Rush Hour

Yesterday, the 19th Football (soccer) World Cup began in South Africa and we are all very excited about it. It is amazing the progress South Africa has made in just 20 years since it began the arduous road of becoming a democratic nation free from apartheid (the law to finally lend it came about in 1994.) It seems like yesterday that I was in my home in Milan, watching, with tears in my eyes as Nelson Mandela was freed from prison after almost 30 years.

Sports, like music, unite people and remind us of just how similar we all are. This World Cup is all the more important because of where it is taking place. There are countries participating who years ago had colonized Africa, amongst them, France, Spain, Italy, England, Germany, Portugal, and let us not forget the Netherlands. I pray for a successful World Cup for all of Africa and may the best team win! (Tonight, England versus the U.S.A. Can’t wait!)

My heart goes out to Madiba and the Mandela family for their terrible loss yesterday.

The world is remembering that great day when 20 years ago, Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison after 27 years and the beginning to the end of aparteid began. It’s incredible to think that the the World Cup will, for the first time, take place in that very country this year. Very moving indeed.

I couldn’t find a decent video to embed so you can link here to see the historic announcement on the BBC of Mandela’s liberation. I have a vhs of it somewhere here….I must look for it, shake the dust off, transform it into digitale and get it on line. I was in Milan, watching the live broadcast of history being made.

Happy Anniversary, Madiba.