News24 today reported that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will kick off with a huge music concert featuring both local and international musicians.

Control Room, the world’s leading producer of global music events, and FIFA have announced the first group of musicians confirmed to perform at the FIFA World Cup Kickoff Celebration Concert.

Alicia Keys, Amadou & Mariam, Angelique Kidjo, Black Eyed Peas, BLK JKS, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Touré, and Vusi Mahlasela will perform at the historic event taking place the night before the first match at 8pm local time on June 10 at the newly-renovated Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

“We in South Africa are blessed to be hosting two first-time events,” said Lucas Radebe, former South African football international and participant in the Kick-off Concert. “The first FIFA World Cup held on the African continent and the first FIFA World Cup Kick-off Celebration concert.”

“I believe these historic events will go a long way towards uniting the people of our rainbow nation in South Africa as well as further strengthening our relationships with our brothers and sisters on the African continent.”

“After all, this is an African World Cup being staged in South Africa. Music and sports are the lifeblood of African culture, so to combine those in this historic event will be a true celebration of African Culture.”

FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke added:  “We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent (to) raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa. It is testament to the universal and unifying power of football and music, and will start the competition off on the right note – of celebration.” 

Executive-produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Kevin Wall and his company Control Room, in partnership with local promoter Showtime Entertainment, the event will feature musical performances by major international superstars and popular African artists collaborating with one another.

There will also be special appearances by past and present football legends with all proceeds to benefit “20 Centres for 2010″, the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Billed as the greatest entertainment event to date on the African continent, the event will be televised to millions worldwide.

Music fans around the world can purchase tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime concert online at www.computicket.com or via phone on (27) 083 915 8000. Concert tickets are priced at R450 (Outer Circle standing), R650 (Inner Circle standing), R850 & R950 (Upper Level seated), R1150 (Lower Level seated). Ticket prices include VAT, Computicket Charges and Park and Ride for all ticket holders.

On a personal note, The Parlotones is one of Howzit-HongKong’s favourite local outfits and thoroughly deserve their place on the world stage.  While we adore Laurika Rauch (and even Koos Kombuis’) version of Lisa se Klavier, we love what the guys have done with this Afrikaans classic. Here is one of our favourite Parlotones tunes:

Cheers to my good friend Mark Anderson who introduced me to Afrikaans music (and Meyers Rum) way back in Taiwan.  I still have your signed copy of Laurika Rauch’s CD. 谢谢 Xie Xie Ni Mark.

Mike Jansen

(Hong Kong)

(This article originally appeared on GoTravel24.com and is reproduced here in the hope that it will give 2010 World Cup and other visitors to our fair country a further introduction to the unique-ness of our language.  Earlier, we published another post on the unique South African diction.  Find it here.)

Simon Williamson March 10, 2010

Back when I spent time in the UK, I was eating breakfast in a hotel one morning when the waitress carrying a coffee pot asked if I would like some coffee. “Just now” I replied with my glintiest grin. “Ok” she said and promptly poured the coffee into my cup.

I was on the verge of a massive irritation attack – something which I am prone to at times – when I realised this poor Moldovan/Polish/Czech/Hungarian/Bulgarian/Serbian woman had probably never heard the term in her life before. In fact, no one outside of South Africa knows what it means. And that’s not the only time we confuse them: walking kaalvoet in the lank rainy weather, picking up stompies, stupid mamparas etc. leave them scratching their heads, wondering what the devil we’re on about.

So for the benefit of those arriving in South Africa for the World Cup, a quick course is required in learning to understand the South African babble we throw your way.  Much like original English adopted (stole) tonnes of words from other Latin-based languages, South African English has ripped words from the dialects and tongues abundant in this beautiful land of ours.

Bare-feet is called kaalvoet in Afrikaans (Pic: spazazen.com)

Afrikaans would be the language from which English has borrowed the most words here. We drive bakkies, not pickups, utes or light delivery vehicles. We eat biltong, not jerky. The flossies make salads while the okes cook the braaivleis, after downing a few Klippies. It’s pretty shweet.

