“JabuVuvuWaka, This is How We Do it!”

The excitement has reached fever pitch as South Africa becomes the first African country to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, Soccer’s premier event, which runs from June 11 to July 11. 32 teams qualified for the event, including six African teams: Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and host South Africa. The Kick-Off Celebration Concert held at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg Thursday 10 June 2010, featuring an impressive array of performers from the global community, including: Alicia Keys (US), Angelique Kidjo (Republique du Benin), Amadou & Mariam (Mali), Black Eyed Peas (US), Blk Jks (SA), Freshlyground (SA), Hugh Masekela (SA), John Legend (US), Juanes (Columbian),  K’Naan (Somali), Mzansi Youth Choir (SA), Shakira (Columbia), Soweto Gospel Choir (SA), The Parlotones (SA), Tinariwen (Tuaregs, near Mali), Vieux Farka Toure (Mali), and Vusi Mahlasela (SA).

 Like all things African, the 2010 World Cup is set to change the way the World Cup is done. Check out some of the unique features of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as South Africa welcomes the world.

The Jabulani ball

Jabulani means ‘to Celebrate’ in the isiZulu language. The new ball unveiled during the 2010 FIFA World Cup is made by Adidas and builds on the Adidas company’s years of research and excellence, continuing the company’s history of manufacturing FIFA World Cup balls. Pushing itself to improve the designs each time, the Jabulani is a heavy ball with bonded 3d panels that are moulded spherically to retain shape and create a seamless ball. The amazing Jabulani ball has only 8 panels. Standard soccer balls are made with 32 hexagonal-shaped panels. Although Adidas says Goalkeepers will be happy with the ball’s improved texture, which aids smoother flight, the ‘Jabulani’ ball has been fiercely criticised particularly by goalkeepers who claim its movement in the air is unpredictable. Read more@ http://www.jabulaniball.com

 Vuvuzelas

The horns became popular in South Africa in the 1990s but are part of ancient African culture. Originally made from animal horns and known as Kakaki (West Africa) and Kudu for the variation of the instrument that is made from antelope horn, it is also called the Shofar in Jewish custom. In ancient times, different notes were sounded from the Kakaki to herald the monarch’s messages or summon the community to the village square for important meetings They were also used to sound the alarm for war. Football fans should expect to hear the supporters blow vuvuzelas in the last quarter of the match, as they try to intimidate and eliminate opponents. Complaints made by the Japanese football association among others, to ban the horns from the games were unheeded by FIFA. Health authorities warn fans to expect temporary hearing loss.

Slaughtering the Unifying Cow
A few weeks prior to the opening ceremony, over 2000 people gathered to watch South African tribal chiefs burn incense and slaughter a cow outside Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium in order to invite the ancestors to bless the occasion.  The 94,000-seat Soccer City will stage the opening and final matches of the tournament. Phepsile Maseko, national co-ordinator for the Traditional Healers’ Organisation, said “Firstly, we bless the stadium as a symbol of welcome to the nations that are coming,” she said. “We burnt incense and other medicines and we slaughtered a cow near the stadium. The cow symbolises strength…it is a unifying cow. We don’t want our spirits to be scared of all the different languages.“

The ceremony was meant to cover all the World Cup’s 10 stadiums including Johannesburg’s second stadium Ellis Park, the venue where 43 fans were killed in a soccer stampede in 2001. “The spirits of those people are hanging over all of the stadiums. We need to cleanse those spirits” she explained.

Celebration dances, Street and spectator dancing
Cameroonian footballer Roger Milla changed the face of Soccer goal celebrations during the 1990 World Cup when he celebrated all his four goals by dancing around the corner flag. Finidi George of Nigeria took it up a notch at the 1994 World Cup in Greece when he ran to the corner flag after scoring, kneeling down to perform a dance that imitated a urinating dog. In recent seasons, FIFA has been cracking down on some of the more enthusiastic celebrations. Referees are authorized to book a player who incites the crowd with his goal celebrations.
Supporters and spectators are also expected to join in the vibrant African dancing, as scantily dressed Brazilian women dancing to the Samba beat follow their football team wherever it goes. Singer and UNICEF ambassador Shakira needs no excuse to dance, hence she is also cashing in on the African spirit. She invented a variation of the Zulu warrior dance which she performed to her World Cup opening concert tune on Thursday 10 June: Waka Waka. 

