China Nicky: Disappointed but unruffled
“I am very much disappointed by the manner and method through which some individuals in society are interpreting the refusal of the UK government to grant Haja Mariama Kamara aka China Nicky visa for the global tourism event.” These were the words of the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Madam Memunatu Pratt.
Her disappointment came after the winner of the Big Sister 2018 reality show in Sierra Leone, Haja Mariama Kamara popularly known as China Nicky and four other persons in the Tourism Ministry’s delegation were not granted British visas to attend the World Travel Market in London.
The non-issuance of visas by the British government to the Sierra Leone delegation did not delight Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Madam Memunatu Pratt.
She went further to say: “My record of opening travel opportunities to individuals goes far back as my decades of work in the university. As Minister of Tourism, this is not new. We recently traveled with Miss Sierra Leone to France, she said.
She added that the UK government has the right to refuse individuals visas if they are not convinced about your economic status or maybe feel that you may not return in their estimation. “I am very sad that even four of my own staffs were also refused and these are government employees,” the Tourism Minister said.
She maintained however that she is “resolute to build the infrastructure for tourism culture and entertainment.” She added that they have just established the Sierra Leone Entertainment Foundation and that there are many other opportunities for Tourism exposure for our growing talents.
