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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
The My 2010 School Adventure campaign, a partnership between the 2010 Organising Committee and the national departments of Education and Sport and Recreation has seen nations competing in the Confederations Cup adopting a South African province. Project 2010 spoke to Rasheed Alawsy, Iraq's Ambassador to South Africa about the campaign...  Soccer is being used as the glue to unite South Africa and other countries in the build up to the Confederations Cup and, of course, the 2010 World Cup. What are your impressions of this initiative? It has been truly fantastic. It is good for South African children to get a taste of the real Iraq. We have seen South African children singing the Iraqi national anthem and they are interested in our culture and customs. There is much sympathy for our country and we are grateful that we have this opportunity to be part of a major tournament like the Confederations Cup. There are many similarities between South Africa and Iraq - both share violent and troubled histories. What can we learn from each other? For the Iraqi people, it is critical that we get peace and stability and democracy. Yes, Iraq and South Africa have a common history - we got rid of colonialism and the Iraqi dictator….and you got rid of apartheid. It is a common struggle. In terms of Iraq's preparations for the Confederations Cup, how is that progressing? Iraq now has a very intensive training programme in place and we are preparing with high-profile friendly internationals, including Turkey and Saudia Arabia. We are confident in our ability. more interviews... |
