Expats spread SA fever

The spirit of South Africa has gone global as thousands of expatriates celebrate the World Cup from the US to Chile and from the UK to the south of France.

But it’s not all about Boerewors and the vuvuzela for some who are using the tournament to raise awareness of and funds for nongovernmental organisations and charities back home.

One group living and working in London got together to raise funds for non-government organisation, Ntataise, meaning to Lead a Child by the Hand.

Sam Abercrombie , one of the campaign organisers told The Times: “We have booked out a local 24-seater cinema in Balham, south London, for the evening, where we will screen the quarter final match on Friday, July, 2.”

People will pay for their entrance and snacks, as part of The Handy Hundred Campaign which Abercrombie said “aims to raise £100 (R1125) from 1000 people”.

“We also want to create awareness about the work Ntataise is doing with rural communities in South Africa, by connecting them with communities in the UK and vice versa,” she said.

James Sceales, who moved to the London last year, said he hosted a World Cup bash for the opening match last week Friday with 60 South Africans.

“We have a roof deck that looks over Westminster which we decorated with flags, we had South African music which we belted out for hours and of course there was biltong and boerie on the braai,” he said.

“It was like an over-the-top version of that old Castle Lager Toto advert on top of a building in New York. It was epic.”

Cara Woolley was in Chile for the opening ceremony and watched it on “one of Santiago’s main streets”.

“The game was on all over and people were dressed up and there were even vuvuzelas on sale and local people were blowing them. It was very festive,” she said.

The trumpeting sound of the vuvuzela could even be heard in Antibes, in the south of France, where Nicholas Amoretti is working on yachts during the European summer.

“There were vuvuzelas and lots of people in Bafana shirts for the opening match. We went out to a place called the Hop Store — it was amazing,” he said.

In the US capital of Washington DC, Simon Barber, US Country Manager for the International Marketing Council of SA said that soccer fever has hit America.

“Around the country our missions have had free concerts with spit braais, music and dancing. We had a whole lot of Bafana shirts shipped over,” he said.

“There has been a great amount of excitement with people wearing their Bafana shirts on Fridays, like your football Fridays in South Africa. Bars are filled with South African paraphernalia, and there has been a huge demand for vuvuzelas, its really amazing.”

Catherine Jordan, who has lived in London for over eight years said the World Cup has made her and her friends homesick.

She and her British husband hosted a World Cup party for which her mother sent over a box of South African “goodies” including flags, a vuvuzela, blow-up hand, Mohican wig, and eye masks.

“So our house was completely decorated. For food, we ordered from a South African on-line shop, Savannah. We had boerie rolls, koeksisters, biltong, lots of SA wine and of course copious bags of Nik Naks, Ghost Pops and Fritos.”

http://www.go2010.co.za/