South Africa Breaks the Chains to Host World Cup 2010
When I first heard about South Africa hosting the World Cup a few
years ago I was happy that for the first time an African nation will
be the host country of the world’s most popular sporting event. The
excitement throughout Africa grew from the first day of the
announcement to the last game on July 11th. I recently had the
opportunity to go to Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa to document
the historic event, and find out for myself what this truly meant for
Africa and its people.
I landed in Johannesburg just two days after the kick off celebrations
in Soccer City where they started with an international all
star-studded concert featuring local artists; as well as
world-renowned American superstars the Black Eyed Peas. There was
also warm welcome delivered from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop
Desmond Tutu. Watching the celebration weeks later still ignites
emotion-filled chills sparked by how much attention was given to
Africa in such a positive way.
During the games there were no images of famines, conflict, or
poverty, which are usual depictions of the continent. Instead a happy
side of Africa that many people have never seen before was transmitted
by radio and television airwaves worldwide. The weather in South
Africa at that time was chilly due to fact that it was wintertime
unless you were in Kwazulu- Natal where the sun still shone like it
was the middle of summer, and the beaches were warm from the Indian
Ocean currents.
I named my documentary The World Came To Africa and created a blog
that features pictures and short videos throughout the two weeks I was
there. My first interview was with former striker for South Africa’s
national team Bafana Bafana Marks Maponyane, who won “South African
Football Player of the Year” three times. He now enjoys being a
motivational speaker and sports commentator. He gave me an insightful
perspective on the history of South African soccer under apartheid
when blacks, whites, coloreds and south Asians immigrants were forced
to play under separate leagues. He spoke about South Africa’s
monumental evolution from being banned by FIFA in the 1970s to hosting
the World Cup this year with newly remodeled stadiums and drastically
improved infrastructure. Critics largely from western media outlets
highlighted Africa’s failures, and predicted that the World Cup would
result in a “world disaster” leaving little room for positive
reporting.
Despite these pessimistic predictions, after talking to people and
observing other developments I can say honestly say that South Africa
did a fantastic job hosting although there is still room for
improvement. I witnessed Africans from Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria,
Algeria, and Mozambique integrating and learning more about each other
cultures in social settings.
Pan Africans from Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Americas were able to
stand in solidarity with South Africa as hosts similarly to the many
times they stood alongside freedom fighters working diligently against
the injustice faced by the people of South Africa. This was a time to
support South Africa as many stood side by side with people up until
Nelson Mandela’s (affectionately known by his people as Madiba)
release from prison in 1990. Sadly just hours before the first game
between South Africa and Mexico, Madiba’s great granddaughter Zenani
Mandela passed away in a car accident at the tender age of 13. Always
a leader to his people due to the unfortunate circumstances Madiba was
in private mourning while the rest of the world watched the kick off
game, a shining moment in African history.
The following games featured six African nations with star players
including: Ghana’s Michael Essien, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, and
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o; each hoping to lead their national teams to
the finals. In the end Ghana became the third African team to advance
to the World Cup quarterfinals.
My expectations were met and I am honored to have had the opportunity
to interact with the different groups who supported the event. I pay
homage to the fans, workers, entrepreneurs and families that hosted my
visit to the southern tip of Africa. The journey was a great
experience to see us enjoying ourselves and showing the rest of the
world how we party since many people have had such a narrow minded
view of the continent.
The World Cup did not erase racism, nor did it solve poverty or the
lack of healthcare, but it did bring back pride and hope that if we
can do it once we can do again! The task ahead is not asking whether
FIFA coming to South Africa was supposed to help resolve poverty, but
instead provide South Africans with new motivation to redefine the
struggle for liberation after the monster of apartheid has been
defeated.
Enjoy these short videos that I produced while visiting and if you
want to see more photos you can visit the website I
www.TheWorldCameToAfrica.tumblr.com. The film will eventually be
edited into a 60 minute documentary and distributed via online and at
various film festivals.
