Dear Tata Mandela,

Today is your special day.  Mine was a week ago.  Please have a lekker day and don’t let the fact that the whole world wants to be in on it, deter you from having a wonderful day with Graca and your family.

We wish you love, health, peace and lots of rest.

Mike, Priscilla, Micaela and Ethan Jansen

Hung Hom Bay

Hong Kong

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela cartoon by Zapiro

PS. We asked The Arch to say something special on your birthday:

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals ended on a high note at Johannesburg’s Soccer City last night.

Not only did a very deserving Spain beat the Netherlands to claim their first World Championships ever, but South Africa sent all the players, visiting administrators and tourists off with a spectacular Closing Ceremony.

After a month of extreme euphoria, heightened nationalism, spectacular football and non-stop partying (not to mention very late nights for those of us who watched from Asia) all that is left to say about the World Cup (very succinctly) is:

Well Done South Africa!

You did us proud.

Here are some of my favourite images from last night’s Closing Ceremony:

(Pics: Simon Christophe/Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP)

Today, 20 years ago, Nelson Mandela walked through the gates of the Victor Verster prison near Paarl in the Western Cape.  A free man after 27 years behind bars.

While typing this, I am listening to South African radio stations streaming live over the internet, in particular CapeTalk/702 who is broadcasting live from what used to be called the Victor Verster prison (now called the Drakenstein prison) and Mandela’s ‘home’ for about 18 months of his 27 years behind bars.

All through today, ex-political prisoners, cabinet ministers and other dignitaries have been arriving at the prison where special celebrations are being held.

A common question asked by the media on this 20th celebration is “Where were you when Nelson Mandela became a free man?”

Twenty years ago to the day, I was a student at university where I was assisting new students during the university’s orientation week.  I remember that on that particular Sunday, we were meeting at the university residences when word came that Nelson Mandela was about to be released and would speak at the Grand Parade in Cape Town. 

Needless to say, the meeting ended abruptly as we hurriedly made plans to join the throngs in the Cape Town city centre.  What a day it was.  Both chaotic and celebratory.  This was the headline of a Cape Town “struggle newspaper” called Grassroots on the historic day:

As a Saffa rugby supporter living abroad, I must admit at being chuffed that the rugby season is about to start back home.  The International Rugby Board’s Sevens World Series resumes with the New Zealand-leg in Wellington on the 5th of February, followed by the USA event in Las Vegas a week later.

Another highlight of the southern hemisphere pre-season is Western Province playing neighbours Boland at the brand-spanking Greenpoint Stadium on February 5.  Then, on February 12 the Super 14 kicks off when local franchises The Cheetahs take on The Bulls.  The Stormers play The Lions the following day, while The Sharks play New Zealand’s Chiefs.

The newest landmark on the Cape Town skyline, the Greenpoint Stadium.

But I digress.  The Asia season is of course in full swing and local clubs are taking requests for Hong Kong Sevens tickets (unfortunately members only).  In a previous post, I wrote about the movie Invictus that tells the story of how Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) joined forces with Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon) in winning not only the 1995 Rugby World Cup, but also the hearts and minds of South Africans from all walks of life.

The local custodians of the game, the Hong Kong Rugby Union has joined forces with Warner Brothers Pictures as well as Standard Chartered to organise a Gala Charity Premiere on Wednesday 13th January at the Elements Mall in Kowloon Tong.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Operation Breakthrough charity programme which is a joint HKRFU – HKG Police charity that targets at risk youth and engages them in sports like rugby to keep them occupied and instill positive values.

Special guest at the sold-out event will be Springbok Marius Hurter, a member of the triumphant 1995 South African rugby team.

Springboks Os Du Randt (left) and Marius Hurter (right) showing off the RWC 1995 spoils.

Invictus opens in Hong Kong on Thursday, January 14.

I am hearing the words ’2010 is Africa’s year’ all over the media these days. 

Of course the words refer to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup that kicks off in South Africa in June later this year.  People are hoping that a successful World Cup on Africa’s soil (a first in soccer history) will help dispel the notion that Africa is the so-called ‘dark continent’where poverty, corruption and indeed AIDS are all-pervasive and that nothing good comes out of Africa.  “TIA… this is Africa” said Leonardo DeCaprio’s character in the movie Blood Diamond.

The African Cup of Nations (ACN) that kicks off in Angola today, was supposed to be a curtain-raiser of sorts to the World Cup.  Another major sports event to help prove to the world that the faith put in Africa to host the biggest sports event in the world was the right decision.  That a group of ’terrorists‘ decided to use the ACN to further their own ideals, put a serious bump in the road toward SA 2010 (despite the South African President’s statements to the contrary). 