Collectively, our friends/pals/tjommies‘ names are bru, boet and china.

Not a pick-up or ute, but a bakkie (Pic: sanparks.org)

When we shout “chips” we mean watch out, but if we say it we’re giving you either crisps or French fries. Oh, and our farts don’t smell – our baffs hone.

Thin people are skraal and old battered cars are skedonks. While you deal with other people’s drama, we deal with their snot en trane. Your pictures hang skew while ours are squiff, and you wear trainers instead of tekkies. We waai when we’re woes. You leave when you’re angry.

Not runners, but tekkies!

You arrive at your friend’s house to see their young mongrel, and are hungover after a meal and a few drinks. WE pull in at our mate’s pozzie, and when we meet their new pavement special puppy we go “ag shame” or we think it’s sif. After a graze and a few dops we feel a bit sat and we crash, expecting a babbelas in the morning.

Coming from KZN where most people in the province speak Zulu, it took me moving to Johannesburg before I referred to a bulldozer as anything other than a gandaganda (correct word is ugandaganda). To this day I still refer to a doctor as the dokotela and an injection as a jova (umjovo). Meetings are often referred to as indabas (a bastardised plural form of the word), motorbikes as istootoot (terrible vomity Anglicised version of isithuthuthu) and trains as stimele (another bad adoption of isitimela). When we’re sick we take muti and then dudu.

So although it may sound like we’re speaking foreign, it’s not too higher grade. Print this useful piece out and keep it as you flit around our good land, come across our good people, and wish you were South African.

Although not an official FIFA sponsor, Pepsi has entered the advertisement-hype that goes together with the world’s biggest sports tournament… the Soccer World Cup.

Howzit-HongKong.com believes that, together with the vuvuzela, the Meerkat will be another winner during the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa later this year.

How can you not love these little rodents!

Have a look at how cleverly Pepsi used the cute Meetkat (and Lionel Messi) to further their 2010 cause:

Viva the MeerKat Viva!

Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa’s humanity.

Bring on 2010!

In a week when South Africans all over the world celebrated the 100-day countdown to the kick-off to our biggest sports tournament ever, local celebrations were caught up in a spat between the Hong Kong broadcast-rights holders iCable and the other two broadcasters, ATV and TVB.

In a nutshell, iCable made a successful bid for the broadcast rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while ATV and TVB declined to bid.  iCable then decided that, unlike during the two previous World Cups, they will make the TV broadcast available to TVB and ATV, provided they agree to broadcast the entire iCable programme schedule, including advertisements.  TVB and ATB declined and instead wrote to FIFA to try and get clarity on the issue.

At the unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, South African Consul-General Ms Tembi Tambo, however played down the spat instead confirming that the local media tussle “will not mar the spectacle half a world away.” (See The Standard article below)

The countdown ceremony at Hong Kong’s Times Square on Wednesday, organised by iCable was not reported on by TVB’s English language Pearl TV during any on their news broadcasts on the evening of the unveiling.  Howzit-HongKong.com however, was not able to monitor ATV’s coverage on the evening.

At Times Square on Wednesday, hoards of media with their cameras were to be seen, but like we’ve seen (and reported on) at the Invictus premiere, one cannot say whether they were there for the celebrations or for the opportunity to interview the iCable head honcho about the current 2010 media spat.

Thankfully, as we reported in several posts after the countdown ceremony, the local English print media and in particular the South China Morning Post (SCMP) did a great job on covering this momentous occasion.  We noticed that SCMP’s sports reporter Alvin Sallay had another in-deep discussion with Mark Fish in this morning’s Sunday Morning Post (more about that tomorrow).   Here’s how the local English-language daily, The Standard reported on Wednesday’s countdown-clock event:

Although only about a week old, SA 2010 Ambassador Mark Fish’s baby daughter is already making ripples on the other side of the world.

