De-Africanised World Cup 2010

Interesting article that highlights some of the fears I had for this tournament. The world have waited an age for this even to be the show case of all that, not just South Africa, but the entire continent had to offer.

Now we can see, like in many other examples, Western cultural imperialism has taken over to such an extent, that the opening ceremony will simply be a host of western music, and if we're really, really lucky, we might get to see a Black man with a drum and a spear at some point in the proceedings.

What's the point of hosting the thing, bankrupting your nation, if at the end of it, you won't be paying more than lip service to what continues to be the cradle of humanity.

This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate that Africa, unlike what the prevalent coverage, is much more than starvation, war, despots and corruption.

This is where we in the Diaspora can make our voices heard to supplement the protests in South Africa itself, and perhaps shame the organisers into doing the right thing...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/world-cup-south-africa-musicians-opening-ceremony-protests