The brief wondrous life of the vuvuzela

More of our Faces of the Wold Cup, by Angela Jimenez

akuat:

Obligatory: This was a fantastic night in Ghana. We watched the game on Oxford Street in Osu, Accra, which exploded right after the match. People ran through the streets dancing, waving flags, flame-throwing, singing, blowing vuvuzelas. We were pickpocketed, pushed almost into ditches, high-fived, nearly run over, interviewed, hugged. A few of us were fighting through the middle of the street when a mob of men appeared out of nowhere and hugged us around our waists and started dancing and jumping and dancing. By the time we tumbled out we’d lost everyone we knew—thirty minutes later we found them down the road, tucked away in a gelateria with a few other Americans (“Canadians,” for the night). With the help of our new friend Steve we made it out through a side street; my group’s all home and safe now, but the celebration will continue until daybreak.

I cheered for the U.S. tonight, but I was also proud to carry a Ghanaian flag. And I’m excited for what’s to come. This time’s for Africa.

The view from our former, and most excellent, intern. If anyone had to beat the U.S., Ghana was our pick. 

More World Cup Faces from Angela Jimenez

sarah-ball:

who’s on top now?

People who dismiss boycotts say they punish ordinary people rather than those in power, and furthermore, that cultural exchanges like orchestra tours and sports matches help dispel the sense of otherness that hangs over pariah peoples, allowing us to recognize our common humanity. Permit me to suggest that, in the case of North Korea and the World Cup, this is idiocy. Consider North Korea’s star player, the striker Jong Tae-se. A vocal and charismatic 20-something nicknamed “The People’s Wayne Rooney,” Jong has asserted that North Korea’s participation in the World Cup will do a great deal to demystify the country, win it respect and understanding abroad, and stoke pride at home. Indeed, Jong himself leads a totally normal and enjoyable-sounding life, by professional-athlete standards. He rolls in a silver Hummer, loves to snowboard, travels with an iPod and a Nintendo, and aspires to bed one of the Wondergirls—the Spice Girls of Seoul. He has also never lived in North Korea. He was born in Japan and continues to reside there, in the better-off Korean diaspora. He was the one who told the newspapers about his North Korean teammates’ quaint penchant for rock-paper-scissors. If Jong doesn’t represent the existence of Joe Ebrahim’s “dual life” in terms of North Korean society—in which a few nation-glorifying stars are allowed to pursue a capitalist lifestyle while most forage for food and dream about basic rights—I don’t know what does.

Eve Fairbanks, making the case that North Korea should be banned from the World Cup

More faces of the World Cup

For the duration, Angela Jimenez will be hanging out in bars, and shooting really great pictures of people watching the World Cup.