On the day that we were supposed to attend a media conference with South African 2010 Ambassador Mark Fish, the Hong Kong media was alerted that the press conference was cancelled due to the birth of Fish’s baby-daughter.

As I’ve mentioned before, there are two things dear to the Chinese heart: one is their food with the other being their kids; and not always in that order.  The latter showed during the unveiling of the 2010 countdown clock.  The MC started his questions (see video) to the former Bafana Bafana (SA soccer team) player with a question about his baby.  I also heard two other reporters start their questions with the same issue. 

The local English daily’s sports reporter Alvin Sallay, though of Sri Lankan descent, was not left out and he filed the following story in the South China Morning Post the following day: 

(click on the pics to open larger image) 

At yesterday’s unveiling of the Hong Kong FIFA 2010 countdown clock, a local TV presenter asked one of the diski dancers to help him blow the soon-to-be iconic Vuvuzela.  It was a struggle, but he got it right in the end.  Well done, Boet.

It’s all in the lips!

Let me try… the lips you say?

                                                                                                              Here goes… lips (check) cheeks (mo)

                                                                                        Die laaitie is al klaar moeg!

You have to imitate Bra Hugh Masekela with the cheeks!

Happy ending. Oh… I see la!

                                                                                           The Pro Vuvuzela-blowjob!

If there’s one thing that Hong Kong people love it’s their seafood. This time around it was fish…

Mark Anthony Fish.

FIFA 2010 Ambassador Mark Fish this afternoon unveiled a special 2010 Countdown Clock at Causeway Bay’s Times Square. 

The South African Consulate in Hong Kong, under the energetic leadership of Consul-General Ms. Tembi Tambo has been very busy promoting what will certainly be South Africa and indeed Africa’s biggest sporting event:

The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

The Consulate partnered with local broadcast rights-holder Hong Kong Cable TV, the Hong Kong Football Club and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department to organise what was a very enjoyable media event.  The afternoon kicked off with a Diski Dance performance by a South African dance group who travelled to Times Square directly from the airport.  There was no jet-lag to be seen as the energetic troupe entertained the assembled media and local shoppers on stage.

  Diski Dance… This is how we do it in Africa, La!  Ke Nako / It’s out time!

Mark Fish was then invited to the stage to tell the audience about, amongst other questions, just what the 2010 World Cup means to him as well as to South Africans at large.  Feeeeeesh (as the fans would shout when Fish touched the ball back in the days) did himself and the South African Local Organising Committee (LOC) proud by giving the assembled media a glimpse of what they can expect at the World Cup in just under 100 days.  In typical Hong Kong style, questions from the MC opened about the recent addition to the Fish family!  (The Consulate had alerted the local media that Mark’s girlfriend had given birth to a baby girl recently.)

    SA Consul-General Ms Tembi Tambo joined Mark Fish at Times Square (Pic: Mike Jansen)

The event ended with Fish joining invited guests to unveil a special 2010 countdown clock.

As will be the case come the FIFA 2010 World Cup, the sound of the Vuvuzela was heard throughout the ceremony, courtesy of the Diski Dancers!

Ke Nako!  It’s our time.

Bring on 2010!

(If you’re in SA, please click on theInsurance4Women.co.za ad to support Howzit-HongKong.com)

Former South African (Bafana Bafana) footballer Mark Fish will visit Hong Kong this week as a guest of the South African Consulate. 

South African Consul-General in Hong Kong Ms Tembi Tambo has been actively promoting events around South Africa’s 2010 Soccer World Cup and invited Mark Fish, who is also a 2010 World Cup Ambassador, to Hong Kong. 

2010 Ambassadors Mark Fish (left) and Lukas Radebe with President Zuma (Pic: WEF)

Today (March 2, 2010) marks the official 100-day countdown to the start of the World Cup in South Africa.  During a media event to be hosted by local broadcast rights-holder iCable tomorrow (Wednesday March 3), Fish will unveil a special World Cup countdown clock at the piazza at Times Square, Causeway Bay.

