Chris Bolsmann (Sociology, Aston University) on the successful 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Topics covered include experiences at stadiums; FIFA‘s Disney-fied World Cup; Pan-Africanism and African teams; and the economic and political impact of the tournament.

More World Cup Thoughts Online:

• ‘After the Final’ with Karabo Mathang and Sindi Mabizela (audio)
• Laurent Dubois and Achille Mbembe on ‘The People’s Game’ (audio)
• African Soccerscapes by Peter Alegi (book)
• Dr. Bolsmann’s World Cup blog at Harvard Business Review
• Footballiscominghome (blog)
• Feel it! Reflections on SA 2010 (blog)
• Chronicle of SA 2010 for Latin Americans (blog in Spanish)

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 43 [26:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Thabo Dladla, Conti Khubeka and Zeph Mthembu on the potential impact of the 2010 World Cup on grassroots soccer in South Africa. All three men are former professional players now coaching youths. What does 2010 mean to these elders of the game? Will the tournament address the legacy of apartheid and the new challenges of globalization? Putting people before profits, Dladla says, is necessary to effect positive social change.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 41 [33:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Franco Barchiesi (Ohio State U) explains the precarious lives of South African workers and unemployed together with the role of politics and the impact of economic crises today. He also analyzes contests over social citizenship in post-apartheid South Africa and discusses the development of his own interest in South African labor matters.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 39 [39:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jabulani Sithole (UKZN) on why history matters in South Africa.  Sithole discusses his journey from activist to historian, and his research on the ANC and labor unions in KwaZulu-Natal, part of SADET’s landmark The Road to Democracy in South Africa series. He elaborates on Zulu identities and his role in renaming streets in Pietermaritzburg.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 38 [47:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dr. Robert Vinson (History, College of William and Mary) on the spread of Garveyism in South Africa and its political and cultural impact.  Vinson explains how black men and women in the 1920s and 30s appropriated Garvey’s ideas of racial pride, pan-Africanism, and modernity to sustain themselves and to propel South Africa’s struggle for freedom.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 31 [33:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

2009 elections in South Africa: Dr. Sean Jacobs and Dr. Hlonipha Mokoena analyze the significance of the ANC victory; Jacob Zuma and Zulu nationalism; the opposition’s weak showing outside the Western Cape; and local and international media coverage.

• Read Ray Suttner’s paper “Why is this election different from all others?”
• Watch controversial commercial mentioned by Prof. Mokoena
  

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 26 [42:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Narissa Ramdhani (Ifa Lethu CEO) — South African historian, archivist, and cultural heritage specialist — discusses her studies in exile in the USA and how she coordinated the return of 7 million documents from African National Congress offices in 33 countries to Johannesburg. The collection is now housed at the University of Fort Hare. Ramdhani then describes Ifa Lethu’s repatriation of South African apartheid-era art and its wider social impact.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 19: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New Media and Southern African Studies in the 21st century: What are the politics and ethics of digital knowledge production? How can podcasts enhance teaching, research, and international networking?  Listen to this stimulating discussion held at the recent NEWSA meeting — featuring yours truly, Elizabeth Green Musselman (Southwestern University), and questions from the audience (Download: “The Possibilities of Podcasting”).

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 17 [49:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mac Maharaj (South African activist and intellectual) explains why the model of South Africa’s transition to democracy cannot be replicated in powersharing agreements in Kenya and Zimbabwe. In the second part of this episode, recorded at the NEWSA meeting in Burlington, VT, Alex Beresford (PhD candidate, University of Edinburgh) tells us about his research on union workers’ views of Tripartite Alliance politics in contemporary South Africa.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 16 [41:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Kiki Edozie (James Madison College at MSU) compares recent corruption scandals in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.  She argues that democratic crises are closely tied to economic crises. At the end, the implications of these processes for African politics are considered.

 

 Africa Past and Present: Episode 15 [32:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download