady’ is not exactly promoting Ugandan tourism but simply on a mission to slay, chill and promote herself at the expense of Ugandans.
Over 75 per cent of the photos that Zari has posted in the guise of making Uganda’s unique features known to the world have her in them — mostly with minister Kiwanda enjoying themselves.
This has left most Ugandans asking if Zari is the tourist attraction Uganda is marketing.
With over 4.3m followers on Instagram, Zari has the potential to showcase the best Uganda has to offer but this mission is plagued by poor photography, the desire for her to appear in almost all the photos instead of wildlife, scenery, sunsets, food and culture and the clear lack of a game plan.
A new Zari/kiwanda tourist attraction: come see country of WHITE ELEPHANTS! “Come dance and sit on new empty shinny roads and enjoy rolex!” Travel in the new model kiwandaDMC upz 459! ?! https://t.co/iPM3tX1Ft0
— sejusadavid (@sejudav) November 9, 2018
…meanwhile, the Hon Minister is touring Zari instead….
The rest if the team looks on.
Tourism has gone far pic.twitter.com/cD4C8kxpQG— The Ugandan Patriot (@theugandan2) November 8, 2018
How much time should we give to Zari to stop talking to goats and carrying potatoes from banana plantations?
— ???Tel (@HiRolla1) November 8, 2018
But as she clearly put it, she is out there enjoying her ‘freedom.’ The free food, excessive security, five-star hotel treatment and nature are just a bonus.
