On June 11th, representatives from 32 nations and millions upon millions of futbol (soccer) fans worldwide descended upon South Africa for the beginning of the month-long World Cup. The World Cup is generally billed as the second largest international athletic competition--following the Olympics--and is being hosted in an African nation for the first time in the 80-year history of the tournament. Even Professor Weekes has made the connection between, "the ways in which the TRC process might have had an effect on the 2010 World Soccer Cup Games now being held in South Africa" (Sunday June 6).
As Rotberg detailed in Truth v. Justice, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was the first step in making South Africa the first African nation to host the World Cup. Writes Rotberg of the need for the TRC to come to terms with the past in order to move into the future, "In the South African case, that meant dealing with outrages committed by whites against Africans, Africans against Africans, Africans against whites, and the African National Congress (ANC)against its own members, as well as with whites coming to terms with the evils of apartheid, perpetrated over more than forty years, with blacks primarily the victims" (Rotberg, 6).
While the strides South Africa has made, which are detailed in the linked article, are immense--especially for only being sixteen years since achieving full democracy--there is always the opposing view. Though this article does not cover it, the full 14-page special report in the print edition (if anyone is interested in reading it or about the Israeli siege...whoever edited this issue must have known about our class...please let me know) details some of the drawbacks and steps still remaining that have been totally forgotten because of the positives that are being paraded.
14 years ago
I hope everyone in the class can pick up a copy of this edition of The Economist--or access it online--to read as soon as you've posted your final exam, as a break before starting your final project. I had no idea The Economist would cover this when I thought about this week's questions, but I believed that this was an important issue for us to address or at least mull over. Ben, thank you for posting this here for everyone to read.
ReplyDeleteI think that it will be good and bad. Obviously it is good for tourism and the economy right now with all of the players and fans there for the next month, but the media is also highlighting Apartheid and how it has continued on today in some ways, like white only towns such as Orania. National Youth day was also on June 16th and was highlighted on CNN I believe, about how black children were shot, and some killed, at when protesting Apartheid. I think it will take South Africa a long time to recover their image over Apartheid, and see how they will move on, especially now that there are whites in the country that accuse the ANC of racism by using affirmative action, etc... It should be interesting to see if the media coverage will continue after the World Cup or if the world will tire of the politics there after the last match is won.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Addison that it could be good and bad. While the country still has many issues and problems to deal with, perhaps the World Cup could help continue to heal wounds in the same way that the 1995 Rugby World Cup did. During Nelson Mandela’s presidency from May 1994 to June 1999, he led the transition from minority rule and apartheid. Mandela encouraged black South Africans to get behind the previously hated Springboks, the South African national rugby team, as South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. After the Springboks won a final game over New Zealand, Mandela presented the trophy to Captain Francois Pienaar, who was an Afrikaner, wearing a Springbok shirt with Pienaar's number on the back. This was widely seen as a major step in the reconciliation of white and black South Africans. This was the first major event held in what "the Rainbow Nation." South Africans got behind the 'one team, one country' slogan. Maybe the World Cup will allow the country to come together again.
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