Bhoops

Cape Town officially opened its World Cup celebrations today. The activities commenced at 2p.m. at the Fan Fest Park on the Grand Parade. The area apparently has a capacity to accommodate 15 000 people. No small wonder that at least double that number tried to gatecrash this party, leading to a stampede at approximately one hour after the concert began. As I write, I have not heard of any serious casualties. I sincerely hope that there is no repeat of this incident. As the pleasant winter sun set, the cold air quickly took the warmth away and ushered in the cold Cape night. The planned activities for this night would mesmerise everyone who attended. Three large screens on Adderley Street transmitted the concert. By 6p.m. at least five to ten thousand people had gathered around each of these screens. Most were mesmerised by the images on the screens, others danced in the streets in groups. The ubiquitous sound of the vuvuzela perpetually filled the air, mostly in desperate asynchron...

This day shall be added to the list of special days that South Africans have experienced in the last eighteen years. The city centres hosting the various soccer matches were awash with colour, mostly gold and green, the official colours of Bafana Bafana, the soccer team of host nation South Africa. The team paraded through the streets of Sandton, the business hub of South Africa. People in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and the other centres hosting world cup games took to the streets in a display of support for the national soccer team. The sound of the vuvuzela drowned out any and all competing sounds. The vuvuzela is also described as a "horn", but resembles a pipe instrument.This secret weapon of the South African team has not only been adopted by the locals, but seems to be a prized possession of overseas tourists as well. I foresee it and the noise that it makes, as opposed to any soothing musical tone, becoming synonymous with the world cup ...