Now that South Africa has proven that it can present a world class Cup and Closing Ceremony, what will it tackle next? Photo: AFP - Monirul Bhuiyan

The final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was played last night and Spain walked away with the cup. Now that the World Cup has come to an end, newspapers are already starting to ask “What next for South Africa?” How can we harness the positive energy generated during the past month to achieve much needed development objectives for the country?

IOL.co.za reports that “rarely can a global event have generated so much advance pessimism as the World Cup”, but South Africa has silenced all its critics by hosting a successful tournament. The closing ceremony held at Soccer City in Johannesburg last night was especially spectacular and of a world class standard. Images were projected onto the field, Shakira sang Waka Waka and hundreds of dancers demonstrated various South African dances.

Keep on Feeling it

Will the closing ceremony mean the end of the positive vibe in South Africa? Photo: www.shine2010.co.za via Flickr

“Feel it!” was the catch phrase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ray Hartley writes “We felt ‘it’. Now let’s define and bottle ‘it’” in the Sunday Times. According to him everyone felt a certain emotion when Bafana Bafana sang the national anthem before the kick-off of this cup. And we kept feeling that emotion as South Africa showed that they could host a mega sports event.

Hartley says this “it” can probably be defined as patriotism. “True patriotism is very different to nationalism. It is closer to the notion of civic duty, the desire to do something to make your country a better place and to celebrate others who make the same effort.”

He says we should now find new outlets for this patriotism. “In this scenario, we would treat our major civic challenges – such as the delivery of houses, health, safety and education – in the same way we treated the World Cup.”

But our patriotism should not turn us into a “nation of spin doctors” that do not want to give criticism where it is due. After all, criticism can help you to recognise your weaknesses and improve on them.

Patriotism should also not turn into an ugly nationalism involving xenophobia, David Smith writes in the Mail & Guardian.

Olympic Games?

Should South Africa bid to host the Olympics? Image: Patrick Hoesley via Flickr

Some have suggested that South Africa bidding to host the Olympic Games next would be a way to keep the “high” produced by the World Cup going. But Danny Jordaan, chief organiser of the Soccer World Cup is quoted in the Mail & Guardian as saying:  “There is a sense of pride and achievement. We’ll have to see how we will ensure that pride is not the pride of 90 minutes in a World Cup but a permanent feature. Some people say find it in the hosting of the Olympics, find it another big event. I think we must find it in addressing some of the issues — housing, health, education, economic growth. We have to come together to deal with some of these issues.”

A renewed focus on development issues within the country, with renewed vigour and passion would be wonderful. It is something that Creative Consulting & Development Works, as a research, evaluation and communications consultancy working in the development sector definitely supports.

Also read our previous blog piece on the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and leave your comment.

Fly the South African Flag! Photo: Media Club South Africa

The quarter finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are here and all South Africans are being urged to take part in a national march to make sure that the second half of this great tournament starts with a BANG!

Some notable corporate companies, as well as the Department of Arts and Culture, Gauteng Province and Gauteng Tourism have asked South Africans to take to the streets tomorrow, 3 July, and wave their flags in what they call the Million Flags March.

Artslink said in a press release: “All citizens of the country are urged to wake up with the same spirit that we showed on 9 June when the crowds gathered in Sandton and other parts of the country to raise the flag for Bafana Bafana two days before the kick-off on 11 June. The benefits of the World Cup in most countries go down in their history books long after the first kick-off. How we treat our visitors, engage with them and ensure their safety in our country is crucial to the county’s tourism efforts.”

Photo: Henti Smith via Flickr

A specific route is planned for the march in Soweto. It will begin at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital via Maponya Mall, then to Jabulani Mall, Dobsonville Mall, Meadowlands to Protea Gardens Mall, then end at the FIFA Fan Fest in Elkah stadium in Soweto.

But in all parts of the country people are called on to wave the South African flag in support of their country’s hosting of the World Cup. The flags of other participating countries are also welcome as South Africans should continue to support the remaining teams in the tournament, even though Bafana Bafana have gone out with their heads held high. And of course blowing the phenomenal vuvuzela is encouraged!

More about the South African flag:

South African soccer fans wave their flags. Photo: Steve Evans via Flickr

The South African flag was designed by State Herald Frederick Brownell and was adopted on 27 April 1994, during the first democratic election in the country. According to Media Club South Africa the flag was first flown on 10 May 1994 – the day Nelson Mandela became president.

The “Y” shape of the flag symbolises the coming together of people from different racial, cultural, religious, political and linguistic backgrounds to form one united nation.

When displayed, the black triangle is meant to be on the left and the red band is meant to be on top. The South African flag is the only six coloured flag in the world and one of the youngest.

Wavin’ Flag

One of the official songs of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is “Wavin’ Flag”, sung by Somali-Canadian artist K’naan, who has lived through the Somali Civil War. It was originally written in honor of the victims of the 2009 earthquake in Haiti. K’naan
joined hands with a group of Canadian artists in a fundraiser video called “Young Artists for Haiti.”

