Rest In peace Michael, King of Pop

We have been so immersed in the World Cup that I almost missed the first anniversary celebration of Michael Jackson's death yesterday. I clearly remember where I was when we heard the news. We were in Johannesburg for the Confederations Cup (believe it or not, I'm not always this immersed in soccer) when we walked into our hotel room and switched on the TV.

Michael Jackson was quite an inspiration when we were young. He was an amazing musician and performer and kept churning out the hits, earning the nickname, King of Pop. Here was living proof that you could be black and famous. And there was a whole family of Jacksons too. We pretty much spent our teen years to the background sounds of Billie Jean, Rock with You, Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough, and the like.

I found Michael Jackson's transformation very sad - after singing that it didn't matter if you were Black or White, and almost getting us to believe it, he seemed to have second thoughts. Like young girls who are bombarded by images of size 0 models and become anorexic, he was brainwashed into thinking that his hair had to be sleek enough for a pencil to slip through and his nose had to look like he'd slept with a peg on it. I'm not sure that we will ever learn to accept ourselves and each other, just the way we are or learn to respect and celebrate the differences?

I hope that he has found some peace, somewhere.

For a list of Michael Jackson songs, click here.

Soccer - The Beautiful Game

I am so proudly South African at the moment. I feel like I have waited a lifetime to experience the patriotism around me. I have to restrain myself every time I see a flag-bedecked car pass by. We were only included in the line-up because we were the host country, but our team went out with a bang, not a whimper. They conducted themselves with dignity and made the nation proud. I am sure that the way the crowd sang the national anthem with hands over their hearts, the sound of the vuvuzelas and the waving flags spurred them on to achieve beyond expectations. We deserved to beat France. 

I want to savour every minute of this World Cup period. There is something tangibly different in the air at the moment - an energy, a vibe, a rhythm to the city and the people that speaks of hope and passion and loyalty. I wish we could burn the moment into our memory and carry this time with us. Now more than any other time since 1994, I feel what it is we were fighting for. I want my children to soak this up into their pores and hold their heads up high, because they are South African. And soccer did this - no wonder they call it The Beautiful Game.

I have been so inspired that, when the rest of my family went up to Durban for the night for the Portugal vs Brazil match (I have my limits!), I sat down to figure out how to set up this blog. Being the techno-phobe that I am, I am almost as proud of myself as of our team!

Bafana Bafana may be out of the competition but we have pulled together to stage a world-class event. South Africa welcomes you!