Expo 2020 gives 12 Pacific island countries independent pavilions for the first time

The cultures of the Expo.. The status of women is superior to men in Tonga.. and Saint Lucia is a country in the name of a woman

  • Photography: Osama Abu Ghanem.

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Many visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai stand perplexed in front of the pavilions of specific countries, not imagining that they really exist in the world, such as the Kingdom of Tonga, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Eswatini, Guyana, and Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, and other islands and countries have often fallen from the memory of the world, but the exhibition revived them, highlighting several angles associated with these countries, but the most important of them is the humanitarian aspect related to the future of these countries and the fate of their peoples, in light of the threats they are exposed to, especially the islands. The Pacific Ocean is in real danger.

In contrast to all previous sessions of the Expo, the UAE adopted the idea of ​​“one country and one pavilion”, bringing about a fundamental change in the exhibition system, which has been collecting all the islands and countries of the Pacific Ocean in one pavilion, but every island and country can now, no matter how much its size and population, to express itself and its ideas, and to present its problems and challenges, and the opportunities available to it, in an independent pavilion.

And "Emirates Today", through a tour it carried out in the pavilions of these countries, monitored the curiosity of visitors, happiness and warmth by those in charge of managing and organizing these countries, as the exhibition provides them with a rare space to communicate with hundreds of thousands of people of different nationalities, raising the slogan: " You should come visit us.”

The Kingdom of Tonga is a unique model for these countries, as it is the only kingdom in the Pacific Ocean, and it has a clear desire to strengthen its relationship with the outside world, despite the fact that its actual population is estimated at about 100,000 people only, but they have the right to communicate with the world and receive support and assistance.

Tonga consists of an archipelago of 176 islands, also known as the "Friendly Islands", where women enjoy a privileged position, perhaps superior to men, and despite being subjected to great colonial pressures in their history, they maintained their original rule.

The Tonga pavilion and the rest of the pavilions of unfamiliar countries are distinguished by the presence of a cultural and human heritage that satisfies the passion of visitors, including a presentation of legendary stories in circulation but have an origin in reality.

From the Kingdom of Tonga to the State of Saint Lucia, and in its pavilion, the visitor learns about the beauty of the Pacific islands, and a cultural heritage that extends back to about 3000 BC, and perhaps the most prominent feature of it is that it is the only country that bears the name of a woman, Saint Lucia.

The pavilion's organizers consider the island of Saint Lucia an island of paradise.

Although its area does not exceed 66 square kilometers, it is rich in animals and plants, with more than 2,000 indigenous species, including 200 that are found only on its territory.

From Saint Lucia to the neighboring Samoa pavilion, which expresses different cultures and a clear desire to learn about the world through Expo 2020 Dubai.

No less magic in the Suriname state pavilion, which provides a wonderful opportunity to get to know another world represented by that submerged country in South America, as it is the smallest sovereign country in terms of area and population in South America, but it contains diverse cultures and a unique demographic composition, and is a great example of tolerance. and coexistence.

• 176 islands included in the Kingdom of "Tonga", also known as the "Friendly Islands".


• The UAE has adopted the idea of ​​"one country, one pavilion", bringing about a fundamental change in the exhibition system.


• The exhibition highlights the human aspect related to the future of these countries and the fate of their peoples.