Living in Expo 2020 Village, Francois Ndzue is one of hundreds of people who have travelled to Dubai for the first time to proudly represent his home country's pavilion.
Tucked in a quiet corner of the Sustainability district, you’ll find the 37-year-old standing tall in the Gabon pavilion.
Born and raised in the former French African colony, Mr Ndzue landed in Dubai on September 23, only three months after landing the job at Expo 2020 Dubai. It is his first time visiting what he calls "the land of the sand".
“I remember when the plane came in to land at Dubai I just saw all these tall buildings and the city lights, it was overwhelming,” he said.
You may say I am biased, but for me, Gabon chocolate is special. It is dark, rich, creamy and soon you will be able to taste it right here in our pavilion
Francois Ndzue,
Gabon pavilion
“Oh my goodness, that feeling I had when I was asked to work at Expo, it was great. I knew it would be such a good opportunity and it is the first time I’ve ever worked outside of Gabon, too.”
Living in Expo Village, which he affectionately called “a mini world in one place”, father-of-two Mr Ndzue is on a mission to present Gabon to the world.
Like any great salesmen, he greets visitors with some interesting facts about his native land. Did you know that 88 per cent of its land is covered by tropical forest? Or that its chocolate production is helping the country's economy to rebound?
“Actually, for many years, Gabon’s cocoa sector was ailing but now it is reviving,” he said.
“Our country is covered by 88 per cent of forest so we have a rich and vibrant supply of cocoa beans.
“You may say I am biased, but for me, Gabon chocolate is special. It is dark, rich, creamy and soon you will be able to taste it right here in our pavilion.”
In charge of logistics at the Gabon pavilion, Mr Ndzue said he is trying to bring a taste of his homeland to Dubai, with visitors soon able to purchase items such as banana chips and chocolate.
Though he has been in Dubai for less than a month, he said Expo has given him a “flavour of different cultures all in one place”.
So far he has visited several pavilions while off duty and is fascinated by the traditional dress of each country.
“I love seeing the different dress codes of different countries,” he said, “like Papua New Guinea, for instance. They have traditional dress, which is colourful. It mimics the core of our cultural dress but in Gabon we have a more modern take on it.“
"I like the similarity between both cultures.
“There’s the UAE, too. I found out more about the kandura, the traditional dress of Emirati men. The agal, which is used to hold the scarf on their head, can also be used to secure their camels, it’s so interesting.”
Hoping to bring his wife and two children, aged 9 and 3, to Expo in December, Mr Ndzue said their home pavilion will carry a sense of pride for his family.
And for those looking to visit, they must check out the array of traditional masks on show.
“Our masks hold a great deal of history and meaning and we use them for different ceremonies like births, weddings and funerals,” he said.
“They are made of many different woods and they can represent anything from celebration to grief.
“Both men and women can wear them but the ceremony and community dictates who wears what."
Inside the pavilion you can find the Punu-Lumbo, a tribal mask native to the Ogooue River basin in Gabon.
Community members create naturalistic, white-faced masks that convey idealised visions of womanhood. And the diamond-shaped pattern on the forehead represents scarification, a marker of cultural identity.
Expo 2020 Dubai day 10 – in pictures
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The specs
Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Agreements%20on%20energy%20and%20water%20supply%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Applied%20service%20fees%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20data%20and%20information%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Prohibition%20of%20service%20disconnections%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20complaint%20process%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Management%20of%20debts%20and%20customers%20in%20default%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Services%20provided%20to%20people%20of%20determination%20and%20home%20care%20customers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final