Vamos a ir a Sudafrica

Mexican broadcasters are no different from their Euro-American counterparts, in peddling outdated stereotypes about Africa.

The 2010 World Cup mascot, a stuffed lion. Image: Jennifer Su.

It doesn’t matter where you are or are from, Africa can’t win. And Europe and North America (and Australia) don’t have a monopoly on peddling outdated stereotypes of the continent and its people. In yet another “original” 2010 World Cup promo, we find actors and newscasters from Mexico’s Televisa network “on the way to South Africa.” And no, they’re not lost—they’re in Africa, where you find only animals roaming through the bush and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is on repeat. The big laughs come at 0:39 when Enrique Burak, apparently well-known for commenting on sports outside of his expertise, is eaten by a crocodile. The dialogue that follows translates as such:

“What now?”

“Well, he didn’t know that much about soccer anyway, right?”

“Ahh, good point.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the strategy for these promos (you can view another, which is worse, here) is to showcase familiar faces from Televisa in a setting that evokes Africa for typical viewers, which would include that sunset, that wildlife, that look, let’s say, of an African safari. Says Guillermo Roman, marketing director for Televisa Sports, “We’re conscious that there is much more complexity” in South Africa. “Yes, there is cliché, but this is more about getting a smile from people, creating goodwill, so that after that, they see the depth of our work.”

The depth of their work remains to be seen.

Further Reading

After the uprising

Years into Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, the rebellion faces internal fractures, waning support, and military pressure—raising the question of what future, if any, lies ahead for Ambazonian aspirations.

In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Binti, revisited

More than two decades after its release, Lady Jaydee’s debut album still resonates—offering a window into Tanzanian pop, gender politics, and the sound of a generation coming into its own.

The bones beneath our feet

A powerful new documentary follows Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi’s personal and political journey to recover her father’s remains—and to reckon with Kenya’s unfinished struggle for land, justice, and historical memory.

What comes after liberation?

In this wide-ranging conversation, the freedom fighter and former Constitutional Court justice Albie Sachs reflects on law, liberation, and the unfinished work of building a just South Africa.

The cost of care

In Africa’s migration economy, women’s labor fuels households abroad while their own needs are sidelined at home. What does freedom look like when care itself becomes a form of exile?

The memory keepers

A new documentary follows two women’s mission to decolonize Nairobi’s libraries, revealing how good intentions collide with bureaucracy, donor politics, and the ghosts of colonialism.

Making films against amnesia

The director of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ reflects on imperial violence, corporate warfare, and how cinema can disrupt the official record—and help us remember differently.