Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

The excitement is mounting as the South African rainbow nation prepares for one of the most distinctive events of next year - the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer in the southern toe of Africa. The festivities have started in Cape Town as Neo-African-ism is seen in a new cutting-edge light - Swide takes you behind the scenes of the new stadiums, the country's infrastructure and introduces you to the new football lingo.

In rocking readiness for its big moment - Cape Town is acting as the host city for the World Cup's Final Draw this week. This draw is one last step in the planning before the soccer hysteria starts to pump kaleidoscopes of colours in the lodes of the entire globe. Cape Town's entire Upper Long Street, a prominent road in the inner city centre, is to be converted into a festival zone for the Final Draw on Friday, December 4. The draw will take place in front of 3,000 international guests at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and will be broadcast live to an estimated audience of 150 million viewers in 200 countries.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The Department of Transport in South Africa has developed and achieved one of the greatest feats for a country that has up to very recently been unconnected from an infrastructure perspective. With the inception and formation of the 2010 Transport Action Plan the entire venture of fans and officials will be smoothly crusading all over the country. Investments Intelligence Transport Systems and in rail, air, roads, inter-nodal facilities, inner-city mobility systems, freight services and safety concerns. Intelligent Transport Systems include Rapid Bus Systems and Rapid Rail Systems with the usage of technology to manage congestion and travel demand. Along with this system a 'Travel Demand Management System' has been implemented that will allow officials to determine even the number of fans arriving at an airport, or leaving a stadium at any particular time. Cape Town has dedicated bus lanes on freeways, Durban has new railway stations and Johannesburg has the Gautrain Rapid Rail link.

South Africa's Gautrain

The Gautrain the largest and costliest transport infrastructure project ever proposed in South Africa. An 80 kilometre mass rapid transit railway linking Johannesburg, Pretoria and the OR Tambo International Airport relieving congestion on the roads and offering commuters and fans a viable alternative to move around.

STADIUM LEAPS

Johannesburg's calabash-shaped Soccer City

Johannesburg's calabash-shaped Soccer City will host the opening ceremony and opening and final matches of the World Cup and is larger than Berlin's Olympic Stadium and Paris' Stade du France. Seating almost 95 000 people it's the biggest roofed stadium ever built for a World Cup. Shaped as a idiosyncratically South African trademark the calabash represents 'the melting pot of cultures' rife in South Africa. And evokes memories of friends, families and times together.

Cape Town's stadium

Cape Town's stadium (previously Green Point Stadium) has established a Green Goal 2010 Initiative with an intense focus on raising awareness of a greening programme. This includes minimising waste, consuming water sparingly, diversifying and using energy efficiently, compensating for an event's carbon footprint, practising responsible tourism and constructing infrastructures with a future perspective. In partnership with the Premier of the Western Cape and the Executive Mayor of Cape Town plans to 'Green' the stadium were designed and have been rolled out with tenacity and wardship.

Nelspruit stadium

Nelspruit's massive stadium has even taken pride in its zebra stripe inspired seating area. Infusing the country with fun and African spirit on its soil.

Cape Town

THE WORLD CUP DANCE - THE DISKI

The Diski beat is taking the South African redolence of excitement to the feet of fans. Diski is township lingo for 'soccer' and has commercialised itself especially for the event. To learn how to get parading with the carnival:

Move 1: Lift up the ball: a closer look at the opening move.
Move 2: Use your head!
Move 3: Table Mountain (in other words, make your back flat!).
Move 4: Release, hold, kick the ball!
Move 5: Skip over and pass the ball (and let someone else do some work. Phew!) 

WORLD CUP ACCESSORIES

Along with the festivities there are embellishments to enjoy with the event:

Zakumi, the official mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is an anthropomorphized leopard with grassy green fur. Representative of ZA (the abbreviation for South Africa) and 'kumi' (An African word for the number ten).

Vuvuzela, the multi-coloured vexed horn that cavorts every stadium nation-wide. Every stadium, every second is filled with blasts of clamorous ductile allegros. As a uniquely South African Soccer accessory and art work it has grown into not only the plastic version padding the hands of stadium-goers but also into environmentally friendly vuvuzelas made from kelp.

Makarapa, the hand cut, hand painted helmut worn by worshippers of soccer comes from a 70s mineworker reference.

Often incorporated with giant glasses or shields. Artful and hellish energy inspiring this work of art is South Africa's benefaction to fans.

The Bafana Bafana jersey is as important as the game itself fans cry as the official garment launched. The design is influenced by the diversity of South Africa and its eleven main communities and languages spoken. The jersey symbolises the unification of the team, the country and all the fans. It incorporates eleven threads that symbolise this diversity in unity and modern interpretations of traditional South African artwork, and celebrates South Africa's pride by displaying the centre of the national flag on its front.

Cape Town View

SOUTH AFRICAN SOCCER LINGO

Laduma! - A popular cheer celebrating goals scored at a match, from the isiZulu for ‘it thunders'.
eShibobo - The South African version of a ‘nutmeg' when a cunning striker kicks the ball through the middle of the opponent's legs.
Bazooka - A powerful shot.
Tsamaya - A feint or ploy.
Table Mountain - When a player balances the ball on his back, his body bent at a right angle.
Babbelas - A hangover.

For more on the forthcoming World Cup see www.fifa.com/worldcup.

With special thanks to Swide's South Africa Contributing Editor Daniel Scheffler.

 

TAGS: fifa world cup south africa cape town johannesburg rainbow nation the diski gautrain