We have new stadiums, the Gautrain, Rea Vaya, upgraded ‘world class’ airports, some improved highways, refurbished hotels and a R90bn boost to our economy, but I would swap it all for the spirit that swept through the country spontaneously on the Wednesday before kick-off at 12noon.
At that moment the country came together again on the streets of our cities, when people came on to the streets in a colourful, noisy and joyous and shared display of exuberance at the start of the World Cup. The noise from the vuvuzelas was deafening, and continued on and off for the rest of the afternoon.
If we could bottle what happened that day, and bring that sense of togetherness and happiness into everything we do, we could solve every problem and deal with every challenge we face as a people. And forget about building ‘world class’ cities, and just focus on creating nice places to live.
[My thinking on this has been encouraged by the new ‘daily life’ blog from Barbara Klugman – see side panel].
Picture: Gisele Wulfsohn
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2 comments:
Nice to hear this! I'm not a football fan, but saw the enormous pride of Mali when they hosted the CAN. I heard some people being sceptical about the cost of the event (and whether it should therefore be hosted in Africa, but I do think it gives an enormous boost to the pride of a nation indeed... too bad for Ghana though :(
thanks Joitske! There were good reasons to be healthily sceptical. Nonetheless it is important not to be cynical and to recognise that good things can happen! The challenge now, as the soccer comes to an end, is how to retain and build on the spirit, and not to become too deflated by the after-party hangover!
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