Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Almost 50 GADRA alumni graduate from Rhodes this week!
  • How it feels to go without water for seven days
  • Cleaning Kowie River and Fairview Spring for World Water Day
  • Local soccer teams avoid SAB Regional League relegation!
  • Bongani Fule: new Eastern Cape Junior Lightweight champion!
  • Bathurst Book Fair is back with a bang!
  • In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Winner: Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana of Makhanda
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Changing the game
Uncategorized

Changing the game

Busisiwe HohoBy Busisiwe HohoMay 13, 2010No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

The “intangible profits” such as national unity and pride that can be gained from hosting the World Cup must not be underestimated, despite the figures pointing to the event delivering heavy economic loss.

The “intangible profits” such as national unity and pride that can be gained from hosting the World Cup must not be underestimated, despite the figures pointing to the event delivering heavy economic loss.

These were the sentiments expressed by football author and associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, Peter Alegi at the seminar “African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World’s
Game”, on Monday.

Hosted by the Rhodes Faculty of Humanities and  the Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust East Cape Consortium, Alegi was introduced by chairperson Ashwin Desai as an analyst who has true love for the game, and sought to explain the history and possible trajectory of football on the continent.

Alegi, author of Laduma!: Soccer, Politics and Society in South Africa, spoke to the hosting of the World Cup and the history of football in Africa, focussing on issues of race, nationhood and pan- Africanism.

He explained that the game has changed dramatically on the continent since it was first introduced to (and in some cases imposed upon) colonial Africa, and has been used to promote social solidarity and national unity with varying results.

Alegi also highlighted the need for South Africans to take steps in ensuring that football becomes a truly national sport. In doing this, “equitable access to the professional game” must be fought for and investments in the sport at grassroots level need to be made.

Along with this, the “cultural dimension” of football must be developed if ideals of national unity are to take root in the country after the World Cup is over.

Football, as Alegi pointed out, has almost limitless potential in changing the  landscape of the world around us. “It surprises us constantly,” he says.

Previous ArticleKingswood beats Hudson Park
Next Article Court move ‘a Grahamstown issue’
Busisiwe Hoho

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.