Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Can sports go beyond the scoreline ?
Its a cliché that we are all used to;
But it is a cliché that is playing out in an inimitable fashion out here. Of sports bringing out something special in South Africa.I can recall very clearly two such games:The first, on the 10th of November 1991, at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, in a one day international cricket match, marking South Africa’s return to international cricket after decades of isolation on account of apartheid. I was one of the 95,000 people who filled in the stadium, waving flags of both India and South Africa, and carrying banners, all of which proclaimed the message of peace and friendship. A late recovery by the Indian middle order and nerves by South Africa saw India winning it narrowly by 3 wickets, but on that day, in that unprecedented context, the crowd was as much for the South Africans as it was for the Indians.The next, and more celebrated magical moment was when Nelson Mandela walked out in his Springboks t shirt in the Rugby world cup finals against New Zealand in 1995, and in that one gesture brought the country together in the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Move over to 2010.
The last two months, one month of the Cup, and the month preceding it, have seen an unprecedented change over South Africa. Many call it the next Mandela moment. Is it superficial ? Artificial ? Is the country just putting on a show ? How long can this last ?While some of these might be valid questions, for the moment, South Africa is living the buzz and excitement of having hosted the most intense and global sports event , and in great style. On my previous visits here, people were full of skepticism and doubt. The world cup was being seen as a drain on the expenses. The shoddy run up and delays in preparations were seen as the brewing of a national embarrassment on a global scale. Even in 2008, Brazil had boasted to FIFA that in case South Africa is not ready, Brazil could host the event at a few months notice. The run up to the event was dominated by dug up construction sites, slow paced infrastructure projects, infighting within the ANC, corruption in public office, spiraling crime, an AIDS epidemic almost out of control, an exodus of skilled workers. South Africa was tethering on the brink of becoming like the rest of Africa.
The fear of embarrassment, coupled with Serious introspection and concerted action on the world cup preparations led to these projects, slowly but surely, getting back on track. Brick by brick, tree by tree, kilometer by kilometer. And slowly, the unviable started slowly becoming less so. The unsure voices started finding greater self belief. Not that any of the problems vanished. But the intense and inspirational thought of demonstrating a sense of achievement and putting up a show the entire world was watching rallied the country around. The game which had hitherto been a game almost exclusively played by the blacks begum to see greater involvement by the whites. The sports loving nation where Rugby and Cricket competed for spots 1 and 2, suddenly saw the world's most popular game leapfrog into its collective imagination.Almost everyone in the country got involved. Volunteers, daily wagers, students, home makers, children, corporates - everybody started connecting with the event and finding a personal stake in the event. The stadia were readied. The roads got wider. The train line started functioning. The airports expanded. Just in time… South Africa was readyThe world was coming. And it came in full force on the 11th of June, when ‘The boys’, the Bafana Bafana, put up a spirited 1-1 draw against fancied Mexico. That really set up a wave of patriotism in one of the world’s most diverse country and created a buzz much stronger than what the vuvuzelas have been able to generate. South Africa became the latest convert to the world’s biggest religion. The Gods of Sao Paulo also became those of Soweto, those of Catalaonia also became those of Cape Town. People from all over the world were supposed to come in. Initially, the numbers were few. Then as positive words found their way around the world, the trickle turned to an avalanche. Today, everywhere in this country, you see brightly hoisted flags of the 32 nations participating in the cup, in full glory. From building exteriors to mall interiors, trains to buses, from pharmacies to restaurants, it seems these flags are everywhere. North Korean flags flutter with pride, adjacent to their southern neighbors. Even if a country has been eliminated long ago, several fans move about with loyal and fierce pride, sporting the jerseys. From the unfancied ones like Algeria, Slovakia and Japan, to the fancied losers like Brazil, England, Italy, France and Argentina, they are everywhere. Most prominent, and unsurprisingly too, are the South African and Ghana flags and supporters. It seems half of South Africa is wearing the Bafana Bafana T shirt. In this, the message going out to the world is clear. South Africa is not just the nasty , crime infested place that newspapers elsewhere make it out to be. It’s a competent, capable nation holding its own and surprising its worst detractors in one of the most defining events in its history. The country is talking of placing a serious bid for the 2020 Olympics based on this success. The same Brazil which two years ago had expressed readiness to host in case South Africa couldn’t, was exhorted by its President, Lula, to strive to match up to the lofty standards set by this South Africa world cup. All this is not to say that the problems have vanished. The ugly factionalism and corruption started rearing its head even in the last days of the world cup. An audit committee reprimanded several government departments for buying millions of dollars worth of match tickets. The South African airlines was pulled up on similar grounds, especially when it had been given a bailout just a few months ago. Threats of a xenophobic attack on foreigners filled up news as well. Locals resenting the high price of tickets making the world cup almost unreachable for them has been a recurring theme throughout the cup. The ex-police chief is sent to jail. The ex-President Mbeki is under fire once again for fiddling while South Africa burnt . The situation on the ground, with unglamorous stuff like unemployment, health care and AIDS, hasn’t changed much. Such issues will come out more in the open once the whistle is blown to crown a new world champion at Soccer City Johannesburg on the 11th of July and once the visitors leave. But nothing will take away from the fact that the country managed to put up a superlative show and demonstrate that they could get together for a cause, and do it in style. For these thirty days, South Africa has been at the centre of the world, and the buzz it has created will find resonance all over the world, long after the vuvuzelas have been silenced.