During his stay in Hong Kong, Mark Fish will also conduct two football clinics for aspiring players at the Hong Kong Football Club as well as in Kowloon City.

Love them or hate them, the Vuvuzela will be a major must-have during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, now just over 100 days away.

During the recent Confederations Cup ‘test event’ some spectators and in particular the TV broadcasters complained over what they called the ‘mindless, monotonous cacophony’ emitted by these plastic horns.

However, this has just spurned a whole new industry around the horn and we were very amused to see the following t-shirt print in the SA dailies this past week proudly exclaiming:  Africa is a noisy place!

(Continued below)

An innovative Cape Town-based outfit called K.E.L.P. came up with a very environmentally friendly way of satisfying what will ultimately be a best-selling soccer-tourist keepsake from the first World Cup in Africa.  KELP is an acronym for Kelp Environmental Learning Projectwhich aims at promoting environmental awareness and to educate the public about marine conservation and environmental matters.  The business uses dried kelp horns to create vuvuzelas which are painted and branded.

Have a look a how they do it:

WikiPedia has the following to say about the origin of the Vuvuzela:

A vuvuzela, or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. It is also used in other countries such as Mexico, Brazil, or Israel. The origin of the name is disputed. It may originate from the Zulu for “making noise,” from the “vuvu” sound it makes, or from township slang related to the word for “shower.”

Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s.

La dooooooooooo ma!

News24.com reported the following story after recent media stories that the tourism sector is milking tourists ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup:

South Africa’s tourism industry and Match, Fifa’s single licensed agency, has hit back at media claims they have outpriced visitors – known as price gouging – to this winter’s Soccer World Cup. Fifa is soccer’s world governing authority.

According to the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), which on Tuesday hosted a specially arranged press conference, peak season prices will be the maximum charged for accommodation and flights during the World Cup in June.

“There is nothing for them (travellers) to worry about,” said Mmatsšatsši Marobe, CEO of TBCSA “The industry is not involved in price gouging, not the majority anyway,” she added.

Most accommodation providers in the country are not aiming to exploit tourists, rather, that it will be business as usual during the World Cup, he said.

The TBCSA, along with Fifa’s Match and numerous South African travel and accommodation associations called a meeting to address the recent reports alleging tourists will be fleeced by opportunistic travel operators during the World Cup.

In the current economy, soccer fans from Germany and England in particular, are worried about the cost of attending the event, said Jaime Byron, executive chairman of Match.

“The nearest qualifying country to South Africa is Cameroon, the distances to travel are long,” he said. “So, yes, packages put together are more expensive, but the distances are what they are.”

Match has the exclusive rights to sell travel and ticket packages for the 2010 tournament, and its near monopoly of hotel rooms has been blamed for the high prices.

Citing Jerome Valcke, Fifa’s general secretary, the UK’s Telegraph said last week that Fifa would overhaul the ticketing system which has been blamed for only 2.1 million tickets sold to World Cup games against the 2.8 million that are available.

Room prices misunderstood

According to TBCSA, it is overlooked that the alleged high prices for hotel rooms is inclusive of transportation and entertainment.

As far as flights are concerned, prices are set to remain at peak season rates. “Airlines have priced their seats reasonably,” said Michael Tatalis, CEO of SATSA.

An SAA flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg for the opening match on 11 June will cost R1270, according to its online booking facility. Kulula and 1Time offer similar prices. Flight prices during December peak season usually reach over R2000 one way.

However, TBCSA’s Marobe said industry players can’t be forced to charge reasonable rates. “We have seen sporadic incidences of some businesses inflating their prices. [But] organised business recognises the long term benefits of sustainable growth in visitor numbers.”

“There are really no worries on our part, said Tatalis. “To those places that are ridiculously high priced, good for you, you’re going to be left empty.”

The body also said there are enough rooms available for accommodation, but that extensive use of private transport companies must be used to be able to ferry travellers to and from games.

“Do I think the bad press will have the sufficient effect to disappoint people? I doubt it very much,” said Byron.