William Shakespeare is Stratford-upon-Avon as Stratford is William Shakespeare. Four hundred years later, the good name and exploits of one citizen continue to define, mould and enrich his hometown. It is a fantastic study in the power of reputation.
The first thing that struck as the bus parked at the Stratford Leisure Centre was the number of buses. I counted 40. Our team left Birmingham City University on three buses. The one bearing us had 31 passengers. The coaches came from various parts of England and the UK.
According to our guide, the population of Stratford-upon-Avon is, on average, 50, 000. It swells to four million during summer as people troop into the town to walk the lanes and streets Shakespeare walked. As they do so, they spend reasonable sums on various artefacts, food and drinks, contributions, plays by the Royal Shakespeare Company and more.
Almost everything the tourists do in this town revolves around William Shakespeare. Stratford hitherto had a strong manufacturing base. It is no longer the main draw. William Shakespeare is the attraction.
Stratford-upon-Avon is the Nnanyelugo benefitting from Shakespeare’s bequest. It refers to the goodwill and glory a father brings to his children. The Bible proclaims this kind of person as a good man that leaves a legacy.
The Shakespearean legacy is enormous and positive. From the Information Centre, you walk straight into a garden by the Avon River. There are statues and carvings, mainly reflecting characters from various Shakespearean plays. The figure of Lady Macbeth and Hamlet are crowd favourites as is that of Shakespeare. Facing you is one of three theatres run by the Royal Shakespeare Company. You can stay to watch a performance or entertain yourself with the open-air live renditions out in the garden at the church end.
Then there is the Holy Trinity Church. Its leaflet proclaims, “Holy Trinity is the church where William Shakespeare was baptised, where he worshipped and where he is buried. We are delighted to welcome the thousands of visitors who come each year to view his final resting place. We are also an active parish church serving the needs of local people”. People have worshipped in that church since 713AD and the current building since 1210AD.
The church draws the attention of every visitor to the tomb and grave of Shakespeare. The Bard of Avon died on the same day of his birth: 23 April. He left a curse for anyone who would turn his remains around, so they left it ever since. The renowned English poet, playwright and actor was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died in 1616.
The three residences of the Shakespeare family are a massive draw. People troop to the Shakespeare Birthplace where he was born, to the Shakespeare New Place, his building in later life and the one belonging to his wife. The City and the Government ensure that maintenance is top-notch.
Macbeth was recommended reading for Literature in the West African School Certificate in my year. It was such a great eye-opener. Shakespeare got the nihilist Macbeth to utter these memorable lines:
Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Shakespeare’s own life shaped out differently. In the Twelfth Night, he urges, “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” His greatness casts an extended, positive aura upon his hometown.
The power of reputation works for Stratford-upon-Avon. Fame is a critical driver of tourism. People visit places with positive renown. Any number of factors can serve as the draw. The experts list elements such as new money, affordable travel, particularly airfares, the growth of corporate travel and experiential travel. Experiential travel such as the visit to Stratford is growing across the world as people want to share positive experiences.
Experts repeatedly assert that tourism has probably the best potential to add to the growth of the African economy. Landry Signe’s 2018 report, Africa’s Tourism Potential: Trends, drivers, opportunities and strategies affirms, “The tourism industry is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, contributing 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), 30 per cent of service exports, and 235 million jobs.
Indeed, each year, approximately 1 billion people travel internationally. By 2030, consumer spending on tourism, hospitality, and recreation in Africa is projected to reach about $261.77 billion, $137.87 billion more than in 2015. From 1998 to 2015, service exports, including “industries without smokestacks” such as tourism, have grown about six times faster than merchandise exports in Africa”.
The tourism ecosystem pulls in participants from various sources. We did not set out for this purpose. The International Summer School at Birmingham City University attracts students at different levels of higher education. Our PhD class from the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University spelt “mature” in comparison with the teens from Asia. There were no fewer than 15 institutions from five countries. China alone accounted for nine, with Taiwan, Spain, Mexico, and Australia. Africa had Nigeria and Uganda.
Will Nigeria tap into tourism and its enormous potentials? Shakespeare says in Act 1, Scene 11 of Julius Caesar, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Modern translators make it a straightforward declaration, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves”.
Chido Nwakanma