South Africa’s hospitality industry
In addition to teeming sports tourists looking for bargain lodgings, restaurants, transport and souvenirs, South African brothels are gearing up for the increase in business, raising their prices and services by taking on more service outlets and service providers. At previous World Cup venues, host countries have seen increased prostitution. World Cup organizers say up to 40,000 prostitutes are already ‘on site’ arriving in South Africa from Zimbabwe, China, Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, and Venezuela.  Prior to the World Cup, health authorities debated whether to legalize prostitution to prevent a surge in AIDS. Prostitution is responsible for up to 84% of new HIV infections according to a study done in a sub-Saharan African country. The AIDS Consortium is pushing condom programs targeting prostitutes who have flocked into the country to get a piece of the $250 – $2000 per night fee charged during the FIFA World Cup.

The Madiba Factor
Although South Africa is not expected to win the world cup, no home team has ever been eliminated in the first round. South Africa is however expected to advance significantly and might just beat the 150/1 betting odds with Madiba’s (Nelson Mandela) mystical ability to will South African teams to victory. In 1995, just one year after becoming president, he attended the Rugby World Cup to cheer the national team on to beat New Zealand in a win that united the nation. The following year, the national team won the African Cup of Nations when he appeared in a South African soccer jersey.
There has been uncertainty for days as to whether 91-year-old Mandela, whose role in the campaign to win the staging rights for the World Cup was instrumental to the nation’s success in the bid, would attend. Tragic circumstances have however ruled out the speculations as the Nelson Mandela Foundation announced on Friday that Zenani Mandela, 13-year-old grandchild of Zindzi Mandela, one of the two daughters that Mandela had with former wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had been killed in a car accident on Thursday night. The accident occurred after Zenani had returned from the World Cup kickoff concert on Thursday night. The driver of the car in which the teenage had been travelling has been arrested on charges of drunken driving and culpable homicide. The 23-year-old driver has been identified as Sizwe Mankazana, son of Zwelakhe who is Zenani Mandela-Dlamini’s partner. It is unknown how the tragedy would affect the health of the former president who had withdrawn from public life due to age-related debilitation. Zenani was the eldest child of Zoleka Seakamela and one of Mandela’s nine great-grandchildren. The family has asked for privacy as they mourn the terrible loss.

Sportsmanship
Ze nani’s death is the second tragedy around Madiba since the countdown to the World Cup.  Barely two weeks ago, South African Tenor Siphiwo Ntshebe (34) who was confirmed as the voice to perform a signature tune in front of a global TV audience during the opening ceremony, died suddenly of Meningitis.  The opera singer dubbed the next Pavarotti was a British-trained tenor poised on the brink of global stardom after signing a major record label. He was to perform his signature anthem ‘Hope’, featuring the voice of Nelson Mandela with a full orchestra at the World Cup opening ceremony. Siphiwo Ntshebe had just finished recording the album and was rehearsing for the global unveiling at the World Cup opening ceremony of Hope when he was struck by a virulent form of acute bacterial meningitis. He died despite receiving treatment at his UK base.

Africa’s spirit of sportsmanship was put to the test earlier in the year during the African Cup of Nations in January when the Togolese team insisted on playing in spite of the killing of team members by persons suspected to be fighters of the Forces for Liberation of the state of Cabinda. The team’s assistant coach, communication officer and driver were killed and others were injured in an ambush of their motorcade in Angola.  Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe however ordered the team home, earning them an official disqualification for pulling out of the competition.

Late Siphiwo Ntshebe began singing at the age of five and trained in South Africa and Australia before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London in 2004.
In spite of these tragedies, however, the South African spirit remains indomitable and a spokesman for the Nelson Mandela said the Madiba would be present at the event in spirit.