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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
Kingsley Holgate is one of the world's most colourful explorers. The Zulus call him 'Nondwayisa uya Shinga' - the African Lilly Trotter that stalks the rivers and lakes of Africa. Holgate set off this week on an expedition through southern Africa to promote the 2010 World Cup. A satellite team will be travelling ahead and upgrading existing soccer fields and building new ones as well as distributing balls to raise awareness about the 2010 World Cup. Project 2010 asked Holgate...  What is your objective? The objective is to open up, map and document an adventure route for future generations. The route - east to west across Africa from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic - links nine Southern African countries, seven transfrontier conservation areas and 30 national parks and nature reserves and the communities adjacent to these conservation areas. Of course, with the 2010 World Cup looming fast we want to ride this wave of enthusiasm. And how has the reaction been so far? We set on Monday from the (tourism) Indaba in Durban and our first stop was the Maloti-Drakensberg TFCA. The reaction has been fantastic. Everybody has 2010 fever and our challenge is to harness it all for the good of the region and the continent. You understand this continent more than most people. How far can this event go to changing international perceptions of Africa? It can go a huge way. What has to happen is that we have to understand what this World Cup is about. We need to forget Germany, this is an African World Cup and it must be remembered for that. It might not be fine-tuned like Germany, but it will be remembered for the singing, the dancing and the choirs. We need to put on a show like no other. When does this expedition end? It will end on August 19 at the mouth of the Orange River in South Africa. more interviews... |
