Are you feeling it too? That wave of sheer togetherness, of teaming up and rallying behind Football World Cup's flag? South Africa makes the whole continent proud by hosting the 2010 event followed by billions worldwide. Of course, where I live now, you would hear people more commonly call the discipline "soccer". "Football" being taken already and attributed to a billion dollars generating and hugely popular National sport (that oddly enough, by the way, focuses on having the oval ball in the hands more than at the foot...) but I can only stay true to the term the rest of the World has agreed on: FOOTBALL! By adding "American" before the contentious word, I'm pretty certain to never confuse the two.
But whoa! wait up here, I digress and I'm already engaging on a divisive silly term, when the mood I feel is at this big, great, blind brotherhood and sticking together.
You know the kind of gasp-in-awe fraternity that unite all nations, social, ethnic and even maybe religious backgrounds under the umbrella of a world championship?
The Olympics aside, no sporting event creates such overwhelming anticipation and excitation of the magnitude football (okay yeah read soccer if you really can't get over it) reaches around the globe. And not to take any light away from the Olympics or anything but regrouping so many various sports and practices it's almost designed to please the international crowd one way or another. Yet, a single discipline event like FiFa's Football World Cup also manages to bring everyone together -- or at least for as long as the Opening ceremony lasts.
I don't need to confess here that I'm a sucker for all things multi-cultural, cross-cultural, pan-cultural. Give me any paraphernalia to support the idea of diversity and promote cultural exchange any time, any day! Give me the UN, give me Live Aid and Oh my gosh! Give me Shakira's Waka-Waka music video spiced up with the voices of South African band freshlyground! It's just a shock-full of the international brotherhood spirit I crave. South Africa's World Cup Anthem is indeed a precious diamond. Granted the borderline cheesy video collage of everything from past football great moments to the Benetton-like cast lined up to perform the dance numbers is deja-vu, but admit it you've danced and sang along for a minute there, your eye twinkled at the sight of such joyous harmony between the people of this earth. You sat back, relaxed and wondered, you even went and got it on iTunes. Although not a complete reprise, you may want to know that Shakira's "Waka Waka" has the original 80's African success sung by Cameroonian band Zangalewa, to thank for. Now if you haven't yet, soak yourself neck deep into FiFa's World Cup "'cause this is AFRICA!"
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