Over The Rainbow Nation
Everyone knows that the FIFA World Cup is a pretty big deal.
It’s the biggest single sporting event on the planet, a month of the world’s most popular sport and the world’s best players.
While some people seem to know every single player from every single team, as well as every stadium, every stat and every result, some people struggle to understand the offside rule (actually, I tell a lie, we all do).
With this divide between the footy brains and ‘normal’ people I thought I’d try and look at the non-footballing side of events in South Africa.
Much has been made of South Africa’s turbulent history and an event of this magnitude in this nation would have seemed impossible twenty or thirty years ago. If you don’t know what I am talking about then I can sum it up in one ugly and detestable word. Apartheid.
Apartheid
There was a time when South Africa resembled the Deep South of America in the 60s. Many say it was even worse. Segregation was as widespread as a nasty disease. In my opinion, that is exactly what it was but I am sure you don’t really care what I think. You want facts and info.
Well, if I tell you that black people were given separate areas to live in from whites, treated like second-class citizens, and had their rights crushed by the oppressive tyranny of white supremacists, then I hope that will prove sufficient.
The hero of the anti-apartheid movement was the world-renowned Nelson Mandela or “Madiba” as he is affectionately known by his people. The word ‘legend’ is over used these days but this man exceeds this category.
His twenty-five years of imprisonment on Robben Island (just off the coast from Cape Town) still shocks people around the globe and causes them to admire this monumental human being. Here is a true hero of the struggle for civil rights in South Africa.
It is quite possible that without Mandela and others like him, this moment may never have arrived for South Africa and the world may still have its back turned to a nation divided by colour. South Africa’s sporting ban, which lasted from the 1964 Olympic Games to 1992, was an attempt by the international community to rid South Africa of the cancerous apartheid regime.
You could say it has proven successful but it took a long time to have any effect and it may not even be the main factor in South Africa’s vast change for the better.
Robben Island
One story from that time particularly interested me. After the Italy versus Paraguay match in Cape Town on the BBC, Gabby Logan visited Robben Island prison. There she met former inmates who described the football league they set up in the grounds of the prison while under close watch from the prison guards. Some of the crimes they had been accused were ridiculous and unfounded but that’s a story for another day.
Anyway, teams such as Hotspurs FC, Gunners FC and Manong FC battled it out in three divisions. The net and goalposts were made from material on the beach, as were the trophies, which were then taken from them. How depressingly symbolic of the times, eh?
But this story made me smile because even amongst their harsh and unjustified treatment, they found joy and solace through football. The white supremacist dynasty could not do a thing and this makes me smile all the wider. It just goes to show that sport, and particularly football, has such a great power to enthuse and bring joy to even those in dire circumstances.
It united the inmates in Robben Island in a bond of defiance and in a spirit of goodwill and empathy with each other. Even the most avid football hater must admit that football (or soccer if that’s more your cup of tea) was the real winning factor here.
It Began In Africa
So, as the World Cup continues in the rainbow nation, I hope I have given you some insight into why this is such an important event for the country, not only for South Africa but also for Africa as a whole. It is the first football World Cup to be held on the continent and, with all the issues that are affecting Africa at this time, is a welcome distraction for the people of Africa to enjoy.
There is no doubt they deserve it. Archbishop Desmond Tutu welcomed the nations of the world “home” at the opening ceremony as 32 nations travelled to the “cradle of civilisation” where mankind took its first steps on the earth.
So while you’re watching the likes of Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo tear their opponents apart, try not to get too annoyed with the jubilant buzz of the vuvuzela. It is an African World Cup after all and vuvuzelas are symbolic of the game in Africa. This tournament is a milestone for World and African football but also for the nation, which is now truly living up to its tag as the Rainbow Nation.
Wouldn’t it be fitting if an African nation won it? Yes, but sadly this is unlikely. Stranger things have happened though. North Korea are at the World Cup, for example.
I would definitely go as far as saying that this has been the most colourful and exciting build up to a World Cup that I can remember. While the football hasn’t really been up to standard yet, the atmosphere in the country certainly seems to have set a new standard. You can tell just by watching BBC News or Sky Sports News that this tournament means the world to the people of this recovering nation.
Though sadly Madiba was not being able to attend the opening ceremony because of his great-grandchild’s tragic death was upsetting for all involved but the tournament is now in full swing and the Bafana Bafana (South African national team) know the whole country is behind them.
I bet Rob Green wishes the whole country was behind him too.
1 Comment – Post a comment
Tom_Bevan
Commented 72 months ago - 16th June 2010 - 17:27pm
I love the soul that south africa has brought to the football- the first match was brilliant with the Bafana Bafana singing as they came onto the pitch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X69KValv0As