The FIFA World Cup as a self-veneration of nations

by Dr. Gerd Sebald, Germany

Looking at a global event like the FIFA World Cup 2010 as a sociologist (yes, I am one

of those people who try to analyze and understand societies), an aspect appears in

sight that is only surprising at second glance: while there is globalization and global

culture all around us, while national borders and symbols seem to be more and more

outdated (this definitely doesn't hold true for the borders of conglomerations of nation

states, like for example the European Union, which are especially seen from Africa,

nearly insurmountable), there is an excessive waving of flags, singing of hymns, use

of national colours and symbols in these weeks of football frenzy.

It is remarkable how many hopes and national pride is projected

into these selected eleven players running after a ball, mostly

working in foreign countries, playing football in international

teams gathered from all over the world. In their daily lives,

globalization and the crossing of national borders can be

experienced as a real phenomenon, real in the team's daily

communication, real in their own experiences of migration. But for some days during

the year and especially for those weeks before and during a World Cup they come

together as representatives of a nation, aspiring to be the best players available with

a given passport and not necessarily with a particular ethnic background. So even the

national teams experience globalization today.

Thus, on the one hand, nations seem to be - even and especially for sports like

football - an outdated model of the last two centuries, losing their significance in

those streams of goods, information and people crossing borders permanently all over

the world. On the other hand, in the light of global events like the World Cup, where

nations, nationality and national symbols are used excessively, each new World Cup

seems to produce more of these practices.

In trying to understand this paradoxical phenomenon, Emile Durkheim's theory of

religion comes to mind. According to Durkheim, religion is used in society to worship

society itself. In other words: The reality, which is expressed and represented in

religious practices, is society. The function of the religious rites and of religion as a

whole is to integrate society.

But what is society today? Is there one world society or is there a conglomeration of

strictly delimited national societies? The answer is: it's on the move. While national

borders begin to vanish for the streams of capital, information and commodities, the

imagined borders between the nations as imagined communities (a notion coined by

Benedict Anderson) are still valid.

Letter from the editors

Dear reader, yes, in the June

issue of Joint MAG, we have

followed the general trend and

have decided to focus the

contributions in this issue on

South Africa and the FIFA

World Cup. Next to two pieces

from Go Africa - Go Germany

alumnae currently based in

South Africa the German

researcher Dr. Sebald gives a

brief sociological

analysis of football

in the context of

nationalism and

globalisation.

A second focus of

this issue is the Go Africa Go

Germany peer teaching

meeting that took place in

Germany in early June. Next to

an interview with one of the

African participants Eugene

Pacelli Okello two alumni have

prepared a report summarizing

key elements of the meeting.

Last but certainly not least, the

editing team proudly

announces a new member:

Alexander Schwartz, currently

based in Hamburg, Germany,

will be part of the core editorial

team from now on - it's a

pleasure to have him on board!

Enjoy reading Joint MAG 10!

With best regards,

Dennis Kumetat & Linda Poppe

Issue 10June 2010

So is football the religion of our days? There are certainly religious aspects in the

way in which we practice football, and nationalism is one of them, too. Football, at

least the international matches, are used for those ritual practices, that aim at the

re-constitution and -affirmation of national communities. During an event such as

the World Cup, these communities are present through their national symbols, and

when people gather in stadiums or before screens, this community is not only there

through its symbols, but in its actual audiovisual, emotional, thus: physical

presence.

That does not mean that the game itself contains or triggers national categories. On the contrary, the game could be

seen as a globalized and globalizing phenomenon. But we have learned to perceive the matches in national categories,

think of e.g. those “Brasilians dancing samba", or the "athletic africans" (there is not really a difference between certain

nations or nation states in european talk about Africa). Also, it seems that despite (or because of) the processes of

globalization those practices of localization in a national(istic) way receive more importance. Our way of perceiving

football is based on these national categories. Thus, in the national symbols and in the rites practised in viewing the

games the imagined national community is actualized, the nation comes to itself. Consequently, the World Cup is a (one

of the last?) resort of nationalism, of the self-veneration of nations.