You can watch the World Cup Celebration Mix of the song below to get you in the mood for waving your flag tomorrow!

Creative Consulting & Development Works thinks the Million Flags March is an great initiative to sustain the amazing spirit of nationhood that has been felt in South Africa since the start of this tournament. We will be sure to fly our flags tomorrow!

Red Card. Photo: Kolkatafootball.com

Referees have shown quite a few red cards during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The most memorable for South African fans will be the red card Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune received in the game against Uruguay.

It was France’s turn for a red card in their game against South Africa when Yousuff Gourcuff was sent off. Brazilian fans were upset when their team’s star, Kaka, was given a red card in their game against Ivory Coast. And last night, in their game against Spain, a red card for Ricardo Costa rubbed salt in the wounds of a loosing Portugal.

According to FIFA’s rules a red card can be given when a very dangerous tackle is made, when an opponent is fouled to keep him from scoring, when a player uses his hands to deny the opposition an opportunity to score, or when the player becomes abusive, offensive or violent.

Scrutinize, a national campaign being undertaken in South Africa by USAID/Johns Hopkins University/JHU Program, which aims to educate the public on the risks of HIV/AIDS, is now also using a red card in their campaigns. Just like a referee would produce a red card if a player exhibits dangerous behaviour, Scrutinize is urging South Africans to recognise dangerous sexual behaviour and “give it the red card”. Do not entertain it, simply send it “off the field” and out of your life.

Watch one of the animated Scrutinize TV commercials using the red card metaphor to highlight the dangers of risky sexual behaviour:

Because major events such as the Soccer World Cup creates the possibility for predators to perpetrate human trafficking, Free Generation International is also using the “red card” against forced labour and sexual slavery. Their website gives safety tips to members of the public and tells you how to recognise a victim of human trafficking. There is a toll-free number to call for help. To create awareness about human trafficking, you can download a picture of a red card and paste it to your website or send it to your friends and family.

Creative Consulting & Development Works has pasted the card here to show our support:

Red Card. Photo: Free Generation International

Ghana proceed to the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Photo: Ghana Football Association

Ghana’s football team, the Black Stars, qualified last night for the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While South Africa and other African countries have fallen out of the tournament, African hopes now rest on Ghana to keep the continent’s World Cup dreams alive.

Ghana lost last night when they conceded a goal to Germany, but they had performed well enough in their previous games to advance to the next round. They will play USA on Saturday.

If you are going to support this team, you need to at least know a little about the country. Don’t worry, Creative Consulting & Development Works will quickly clue you up:

Ghana is located in North West Africa, next to Ivory Coast and Togo and its capital is Accra. The country has a population of more than 20 million and there are about 26 different languages spoken in the country.

History and Politics

According to Wikipedia, the word Ghana means “Warrior King” and derives from the Ghana Empire in pre-colonial times. According to BBC.co.uk it was the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade – first in gold and later in slaves.  Ghana became a British colony in 1874, but it also became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence in 1957. Kwame Nkrumah was the first president. The current president, John Atta Mills, was elected in 2008.

Economy

Some of Ghana’s major exports are  gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, and diamonds. Major off shore oil reserves were discovered in 2007. Ghana is one of the leading exporters of cocoa in the world. According to Ghanaweb.com the country’s economy is dominated by agriculture, which employs about 40 percent of the working population.

Watch a video of President John Atta Mills talking about Ghana’s economy and education system below:

Some NGOs working in Ghana include:

• Rural Education Volunteering and Social Development Programme which promotes good health knowledge, good social life and dialogue among people in rural communities to enhance good democratic governance.

• Ghana Health and Education Initiative which uses peer education to inform communities about health issues.

• Ghana Outlook, a UK registered charity, with the objectives of supporting education and health through self help projects in rural communities in Ghana.

• Ghana Rights and Voice Initiative, which is targeted at strengthening the voices of people living in poverty and who are marginalised to engage with Government on fundamental human rights issues.

• Good Work Ghana, a Dutch organisation that organises trips for Dutch volunteers to go do good work in Ghana.

South Africans may be disappointed that Bafana Bafana did not advance to the second round of the World Cup, even though they definitely made the nation proud with the win over France. But South Africans now need to rally behind other teams and still enjoy this spectacular event in our country. Maybe you will support the remaining African team, or maybe you have another favourite. Whoever you choose, continue to go to fan parks and matches and make the visitors in our country feel welcome. Support the South African World Cup!

It seems that South Africans are still very proud of their team and they are ready to enjoy the rest of the World Cup hosted right here in our beautiful country. Creative Consulting & Development Works shares these sentiments. Before last night’s game we joined the Facebook group “WE STILL SUPPORT YOU BAFANA BAFANA”. The creator of the group, William Gets, changed the group’s name to “BAFANA BAFANA VICTORY 2014″ this morning. It is now up to the youth who are inspired by this World Cup in Africa to work hard and do us proud at in four years time.

Watch the Zoopy video below on what South Africans had to say at the Fan Fest in Cape Town after the game last night.