It looks like the Soccer World Cup is indeed having the nation building effect that many of us were hoping for.
It looks like the Soccer World Cup is indeed having the nation building effect that many of us were hoping for.
We recall the immensely significant warm glow that enveloped the country after the Rugby World Cup victory in 1995 and the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament the year after.
After 300 years of oppression, this country sorely needed a salve to accelerate the healing process between the races.
Unity on the field certainly helped relieve some of the pain and we enjoyed the afterglow for quite some time.
Commentators have expressed the view that this Soccer World Cup needed to have a similar effect. In recent months race relations in this country have taken a sharp downturn, so it has been encouraging to see so many South Africans of all creeds and hues proudly attaching the national flag to their cars, wearing
Bafana Bafana soccer shirts, doing the diski dance, blowing vuvuzelas and generally showing the world that we can do it.
Of course, a few foreign publications wrote articles suggesting that South Africa would not be able to host the event.
These negative articles caused visitors to express surprise at the beautiful stadiums that have so far hosted matches.
But we are are becoming more united while facing external criticism. Many of us who didn’t really enjoy the bellowing of the vuvuzelas suddenly became its most ardent supporters when foreign teams blamed their mediocre performance on the perpetual din in the stadium.
We have all been proud to show the world that we can build world class stadiums that match the best offered by previous hosts such as Germany, Korea and Japan.
And surprise, surprise it was all completed on time. However, perhaps the most interesting surprises come from local cynics who argued that we have bitten off more than we can chew and that we could never get our act together.
We have shown not only the world, but more importantly, we have shown ourselves that we can do it. We now have proof that working together, this nation has the ability to get things done.