Dr. Gerd Sebald is a researcher at the Institute for Sociology in Erlangen/Germany. Currently he teaches a course on

"Football and Society".

"Football is used for those ritual practices,

that aim at the re-constitution and -

affirmation of national communities."

Africa's Cup of Hope

by Lerato Tsebe, South Africa

I remember it. I remember it very well. I was lying in

my bed, bored, Saturday afternoon, feeling like a loser,

decided to watch a bit of television. I tuned in just in

time to watch, Sepp Blatter, teasingly pull out the name

of the host country from that cream white envelope he

was holding.

A rapture of excitement overcame the room that a frail

Mandela, an elated Tutu and overjoyed Dr. Jordaan were

all sitting in. The entire room was suddenly filled with

the sounds of Vuvuzela’s blasting, people hugging,

cheering, and me screaming teary eyed, alone in my

room.

The euphoria and pride of being the first African country

in history to be nominated to host the world's largest

sporting event was felt by every South African and

Africans alike. Then, the euphoria settled, then the

daunting task of planning, preparing and hosting a World

Cup began. And so with preparations and anxiety in toe,

we began to hope.

No one really informs you of the enormous task of

building stadiums, bidding for sponsorships, applying for

broadcasting rights that surely follows a nomination.

Then, the tasks ensued. The difficulties of understanding

Fifa’s somewhat authoritarian governance structures and

the corruption that plagues soccer globally manifested

themselves. Parliamentary hearings from opposition

parties, over the somewhat obscure processes involved

in awarding contracts to building stadiums, the press

accusations of mass corruption in the allocation of

resources, the alleged abuse of workers constructing the

stadiums and the under the table multi million dollar

deals that occurred. All of this happened.

And still a nation hoped. The construction of our first

high speed railway system, the enlargement of

highways, construction of new bus transport systems,

the in fighting in Parliament, the uncertainty and doubt

of media and citizens over our ability and readiness to

host the World Cup continued. Then, in July 2008,

xenophobic attacks were committed, rumors of South

Africa’s rampant violent crime personified in the form of

a man burnt alive spread across the world, confirmation

that South Africa, Africa, was not ready, safe or capable

to host the World Cup. All of these things happened in

my country within the past six years. I witnessed every

one of them. But still, a nation hoped.

The responsibility of hosting the Fifa World Cup has been

second only to that of building a democratic

dispensation. And in true African fashion, my country

has endured. We have endured a global doubtful press,

scathing criticism, and been rubber stamped again as an

illustration of how Africa continues to fail.

Go Nümbrecht-Bierenbachtal!

by Dambe Baboki and Kai Striebinger

The secludedness of the meeting location did not prevent far-reaching

discussions. On the contrary, the first inter-generational meeting of

all participants of the GoAfrica…GoGermany programs brought a little

international flair to the small village in rural North Rhine-Westphalia.

At least the powerfully singing men's choir was impressed – and

impressive. It made us forget - only for a moment - that most of us

were not able to attend.

Despite this serious shortcoming, the meeting presented at least a

good starting point for further discussions. The participants discussed

three main issues: What is the deal with the GAGG association and

the German-African Foundation for Youth Education (GAFYE)? How do

the alumni fit into this structure? And: what are the next steps? First

a little reassurance: Concerns were raised that following the shock

resignation of President Köhler, the programme could be left in the

cold and eventually dwindle out. Be that as it may, such concerns

were immediately diffused with the revelation that all activities will

most likely remain sustainable both structurally and financially.

And second a little disclaimer: the panel discussion with experts

sharing their understandings of a German-African partnership can be

listened to online: Part 1 and Part 2.

