Security Guard, World Cup, 2010, Soweto, South Africa.

[vodpod id=Video.5523753&w=500&h=411&fv=file%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ffr.player-feed.previewnetworks.com%2Fv3.1%2Fcinema%2F5444%2F331100125-1%2F] Director Pascale Lamche’s got some help from Peter Mukurube (that’s him putting Sepp Blatter on the spot in the video), Anas Aremeyaw Anas and ‘Basile’ for her new documentary Black Diamond: Fool’s Gold. From the press release: It’s an old story: in the past, it was known as the slave trade, now it’s […]

Look out for a a special issue of African Journalism Studies on “The Fifa World Cup 2010 in the News.” I guest edited.  While you’re contemplating whether you’d pay to read the opinions of academics on the greatest sporting event in the world, here’s the relevant parts from my introduction to the special issue: It is […]

[The wealthy Congolese club and current African Champions League cup holders] TP Mazembe Englebert have produced the biggest shock in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup, beating the Brazilian team Porto Alegre 2-0 to become the first team from outside Europe and South America to qualify for the final [of the tournament that […]

By Peter Alegi In a few hours WikiLeaks will release thousands of secret FIFA documents detailing World Cup match fixing and widespread corruption within football’s governing body. Never before have such confidential documents been released into the public domain. The documents will give people around the world an unprecedented insight into FIFA’s activities on the […]

This photograph of Soccer City, the venue for the opening and closing games of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg by the young Johannesburg photographer Sabelo Mlangeni, is included in the ambitious exhibit: “Afropolis. City, Media, Art: Urbanization Africa, now showing through March 11 at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne, Germany. The exhibit focuses on Cairo, Lagos, […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLxfP3xju0&w=500&h=307&rel=0] Since we’re on the topic of Cote d’Ivoire, here’s Ivoirian veteran underground rapper Manusa’s “Dans Mon Pays,” a blistering critique of life under Laurent Ggagbo’s regime. This not Drogbacite. “No dancey … happy, nice melodies, [or] very uplifting” music here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB3MSIRmBD0&w=500&h=307&rel=0] Sean Jacobs This is worth remembering. In 2004 the Liberian footballer George Weah was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the Espys. (For those who don’t care: that’s sports channel ESPN’s versions of the Oscars.) This is the man who scored the greatest goal of all time and the only African player to […]

“The thing that overwhelms most is the level of professionalism of native Africans in knowing how to serve a bottle of wine properly,” said Philip Crawford, a designer of luxury homes from Noosa, Australia. From a story by The New York Times correspondent in Johannesburg on how the World Cup had changed the way “… they […]

Now that the criticisms of the vuvuzela have subsided and the sounds of the vuvuzela will soon take a break from the world stage too, we refer you to a fine post written by historian Laurent Dubois (references: Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France; Soccer Politics blog) and cultural theorist Achille Mbembe (see […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rNE-5WUtSE&w=500&h=307&rel=0] A good way to tide you over till Sunday’s World Cup final is to listen and dance to good music. Here’s five music videos I have on heavy rotation.  First up, a current personal favorite of mine: the music video for the Ugandan singer, Jaqee’s single “Moonshine” off her new album. The video was […]

[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/13010025 w=500&h=307] Ghana’s Black Stars was on a run to make history–to become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup–until they were hustled by Uruguayan gamesmanship. Here, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Brooklyn, Blitz, backed by a big band, gives proper thanks for the team’s efforts. — Sean Jacobs