With just days to go until the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off, South Africa is buzzing with excitement. Six years ago Nelson Mandela proudly hoisted the trophy at the FIFA headquarters as his beloved Rainbow Nation was announced “Host of the 2010 World Cup - South Africa!” It will be the first World Cup played on African soil, and the first truly global sporting event to come to the continent (no African nation has ever hosted an Olympic Games either). And so it has been deemed the continent’s coming out party. It is a chance for Africans to show the world that not only are they ready to meet the challenges of this century, but they will do so in the grandest of fashions. Ten stadiums in all, including six brand new or completely renovated structures, will host 32 teams throughout the one month tournament. Unlike the Olympic Games, the World Cup involves multiple cities (9 in South Africa’s case) and lasts over twice as long. With so many opportunities to rub shoulders with the world, sow the seeds of future investment, and celebrate the global game in the birthplace of humanity, can there be a negative side to it all?
If one looks past the glittering lights, the stunning new cathedrals of football, the big name players, and the international leaders they may see it. If one looks past million-dollar sponsorships, the rowdy crowds, and the gleaming golden trophy they may witness it. If one looks past the sportsmanship, the pageantry, and the glory, they might see the injustice, the greed, and the suffering.
I’ll start by saying that overall I think the opportunity for South Africa and the African continent to host the 2010 World Cup is a positive thing. It will open the eyes of the world to an Africa of the future, an Africa brimming with potential. As was the case after South Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, South Africa is looking for a burst of investment and sustainable infrastructure development. It can happen, South Korea is a stunning example of it, but more often than not, the opposite occurs.
Stadiums become “white elephants” and stand, not as monuments to a success, but as glaring reminders of the debt, losses, and wasted efforts. The people, whom for years have built up their excitement for this shining moment, many times become stunned back into the reality of “life after the party”. Who exactly will benefit from this grandest of parties? Nine cities will be hosting games, and with that, inevitably will come people, money, investment, and notoriety. Surely these areas will see an explosion of wealth, but only for a month, and then what? The hope is that through this process visitors will see South Africa (and the continent) as new and exciting places to invest their futures in. Whether investment comes from multi-national companies impressed by Africa’s ability to put on a show or from tourists who wish to make Africa their holiday destination into the future, the possibilities are grand. The key word here is possibility, for there are no guarantees when it comes to this. This is what makes folks here nervous, what exactly will come of all this? And while money will flow through the 9 host cities, what happens to the vast majority of the population, who won’t see a drop in their buckets?
Another dark cloud that will cast a shadow over the tournament is the fact that children and others will become the victims of human trafficking. This disgusting and diabolical trade system tends to follow most major events around the world, from the Olympics to the World Cup; it has become woven into the fabric. The event is used as a “smoke-screen” of sorts to set up shop and trade humans (many times children) for sex, forced labor, and slavery. Officials have been preparing in South Africa to combat such operations during the World Cup, but inevitably they won’t be able to stop it all from happening. Innocence will be lost, lives will be forever changed, and the scars of these acts will remain long into the future. And so, with the joy and ecstasy that will come with the beautiful game’s arrival in Africa, so will come the pain and suffering.
So where does this leave us as people of God? How can we focus on the positives, when such dreadful negatives surround us during this time? These negatives that will forever change peoples’ lives are hard to understand and see. It has been hard to come to peace with the fact that I will be participating in World Cup activities, attending games, and putting my money and energy into something that carries with it these shadows of negativity. As I have my ticket scanned and walk through the turnstile, beaming with happiness, will I be pretending the dark side doesn’t exist? How will we feel, cheering on our beloved Stars & Stripes and Bafana Bafana? Will we be able to do so knowing what is going on behind the scenes? How will we find the balance between celebrating something the African people have been waiting for, for so long, and coming to terms with the negative backlashes felt from it all.
I think we can enjoy the splendor of such an event, as long as we don’t fall into a trap of ignorance. If we educate ourselves as to what the realities are, we will be able to find ways in which to act and mitigate such things from happening at future events. For instance, the Anglican Church in South Africa has teamed up with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa to provide information to their congregations on human trafficking and how to combat it. Through various workshops, they are using the church as a vessel to deliver an extremely important message. Through this process, lives will be saved from the horrors of this practice, and the church community will take on the role of “watch-dog” to help give education, hope, and comfort in addressing a difficult reality. These and other examples have been the focus of many religious, government, and non-profit groups across South Africa during the build up to the World Cup. The church has taken a pragmatic approach to the varying concerns the tournament poses. We can learn a lot from these unifying moments in history. For the people of South Africa, the negatives will become part of “life after the party”, but with a faith in God, and drawing on the spirit of the event, they will move forward with pride. Pride in their nation, gratitude for the chance to connect with the world on such a grand scale, and faith in its fellow brothers and sisters that this is not the end of a celebration, but the beginning of a new era in Africa. It’s Africa’s time to shine, it’s our responsibility to walk alongside them, helping them be as bright as possible!
Part 2 of this reflection will focus on the overall positives of South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and what we can d, as global partners, to ensure our relationships with the people here continue to grow and blossom far beyond 2010.