So, what about the GAFYE? Compared to the GAGG-program, the

Foundation plans to expand its horizon in terms of target groups and

fields of activity. To that end, 5 pillars of the foundation were

identified being:

1. Exchange/study weeks

2. Network and “peer“ teaching work

3. Multiplier training (“snowball system“)

4. Promotion of employability and entrepreneurship

5. Development and adaptation of civic education

methods and researching of cooperative approaches.

Relating to the fourth pillar concerns were raised that these ventures

of high economic interest could lead to the foundation losing its

focus. However, the Foundation remains committed to civic education

and raising awareness and would incorporate it into all the 5 pillars.

Moreover, the discussions centred on the role that the alumni had to

play in order to render the Foundation a success. It is the alumni that

will mainly be responsible for initiating projects and the foundation

would assist were finance permits. In order to do that, alumni will be

trained to become “peers”, i.e. to be in the position to plan,

implement and evaluate projects fostering German-African

partnership.

In spite of this, a skeptical nation continued

to hope. Then, suddenly, in the midst of

corruption, in fighting, strikes, anxious

press reporting doubtfully, June 11th 2010

arrives and it all evaporates. The long

awaited hopes of a burdened nation, finally

illuminate, through a yellow painted

stadium. South African’s proudly and loudly

singing their national anthem, as though

everyone was finally exhaling a deep breath

of air they had been holding in for six years.

That’s the thing about nations, at the end of

perseverance, struggle and toil, we are

reminded with the unison singing of a

national anthem, what it is about us that

makes us great what makes us so resilient.

And that is my country’s story, it is Africa’s

story. A continent plagued by every calamity

and disastrous scenario, where hope

dwindles, the audacity of a people’s hope

boldly manifests itself, and unity prevails.

It has been a long and tolling six years,

great sacrifices and terrible mistakes have

been made. But hosting the World Cup has

replenished an indispensable truth. It has

given us a value that anxious press, tales of

corruption and rampant crime cannot

provide.

It has replenished a nation’s hope of

attaining the goals of its democracy, and

illuminated the road for a continent to

continue striving to work towards the

prosperity it can one day achieve.

I wish you all knew how unbelievably proud

we are of our small nation at the tip of

Africa, and how through it all, we shall

continue to hope, and continue to deposit

into Africa’s Cup of Hope.

"South African’s proudly and loudly singing their national anthem, as

though everyone was finally exhaling a deep breath of air they had been holding in for six years."

This evoked the question if the alumni need some sort of

(legal) structure themselves. If they want to communicate,

plan and develop projects with the GAFYE, then a proper

association of alumni might be helpful.

These three big questions about the Foundation, about

alumni self-organisation and about the future work-plan

will be explained in more detail in an upcoming report of

the meeting. Then discussions should start through online

fora (links follow) and in smaller working groups (mails

follow).

Since the soccer world cup is running, let us turn to a soccer truism: “Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel” (After the

game, is right before the next one). In this sense: after this productive start of the first peer-teaching meeting, it is

now up to the alumni to make more out of it.

Alumni Profile

Interview with Eugene Pacelli Okello, Uganda

by Julian Bergmann, Germany

Julian: Hello Eugene! Please tell us about yourself.

Eugene: I am 27 years old and was born in a remote village in northern Uganda, called Kalongo in Pader District. After

graduating from the Faculty of Law of Makerere University, I’m currently working as a lawyer by profession with the

Ugandan Law Reform Commission. In 2008/2009, I was part of the

second generation of the “Go Africa…Go Germany” exchange programme.

Julian: Eugene, what are your impressions of the Peer Teaching Meeting

in Nümbrecht-Bierenbach last weekend?

Eugene: I believe that the Peer Teaching Meeting was very successful. We

have exchanged and discussed very fruitfully ideas and opinions that are

relevant to the founding process of the German-African Foundation for

Youth Education and the future alumni association. Thus, it was very

worthwhile for me to come to this meeting, since there were also

important issues concerning the Lukodi association to be discussed. I have also had the great opportunity to meet the

other scholarship holders of the first and third generation of “Go Africa…Go Germany”.

