South Africa Hopes Soccer World Cup Changes Africa's Image
The World Cup Soccer Draw has come and gone.
One of many hopes South Africa has in staging this event, is for the world’s eyes to see beyond the spectres of starvation, corruption and dictatorial government which so tragically haunts the African continent. Africa yearns to be seen in a different light, a need having an almost adolescent intensity about it, especially in its surges of repetitive expression. Can the World Cup preparations and the event itself do this? Many think it can. But, something ugly is rearing its head.
Soccer and Tourist officials are deeply concerned about the hiking of prices during the World Cup. Already signs of this are popping up in South Africa’s game lodges, restaurants, hotels and airlines. Even the average householder wants to cash in by renting out homes – an extremely lucrative exercise, considering that one home has already been rented out for $1million for the entire period of the event. It’s reported that air tickets will treble in cost, in some cases even quadruple. No doubt the expected change in image and increase in tourism after the event will be under threat if this is allowed to flourish.
The irony of it all is that the powers of exploitation now gathering in this country, and inadvertently in a continent, know what it means to be recipients of exploitation. Its history is permeated with it. Worst of all is the attitude which simply says, “Let’s give them some of their own medicine back.” What an attitude, especially if you’re seeking to promote yourself to the world.
Sadly, after the impressive draw in Cape Town, this blight needs to be dealt with, or else many will leave these shores next year with unpleasant memories of being ripped off and abused. Initially, the euphoria of the occasion will keep these memories in check, but eventually, when the fans sit back and quietly ponder, they’ll see something else, and it certainly won’t be what the organisers had in mind.
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