Welcome to Dubai’s Expo 2020, the first world’s fair in the Middle East that boasts over 190 participating countries — except Afghanistan, whose new Taliban rulers are a no-show.to make the built-from-scratch Expo village a triumphant tourist attraction and symbol of the United Arab Emirates itself — a feast for the eyes designed to be devoid of politics and built on the promise of globalization.
But a person familiar with pavilion’s operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said Myanmar’s military junta in recent weeks had been trying to overhaul the philanthropist’s exhibit and change the event schedule, with hopes to host nationalist, military rallies over the fair’s six months. Expo organizers, the person added, were trying to prevent the takeover, but the pavilion’s fate remains uncertain.
However, the Palestine pavilion has not officially opened to the public, as employees described a litany of headaches trying to get approval from Israeli authorities to get certain goods out of the occupied West Bank. When asked what prompted the about-face on Palestine’s participation, staffers said it was decided that a Palestinian absence at the massive world’s fair would be worse.
Illustrated wooden tablets sent in from 1,500 ordinary Syrians around the world blanket the pavilion’s walls. But visitors won’t find references to death or displacement — something that staff insists is a happy coincidence, not proof of free speech restrictions. Miniature portraits of Assad and his wife Asma stare down from the mosaic. Other postcard images show musical instruments, flower bouquets and sprawling Syrian breakfasts.
Signage points toward Afghanistan, but its pavilion appears closed — nothing more than a sparse showroom for office furniture. The country’s previous government had arranged the pavilion before the Taliban overran Kabul in the final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal on Aug. 15, forcing President Ashraf Ghani into exile in the UAE and scrapping plans for an Expo showcase, among other things.
Until you are caught kissing someone in public
the “beat and imprison a filipina domestic worker” exhibit is not as popular as they thought it would be
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