Julian: You mentioned the Lukodi association. Could you tell us a bit about the idea of the association?

Eugene: The basic idea of the Lukodi association is to assist the people of the village Lukodi near Gulu in Northern

Uganda in rebuilding their community. The first contact with the community was made in 2009 when we, the second

generation of “Go Africa…Go Germany”, visited Lukodi and talked to the members of the community, many of whom

were returnees, abducted children and orphans that had suffered a lot from the twenty-year armed conflict in northern

Uganda. At this meeting, we gave them our promise that we would think about how to assist them in their efforts.

Some months later, my fellow scholarship holder Mathias Kamp and me visited Lukodi again on different occasions and

talked to the Lukodi people about what kind of assistance they need most. It turned out that a good start would be to

Africa makes poor people vulnerable to human

trafficking. Trafficking agents target poor people seeking

employment and take advantage of their vulnerability.

The government in addressing poverty does provide

social grants to elderly citizens, disabled people and

children below the age of 15.

With a population of approximately 48 million people,

South Africa struggles to meet the employment needs of

its citizens. Many people lack formal education therefore

a large proportion of the population either form part of

unskilled labor earning insufficient income or is not

employed at all. The high earning inequalities make it

difficult for most people to cope with costs of living and

end up becoming victims of trafficking.

Due to the high level of development in South Africa

compared to other African countries, major cities of SA

such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban

attract migrants from other countries in search for

employment, better standards of living and seeking

asylum and refugee status. Traffickers lure such people

with promises of well-paying jobs in these cities, offers

that desperate people cannot refuse.

The high HIV/AIDS rate in the country has led to

breakdown of families resulting in single parent headed

families with minimal supervision of children. This has

further led to an increase in child labor and sexual

exploitation. South Africa has one of the highest

The fight against human trafficking in South Africa

by Ophilia Karumuna, South Africa

South Africa is a beautiful country endowed with a wide

landscape covered with a variety of vegetation ranging

from an expanse of deep forests and well watered

valleys. It is also known for having deep reserves of

mineral deposits including gold, diamonds, platinum,

manganese, chrome and coal. The country’s developed

infrastructure including roads, buildings, malls,

hospitals and schools are a striking feature for those

who visit the country for the first time.

Despite it being a leading economy on the continent,

South Africa is unfortunate for being the source, transit

and destination country for human trafficking. Young

boys and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation,

cheap labor, for the sale of illegal goods and criminal

activity. The lucrative business of human trafficking

generates billions of dollars annually for traffickers who

use their influence to bribe immigration and

government officials, medical doctors and lawyers thus

making it very difficult to combat. Several reports

reveal that in South Africa women are being trafficked

from Thailand, China, Taiwan and Mozambique.

The large gap between rich and poor people in South

buy them ox plows which would enable them to restart farming and help them

economically. Furthermore, they could hire the ox plows to other people in order to

generate some money. We agreed on that this would be more sustainable than

paying school fees. I hope that the Lukodi association will be established soon.

Julian: In your opinion, how could the German-African Foundation for Youth

Education possibly contribute to a true German-African partnership? What might be

potential obstacles?

Eugene: First, the working together as African-German former scholarship holders is

already a sign of partnership. Secondly, the GAFYE has several pillars – exchange

programmes, business, research, multipliers, etc. In all these pillars, strategies and

principles of partnership have been discussed which will be all implemented after the

founding of the foundation. A potential obstacle might be a lack of communication

between the alumni and the bpb staff as well as among the alumni. If the alumni are

not aware of what is going on, we would risk to call into question the idea of the Peer

Teaching meeting we just have had.

Julian: Thank you very much for the interview! I wish you a pleasant flight back

home to Uganda!

