People living in poverty near Soccer City stadium outside Johannesburg battle police during anti-World Cup protests. Local residents demand houses rather than world-class stadiums.
Recommended reading: Ashwin Desai’s The Poors and this article.
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2 replies on “‘The Poors’ vs South Africa 2010”
Unfortunately, this is unsurprising. Yet another case of a global sporting event marketed as a vehicle for development being revealed as a tournament for those elites with money to burn. The World Cup is an enormous money-spinner for FIFA. The development angle is just a justification to give the general public as to why their tax money is being spent on needless stadia rather than improving the lives of the very poor. This isn’t just a SA problem but a global one. It’s just that the difference between rich and poor is so stark in the country. With the amount of money that these tournaments cost and generate, the poor seemingly have no place in it other than token gestures. By all means, continue to host these tournaments but I wish they would leave off the language of development. Who are they trying to kid?
True, this is the dark side of the World Cup in South Africa. I think that Brazil 2014 will be much the same–the continuation of policies antagonizing the poor and further marginalizing the economically disadvantaged, while at the same time presenting a joyful, celebratory face to the world. Going back to the Confederations Cup, and the famous “vuvuzela” controversy (Spanish players, and much world media, criticized the “horrible” or “deafening” noise of these improvised horns)–at the time, the vuvuzela was flouted as an essential part of South African football culture. The Cup, as the World Cup next year, was to be “truly South African” and the world has to accept it. Of course, when 2010 comes around, as this video reflects, who will be at the stadiums? Who will be blowing vuvuzelas inside them? Undoubtedly, a symbol of South Africa will be appropriated while something more representative of the state of things–ie, poverty–will be swept under the rug for a time.