As promised I have here a special treat from my friend Ginger (whose excellent travel blog I have linked to) is currently in South Africa and was kind enough to send me this excellent account of Bafana Bafana parade which occured right outside of her window at work. So naturally she needed to take part. I would also like to point out that I am now linked to the blog Posts by Panos. Written by a man infinitely smarter that I and much more educated in the beautiful sport, he is the man to turn to to get excellent analyzes and predictions for this great event. Now please, enjoy.
United We Will Stand Parade for Bafana Bafana
South Africa's national football team has the nickname Bafana Bafana, which means "the boys" in Zulu. The nation has really come together to support their team, who kick off the World Cup this Friday in their opening game against Mexico. It is rumored that Nelson Mandela himself will show up in a yellow and green jersey to give the players an extra boost, and I hope he is able to. Nowhere was this support more obvious than at the "United We Will Stand" parade in honor of the team that was given today around lunchtime and conveniently outside my office. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Sandton, cheering, dancing, singing and tooting vigorously on their vuvuzelas. Even from 7am onward, the time I arrived at work, the odd blatt could be heard now and then. From about 11am the noise became constant, and it's 3:30pm as I write this and the crowd shows no sign of dissipating or stopping.
I headed outside at lunchtime in the hopes of taking lots of great photos and catching a glimpse of the team who would be driving by in an open top double-decker bus. The scene was an absolute madhouse in the best way. Almost everyone was wearing a yellow jersey and many corporations in Sandton gave their employees permission to have several hours off to view the parade (not mine, however). As I was walking out of the entrance to Mandela Square by the Michaelangelo Hotel, the crowd swarmed a fancy, black sedan that was trying to get in. I noticed an enormous security guard and police escorts so I immediately pushed my way in there. Who was in the car? R. Kelly! No teenage girls to be seen near him, although he did pop up through the sunroof and wave vigorously to everyone. The crowd was pushing and shoving to get close, but it was very good natured. Most of the people who bumped me or stepped on my foot apologized politely. There was a real mix of people, from office people in suit bottoms to construction workers from the Gautrain station just next door.
As R. Kelly finally passed by, I walked down to the requisite Red Bull truck that was pumping tunes and handing out free drinks to the crowd. People were dancing in the street, tooting their horns and having a great time. I got a lot of really excellent photos, including one of some Mexico fans in giant sombreros and luchador masks. I then climbed up on the truck to get a better view of the crowd. The staff tried to kick me off, but I told them I was press and just wanted to take some photos. They let me stay up there for quite a while, so I might be on Sportscenter as I was definitely filmed during that time!
It was hot and sweaty in the noonday sun, and there was still no sign of the team. West Ave, where I was, supposedly would be closed to traffic, but cars were still making their way through the crowd at a snail's pace. I wanted to be up high so I could get a good picture of the team, and I saw a crew of men in yellow tracksuits sitting on top of the wall outside Nelson Mandela Square. The wall was about 12 feet high. The only way to get up there was to either climb up on a shorter portion and then climb over the people already sitting on there, or get hoisted up by the gentlemen on the wall already. They were willing to try the hoist, so I got a tall stranger next to me to give me a leg up and then the guys on the wall pulled me up. I had to scramble a bit with my feet (really could have used climbing shoes!) but they got me up there eventually! I had a great view of the crowd and it was nice to sit for a while. I'm also glad I wore leggings under my dress or else everyone would have gotten quite a show!
By the time 1:45 rolled around, Bafana Bafana still hadn't showed up so I decided to go back inside as I was on my lunch break and couldn't just drop 3 hours in the middle of the day. I had a lot of photos and had definitely experienced the crowd. To the amazement of my neighbors on the wall, I turned around and dropped off the edge--there was a small ledge about 10 ft off the ground, so I just swung down while holding on to that and landed neatly on the sidewalk. I went back inside and have been able to accomplish little else today as the party is still raging on outside. I am supposed to leave work at 4 and I don't know if I'll be able to get out of the building, it is so crazy out there!
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