I read an interesting article in today’s South China Morning Post titled: “Cup of good hope.“  While David Smith, writing for the Guardian News & Media, could have been referring to the African Cup of Nation or even the Soccer World Cup, he was actually writing about the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

While the William Webb Ellis Cup indeed brought South Africans together in 1995, Africans also need the African Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup to do likewise.  This time for the entire continent.

Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa’s Humanity

(Click on the scans to view larger in new tab)

(Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa’s Humanity is the official slogan of the 2010 World Cup)

While Invictus-mania has long since left the South African shores (it premiered on December 11, 2009), the Clint Eastwood-directed movie about former President Nelson Mandela’s role in the famous 1995 Rugby World Cup triumph will finally hit cinemas in Hong Kong later this month.  I saw the following poster at the newly opened (and half-finished) iSquare mall in Tsim Sha Tsui:

Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as (then Springbok rugby captain) Francois Pienaar starts at UA Cinemas on January 14, 2010.

Talking about Invictus-mania, here’s the release from SA’s Nu Metro cinemas, followed by the movie trailer on Zoopy.com:

His people needed a leader. He gave them a champion.

The inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country. Newly-elected president Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon

Director: Clint Eastwood

Music: Roger Kellaway

Genre: Biography, Drama

Also from zoopy.com, the main actors in their character roles:

Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar:

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela:

As I am typing this, I am listening to the local Cape Town radio stations reporting on the vibe in Cape Town ahead of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup (Football World Cup for the rest of you) Official Draw taking place at the city’s International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Sport24.co.za reports on the happenings as follows:

(Cape Town, South Africa, Friday 4 December 2009)

The World Cup will resonate to a distinctly African beat for the first time here on Friday when the final draw is made for next year’s sporting spectacular.

Eighty years and 18 tournaments since the first World Cup was held in Uruguay, when only 13 teams took part, none of them African, an African nation will host the event for the first time with 32 countries vying for the biggest prize in sport.

Commenting on the significance of the occasion, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: “This is a very important event for football and Africa as the Final Draw comes to Cape Town where an unprecedented six teams from the host continent will be represented.

“We expect a record global audience which I hope will be glued to their screens for the duration of the show.”

That show has taken a year of preparations to put together and includes performances by Grammy award-winners Soweto Gospel Choir, Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo and one of South Africa’s favourite solo musicians Johnny Clegg.

The grand finale will feature 80 artists including the internationally acclaimed musical ensemble Africa Umoja.

African beats will echo throughout the show which will reach a fitting climax at the moment when the 32 teams discover who they will be playing and when during the June 11-July 11 tournament.

The guest presenter to assist FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke make the draw at the Cape Town International Convention Centre will be South Africa’s Academy Award winner Charlize Theron.

South Africa’s Hollywood actress, Charlize Theron will assist in the FIFA Draw

They will be joined on stage by a line-up of sports celebrities, including football star David Beckham, who is hugely popular in South Africa, marathon champion Haile Gebrselassie, the first black player in the South African cricket team Makhaya Ntini and John Smit, the captain of rugby world champions South Africa.

Among dignitories attending will be South African President Jacob Zuma, Nobel Peace Prize winners FW. de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as former football icons such as Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Eusebio and Roger Milla.

Former president Nelson Mandela, who played a leading role in winning South Africa the right to host the World Cup seven years ago, will address the audience by video message.

And then there will be most of the 32 coaches of the qualified teams eager to learn what their opposition will be in six months time when the action gets underway in the month-long showpiece.

The draw itself sees the 32 teams divided into four pots of eight from which the eight groups that will contest the first round will be drawn.

The first pot will consist of hosts South Africa, and the seven top-ranking world teams – holders Italy, five-times winners Brazil, former champions Argentina, Germany and England and two teams yet to hoist the World Cup in Spain and the Netherlands.

Pot 2 will have the four Asian qualifiers, the three from North and Central America and rank outsiders New Zealand representing Oceania.

Pot 3 sees the remaining five African sides grouped with the remaining three South American, while the final pot consists of the remaining European qualifiers.

Among the latter will be 1998 champions France and semi-finalists four years ago Portugal, and where they end up will likely go a long way to designating the inevitable Group of Death.

It will all take 90 minutes and when it is over the talking will begin and is unlikely to stop until South Africa fittingly plays the opening game of the first World Cup on African soil in Johannesburg on June 11.

Zoopy (a sort-of home-grown YouTube) reported on Nelson Madiba voting at his local voting station in Sandton today:

(as things go, Zoopy may take a while to load, but we live in hope)