But it is a cliché that is playing out in an inimitable fashion out here. Of sports bringing out something special in South Africa.I can recall very clearly two such games:The first, on the 10th of November 1991, at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, in a one day international cricket match, marking South Africa’s return to international cricket after decades of isolation on account of apartheid. I was one of the 95,000 people who filled in the stadium, waving flags of both India and South Africa, and carrying banners, all of which proclaimed the message of peace and friendship. A late recovery by the Indian middle order and nerves by South Africa saw India winning it narrowly by 3 wickets, but on that day, in that unprecedented context, the crowd was as much for the South Africans as it was for the Indians.The next, and more celebrated magical moment was when Nelson Mandela walked out in his Springboks t shirt in the Rugby world cup finals against New Zealand in 1995, and in that one gesture brought the country together in the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Move over to 2010.
The last two months, one month of the Cup, and the month preceding it, have seen an unprecedented change over South Africa. Many call it the next Mandela moment. Is it superficial ? Artificial ? Is the country just putting on a show ? How long can this last ?While some of these might be valid questions, for the moment, South Africa is living the buzz and excitement of having hosted the most intense and global sports event , and in great style. On my previous visits here, people were full of skepticism and doubt. The world cup was being seen as a drain on the expenses. The shoddy run up and delays in preparations were seen as the brewing of a national embarrassment on a global scale. Even in 2008, Brazil had boasted to FIFA that in case South Africa is not ready, Brazil could host the event at a few months notice. The run up to the event was dominated by dug up construction sites, slow paced infrastructure projects, infighting within the ANC, corruption in public office, spiraling crime, an AIDS epidemic almost out of control, an exodus of skilled workers. South Africa was tethering on the brink of becoming like the rest of Africa.
The fear of embarrassment, coupled with Serious introspection and concerted action on the world cup preparations led to these projects, slowly but surely, getting back on track. Brick by brick, tree by tree, kilometer by kilometer. And slowly, the unviable started slowly becoming less so. The unsure voices started finding greater self belief. Not that any of the problems vanished. But the intense and inspirational thought of demonstrating a sense of achievement and putting up a show the entire world was watching rallied the country around. The game which had hitherto been a game almost exclusively played by the blacks begum to see greater involvement by the whites. The sports loving nation where Rugby and Cricket competed for spots 1 and 2, suddenly saw the world's most popular game leapfrog into its collective imagination.Almost everyone in the country got involved. Volunteers, daily wagers, students, home makers, children, corporates - everybody started connecting with the event and finding a personal stake in the event. The stadia were readied. The roads got wider. The train line started functioning. The airports expanded. Just in time… South Africa was readyThe world was coming. And it came in full force on the 11th of June, when ‘The boys’, the Bafana Bafana, put up a spirited 1-1 draw against fancied Mexico. That really set up a wave of patriotism in one of the world’s most diverse country and created a buzz much stronger than what the vuvuzelas have been able to generate. South Africa became the latest convert to the world’s biggest religion. The Gods of Sao Paulo also became those of Soweto, those of Catalaonia also became those of Cape Town. People from all over the world were supposed to come in. Initially, the numbers were few. Then as positive words found their way around the world, the trickle turned to an avalanche. Today, everywhere in this country, you see brightly hoisted flags of the 32 nations participating in the cup, in full glory. From building exteriors to mall interiors, trains to buses, from pharmacies to restaurants, it seems these flags are everywhere. North Korean flags flutter with pride, adjacent to their southern neighbors. Even if a country has been eliminated long ago, several fans move about with loyal and fierce pride, sporting the jerseys. From the unfancied ones like Algeria, Slovakia and Japan, to the fancied losers like Brazil, England, Italy, France and Argentina, they are everywhere. Most prominent, and unsurprisingly too, are the South African and Ghana flags and supporters. It seems half of South Africa is wearing the Bafana Bafana T shirt. In this, the message going out to the world is clear. South Africa is not just the nasty , crime infested place that newspapers elsewhere make it out to be. It’s a competent, capable nation holding its own and surprising its worst detractors in one of the most defining events in its history. The country is talking of placing a serious bid for the 2020 Olympics based on this success. The same Brazil which two years ago had expressed readiness to host in case South Africa couldn’t, was exhorted by its President, Lula, to strive to match up to the lofty standards set by this South Africa world cup. All this is not to say that the problems have vanished. The ugly factionalism and corruption started rearing its head even in the last days of the world cup. An audit committee reprimanded several government departments for buying millions of dollars worth of match tickets. The South African airlines was pulled up on similar grounds, especially when it had been given a bailout just a few months ago. Threats of a xenophobic attack on foreigners filled up news as well. Locals resenting the high price of tickets making the world cup almost unreachable for them has been a recurring theme throughout the cup. The ex-police chief is sent to jail. The ex-President Mbeki is under fire once again for fiddling while South Africa burnt . The situation on the ground, with unglamorous stuff like unemployment, health care and AIDS, hasn’t changed much. Such issues will come out more in the open once the whistle is blown to crown a new world champion at Soccer City Johannesburg on the 11th of July and once the visitors leave. But nothing will take away from the fact that the country managed to put up a superlative show and demonstrate that they could get together for a cause, and do it in style. For these thirty days, South Africa has been at the centre of the world, and the buzz it has created will find resonance all over the world, long after the vuvuzelas have been silenced.
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