We’re allowed to talk about the 2010 World Cup until 2014. Later today our man, historian of African soccer, Peter Alegi, will deliver the keynote address at the 7th Sports in Africa Symposium at Ohio University. Since few of us are in Athens, don’t panic: The whole thing–including Peter’s keynote–will be webcasted live here. Here’s the description:
Look out for a a special issue of African Journalism Studies on “The Fifa World Cup 2010 in the News.” I guest edited. While you’re contemplating whether you’d pay to read the opinions of academics on the greatest sporting event in the world, here’s the relevant parts from my introduction to the special issue:
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, I had blogged about the proliferation of nonsensical press reports claiming 40 000 women would be trafficked into the country during that event.
Shortly after the tournament ended, NPR reported on the startling lack of incidences of trafficking, given all the scare-mongering.
Then yesterday I was amused to read a transcript of an exchange during a meeting of the South African Parliament’s Justice portfolio committee between MPs and a government official. The gist is: no trafficking happened during the World Cup. Here’s an extract:
“The thing that overwhelms most is the level of professionalism of native Africans in knowing how to serve a bottle of wine properly,” said Philip Crawford, a designer of luxury homes from Noosa, Australia.
From a story by The New York Times correspondent in Johannesburg on how the World Cup had changed the way “… they [South Africans] see themselves.”
The World Cup is now over after a final match that unfortunately rivals for negativity, ugliness, aimlessness and overzealous refereeing the 1990 World Cup final in Rome between Germany and Argentina. Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal ensured the right result at least.
We can all go back to our normal lives now. But if, like me, you need more football to tie you over till August (when the major European domestic competitions resume as well as qualifications for continental competitions like the African Nations Cup), here are some good summer reading:
* Social Text has published a set of posts by fans on the 2010 World Cup’s meaning and significance. They are by Jennifer Doyle, Nikhil Singh (who edited the posts), Andrew Ross, Patrick Bond and Eli Jelly-Schapiro, among others. There’s also a piece I did, culled from this blog, about the repeat of widespread xenophobic attacks against black African migrants in South Africa.
* Siddhartha Mitter, an Africa is a Country co-conspirator–in a piece on the new music and culture portal, OkayAfrica –asks whether this World Cup was really African. (BTW, go check out OkayAfrica. It is worth a visit.)
A good way to tide you over till Sunday’s World Cup final is to listen and dance to good music. Here’s five music videos I have on heavy rotation. First up, a current personal favorite of mine: the music video for the Ugandan singer, Jaqee’s single “Moonshine” off her new album. The video was filmed in Uganda and Ethiopia.
This post introduces Neelika Jayawardane as the newest member of the Africa is a Country conspiracy. We’ll have her bio up soon. — Sean Jacobs
Anyone familiar with South Africa knows that its impact with the Dutch produced a contentious past-– a historical collision that had enough momentum to produce repercussions in the present.
But you wouldn’t guess any of that if you landed here in the Cape on Tuesday night. Hours before the Dutch national team and Uruguay faced each other in the Cape Town, it looked as if the whole coastline – from the Cape Flats (the windswept, marshy areas to which those of “mixed” ancestry were forcibly removed during the 20th century) to the Atlantic seaboard (location of multimillion paeans to modernist architecture) – was swept in orange. Tuesday’s 2010 World Cup semi final was the last game to be held at the Green Point Stadium, and Capetonians and Dutch visitors alike flooded the streets of the city in orange afro wigs, orange miner-style overalls, orange oversized clown spectacles.
Ghana’s Black Stars was on a run to make history–to become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup–until they were hustled by Uruguayan gamesmanship.
Here, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Brooklyn, Blitz, backed by a big band, gives proper thanks for the team’s efforts.
– Sean Jacobs
