Africa the real winner of World Cup
by Mxolisi Nkosi
Deputy Director-General in charge of Africa Bilateral Relations in the Department of International Relations and Co-operation. He writes in his personal capacity.
The Star and Pretoria News, 20100707
The World Cup has given us a taste of what it feels like to have good press coverage. We need to do what we can to keep it that way. More than 50 years after Ghana's independence in 1957, the World Cup has created a new momentum for the regeneration of Africa as envisioned by the continent's foremost thinkers.
This year marks a moment of collective celebration for the peoples of Africa. It is the year of the centennial celebration of the birth of the icon of pan-Africanism, Kwame Nkrumah, and the 110th anniversary of the pan-African movement. It is the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison as well as the 50th commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre. Moreover it is the 50th anniversary of independence of 17 African states, including Patrice Lumumba's Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we join in the celebration of their golden jubilees. Despite numerous challenges of governance, underdevelopment, poverty, disease, conflicts, and exploitation, Africans have displayed remarkable resilience, determination and will to restore their dignity.
Several commentators, including some prominent international media houses, have published damning reviews about Africa and its prospects for the future. This was despite renewed efforts by African leaders to build a normative system based on democracy, good governance and human rights buttressed by a new institutional framework in the form of the nascent African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
Empirical evidence suggests that these instruments and programmes are contributing on an incremental basis to peace, stability and the spread of democracy and sustainable development in Africa. Alas, the stereotypical and prejudiced sentiments towards Africa, commonly known as Afro-pessimism, persist. Africa's determination to occupy its rightful position in the community of nations will never be weakened by these prophets of doom. No degree of cynicism and negativity will detract us from realising the goal of restoring the dignity and integrity of our people.
In the spirit of Kenneth Kaunda's humanism and what we in South Africa call ubuntu/botho, we strive to host the most memorable and historic World Cup. Africans, including those in the diaspora as well as fraternal peoples worldwide, wish South Africa well during this global festival of football. This World Cup has captured the imagination of millions of people globally. It has catapulted Africa to the dizzying heights of the world stage, from a mere snippet and afterthought in news reports to prominent headlines. For a change news coverage is dominated by positive stories celebrating humanity against the mosaic of Africa. We have been spared the stereotypical and selective images of despair that have become synonymous with reports on Africa.
In news coverage of the World Cup we see popular viewing areas teeming with thousands of colourful and enthusiastic fans across the continent and throughout the world. From Masvingo in Zimbabwe, Cabinda in Angola, Mbuji-Mayi in the DRC, Douala in Cameroon, Dodoma in Tanzania, Kanu in Nigeria, to Giza in Egypt, African masses share a sense of pride, affirmation and collective fulfilment as they witness the World Cup spectacle taking place successfully on African soil for the first time. The spontaneity of festivities at fan zones is a celebration of humanity. In this, the African century, there would not have been a more fitting tribute than to host the biggest sporting event in the world in Africa, the cradle of humankind. In a way it is a homecoming and vindication for the multitudes from various corners of the world.
This event has the potential to reverse the negative trend that has characterised the contemporary narrative on Africa and its prospects for prosperity and development. Pundits from different schools of thought agree that future global economic growth will increasingly come from the global South. Political and economic reforms undertaken by African countries will be an important part of this reconfiguration.
Africa aspires to shed the image of extreme poverty and endemic conflict with which it has been associated. With the world's attention firmly focused on the continent, we have a rare opportunity to use this event as a platform to build and project a positive image of Africa. Africa needs to take full advantage of the goodwill and dividend generated by its hosting of this major event. We should translate the legacy of the event into concrete, tangible programmes that complement ongoing efforts aimed at changing the lives of the peoples of Africa.
The event is a fillip to the continent's determination to buck the hitherto trend of marginalisation and failure. Africa has come out of the global economic downturn better than other parts of the world. According to the World Bank, Africa is projected to grow between 3.8 and 4.5 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively - faster than Latin America, Europe and central Asia.
Africa's geostrategic position and unique offerings of an abundant and wide variety of natural resources and diverse human capital - as is evident by the global demand for its resources, labour and growing consumer market - make it a preferred destination for foreign direct investment flows from the north and most recently the south. The renewed interest in Africa marks the beginning of the end of an era of marginalisation when Africa was a distant and fading memory consigned to the periphery of the global socio-economic discourse.
Unlike developed countries of the North, large emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China have intensified their engagement with Africa, which they regard as an opportunity rather than a risk. In its most recent publication on economic development in Africa the UN Conference on Trade and Development notes that African countries have "scaled up efforts to seize opportunities created by the increasing economic power and influence of large developing countries".
A sporting event of the magnitude of the World Cup should be used as a catalyst and leverage for sustainable economic development and poverty reduction. In this regard, African legacy projects promoting tourism and environment, culture and heritage, communication, and infrastructure development should be implemented through targeted investments and international partnerships. Africans should also use the momentum generated by the collective impact and positive mood of the World Cup to build common purpose and unity, tolerance and social cohesion.
In this season of hope for Africa and its people, we stand on the threshold, with tremendous opportunities for changing the fortunes of the continent for the better, and we owe it to future generations to seize the moment. In South Africa, we are celebrating a winter of contentment.