Call for Contributions

In 2010, many African

states celebrate the 50th

anniversary of their

independence - a good time

to assess original

aspirations, today's realities,

and new challenges of the

21st century. Joint MAG 11

will feature country

analyses, interviews and

opinion pieces - please feel

free to join in and contribute

to the next issue! Deadline

for contributions is July 15,

2010. Please email one of

the editors or to goafrica

(at) bpb.de to express your

interest in a contribution.

Editors: Alexander Schwartz, Dennis Kumetat, Linda Poppe // Editorial Team: J. Bergmann, M. Gatobu, L. Tsebe, B. Zasche

Available online: www.bpb.de // Contact: goafrica (at) bpb.de

HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world. The Nelson

Mandela Human Sciences Research Council research

shows that young women between the ages of 15-24

are up to four times more likely to be HIV positive

than young men in the same group in the country.

Certain traditional practices in SA are said to promote

an increase in human trafficking. The use of

traditional medicine known as ‘muti’ to cure diseases

has led to a high demand of human body parts to

create potions. In

addition, payment of

bride price known as

‘lobola’ in certain cases

forces young girls into

early marriages to old

men. Tensions in such

marriages sometimes results in young women fleeing

from marriage and ultimately ending up being victims

of human trafficking.

South Africa ratified the United Nations Protocol to

Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,

Especially Women and Children on 24 February 2004.

The Protocol obliges states to take necessary

measures in order to address human trafficking by

punishing offenders and protecting victims. The

country is thus obligated to at least adopt legislation

addressing human trafficking.

To date, South Africa does not have national

legislation that comprehensively addresses human

trafficking. Currently, South Africa is using its existing

national legislation to prosecute traffickers by

charging them with offences that are associated with

human trafficking such as sexual assault, rape,

assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,

attempted murder, murder and/or kidnapping. The

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters)

Amendment Act and the Children’s Act contain

transitional provisions relating to human trafficking

pending the adoption of the Human Trafficking Bill.

The lack of specific legislation addressing human

trafficking as a crime and the criminalization of sex

work in South Africa impedes protection of victims.

Most law enforcement officers lack understanding and

capacity to differentiate between victims of human

trafficking and prostitutes. As a result, victims of sex

trafficking are either charged with prostitution or

deported as illegal immigrants.

South Africa has been privileged to be the first country

on the continent to host the FIFA world cup in 2010.

The world cup is being viewed as a single unifying

factor amongst different people from all over the

world. The media has raised concerns about the

impact of the world cup on the possible increase in

crime particularly

human trafficking.

Inter-governmental

organizations such

as the UNODC and

the IOM have

maintained that

these concerns are unfounded considering the

experience of the 2006 world cup which was hosted by

Germany. According to an article on Trafficking in

human beings and the 2006 world cup in Germany,

40,000 victims were expected to be trafficked during

the world cup which took place from 24 June to 9 July

2006. The article revealed that there was no

significant increase of victims of human trafficking.

The South African government and nongovernmental

organizations despite the views of the UNODC and the

IOM remain on high alert regarding the possibility of

an increase in human trafficking activities due to the

world cup. In doing so, the a Human Trafficking Desk

was established within the Organized Crime Unit of the

South African Police Service to deal with cases of

human trafficking. The government through its

National Prosecuting Authority initiated a programme

known as ‘Tsireledzani’ meaning ‘Protect’ (in one of

the 11 South Africa official languages) which is funded

by the European Commission. The programme, which

involves government departments, international

organizations and civil society partners, is aimed at

combating human trafficking in the country. Lastly, the

Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill

was tabled before Parliament on 16 March 2010. The

bill, which comprehensively addresses human

trafficking as a crime is expected to be in force next

year. South Africans deserve full protection of their

human rights and hopefully, the evil of human

trafficking will be curbed.

"South Africa has been privileged to be the first country on the continent to host the FIFA world

cup in 2010...specific legislation addressing human trafficking, however, is still missing."