A Glimmer of Hope

A Glimmer Of Hope

World Cup soccer, the world’s most popular sporting event is over, but a lasting image for me is Nelson Mandela waving to the crowd in South Africa in an appearance he made shortly before the championship game. Much like the picture of Mandela on page 690 showing him voting as a free man, Mandela is the face of South Africa and represents its freedom from apartheid and white domination. It was the process of decolonization that gave the people of South Africa their freedom and dignity from the empires of Europe. It was a struggle that was hard fought by the South Africans, and eventually, with the rest of the world’s help through boycotts and embargos, the cries for freedom were heard.

South Africa was the host of this year’s World Cup, and given its checkered past, came through as one of the best hosts this tournament has ever seen. Mandela was instrumental in helping South Africa become the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is now 86 years old and made a very brief appearance at the championship game as a show of support for his nation that had hosted this great event.

Hosting World Cup is a significant milestone in South Africa’s history because this event is a prestigious world-renowned tournament, which crowns the absolute best in the world of soccer. The tournament was played over a span of a month and its venues were located throughout South Africa. Thousands upon thousands of people traveled to this small country at the tip of Africa- some from as far away as the Netherlands to cheer on his or her own country. Soccer is truly a global sport and the World Cup brought people of different races, colors and religions together under the same peaceful banner. Everyone enjoys watching the “beautiful game” and this was apparent during this year’s World Cup. Watching World Cup soccer being played in South Africa made me feel as if a weight had been lifted from the world’s shoulders. Here, among all of the previous controversy of apartheid, this small nation was able to host a spectacle as large as the World Cup. This is a glimmer of hope for me in the world today.

Nelson Mandela is considered the world’s greatest statesman and a global icon for peace because he has campaigned tirelessly for peace and freedom for the Black people of South Africa. His approach was similar to Gandhi- asking for nonviolent demonstrations to try and get their message across to the South African government, but this did not work and the government responded with repression and violence against the leaders of the vocal movement. Mandela was arrested and imprisoned from 1962-1990, but the echoes of his work were felt around the world. With internal struggle and violence as well as international demands to end apartheid, the South African people finally won their freedom and equality. Nelson, for his instrumental role in abolishing apartheid, was elected the first president of post-apartheid South Africa from 1994-1999.

It seemed extremely fitting that South Africa would host this year’s World Cup tournament in order to unite people, change the world and lay a foundation for a better future. “This World Cup was the stage for a very special moment, tied up with the history of freedom and the history of one man,” explained the FIFA President. “This is a man who has suffered so much, but since being freed from prison he has spoken only of peace and understanding. I first met Nelson Mandela in 1992 and he had a dream: to bring the World Cup to his country. That dream has come true. He brought the World Cup to South Africa, and on the day of the Final he realized his ambition of attending in person. I have to pay homage to the world’s greatest living humanist – Nelson Madiba Mandela (FIFA World Cup).”