Who’s Benefiting From The World Cup In South Africa pt 2

June 22nd, 2010

The anchor speaking on the benefits to South Africa culminates by saying: “And most importantly the World Cup has given South Africans a tremendous sense of pride, achievement and unity.”

In Soweto and elsewhere in South Africa, they don’t need pride. They need money, food, housing, health care, and opportunity. Being able to feed your family, and having a decent place to live gives you pride. Not soccer stadiums you can’t even enter.

We see by this commentary that the West wants to diminish the main issue of benefit to South Africa, and instead focus on intangible feelings derived from the games; instead of tangible improvement for the people. That’s probably because the former is lacking.

Then British Journalist Asharf Garsda comments that he can’t assure that the tournament will provide South Africa benefit “logically…in dollars and cents.” Well, that says it all.

He wants South Africans to not focus on the bottom line, but instead to focus on some mythological ideology of self-confidence and belief from foreigners. As Rakim says on his latest album, convincing you not to get your money “is how they rape you” (financially speaking).

The video says “Difficult questions need to be asked. FIFA is set to make billions; but what will it means for South Africans, themselves. Who really benefits?”

And these are the pertinent questions that of course go unasked by the mainstream media, and ignored by those wishing to provide surface analysis that simply having the games there must be great for South Africa just because.

As examined in part one, there are some potential for benefits, yet, that potential always seems to be their with foreign capital investment into Africa but never pans out for the common people in any substantial manner. I’m sure the “World Cup is great for Africa” boosters will cite the billion dollar plus estimate that the cup is supposed to bring to South Africa. What they ignore is that’s an estimate of how much money will be generated by the games in South Africa, but not how much of that money will actually stay in South Africa as opposed to fleeing out that country to the headquarters of the multinational corporations who are accruing most of it. Citing that estimate also doesn’t describe how the money that does stay in South Africa will mostly be consolidated amongst a few venture capitalist, anointed business men, and politicians; and not spread to the masses.

It’s unbelievable (well only sorta) that a commentator in this trailer puts building soccer stadiums over building universities and hospitals; but it’s very instructive. It’s very instructive as to the mind state and the motives of those in the South African’s elite class and government who made the decisions about resource allocation for these games; as it is for those running African countries in how they manage foreign capital investment.



posted in Foreign News, Racial Injustice, Sports, youtube | | | View blog reactions |


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About The Blog

  • D. Yobachi Boswell

  • Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.

    I created this site to give new voice to socio-political issues that are in need of thoughtful consideration and redress.

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