Goals By Ginger #2 - Your Pre-Kickoff Fan Guide

People of the interweb, here is another Ginger Mitchell exclusive with a must read pre-kickoff fan guide for the World Cup in South Africa. Enjoy!

For those of you who haven't seen a football match played in South Africa, there are some fan traditions and gear styles that may come as a surprise. Panos has kindly allowed me to prepare this fan gear guide so that some of the customs and paraphernalia that are sported by Bafana Bafana fans won't come as a surprise. In case you're confused, Bafana Bafana is the local nickname for the South African football team. It means "the boys the boys" in Zulu. 

1. Marakapa hat. You will see many fans sporting what looks like a construction helmet with pop ups all over it, usually in yellow and green. These are the famous marakapa hats which range from basic to incredibly elaborate art pieces that are plastered with stickers, decals and depict entire scenes (and sometimes block your view). The marakapa was designed in the 1970's by Alfred Bayoli, a Kaizer Chiefs fan from the Johannesburg township of Germiston. When he saw a fan get hit in the head with a bottle at a game, he borrowed a friend's hard hat and decorated it with paintings of his own design. The helmet was such a hit at the next game that Bayoli saw a business opportunity and eventually retired from his job to produce the helmets full time. To meet accelerated demand for the World Cup, Bayoli started a factory to train unemployed locals to design, create and decorate the hats. They are hoping to make them for all 32 teams and are also hoping the craze will spread outside of South Africa. Each one is hand-made and most are very inventive and definitely show a lot of team spirit. 

  

2. Giant sunglasses. These are sported usually in conjunction with a marakapa in team colors and generally add to the outlandish and exaggerated appearance of fans. Beadwork on wire is a very popular craft here, and some fans even have sunglasses that are wrapped in multi-colored beads. 

  

3. Vuvuzela. This loud mouth trumpet is a polarizing element of South African soccer. It seems that everyone either loves it or hates it. Fans have been blowing this thing outside my office for the past three days, rendering concentration a complicated effort. Some teams who participated in Confederations Cup last year complained to FIFA about the noise (i.e. those whiners from Italy), but president Joseph Blatter agreed to allow the horns at the matches as they are uniquely South African. The fact of the matter is that the vuvuzela is here to stay for the World Cup and people need to get used to it. I myself bring earplugs to matches and then I am not bothered by the noise. I will admit, however, that the solitary blatt of a vuvuzela waking you up at 5 in the morning is not my favorite sound. 

  

A single vuvuzela makes a trumpeting noise somewhat like an elephant. Thousands of vuvuzelas blown together create a noise somewhat like angry bees. Some people complained that the noise drowned out the commentary on the sportscast, but that to me sounds like more of a problem with the television broadcast and not what is actually going on in the stadium. Sometimes the fans will form an impromptu chorus, with a leader tooting in rhythm and then the crowd following with a staccatto response. I am constantly amazed at the enthusiasm and endurance of vuvuzela honking fans--they can go for hours! There is also a vuvuzela variant, the kuduzela, which resembles the curving horn of the kudu antelope. It produces a lower, more rumbling noise and is not as eardrum splitting. 

4. Nkosi Sikeli iAfrika, the South African National Anthem. This is a combination of a freedom hymn sung by activists against the government during the apartheid era and an Afrikaaner anthem. Each verse is in one language, totaling five. Fans often burst into this song even when the anthem isn't being played. The first line, "nkosi sikeli iAfrika" is particularly distinctive and you will often hear only the beginning. Check out a recording of the song here.

5. Matthew Booth. The only white man on Bafana Bafana, Matthew Booth is actually one of the most popular and players on the team. With his shiny bald head, he has a distinctive look. Even though he plays defense, which is usually not a high-profile position, the crowd loves him and displays this by shouting "Booooooooooooooth!" whenever he gets the ball. When I first came to South Africa, I thought they were booing him, but they are just shouting his name in support, I promise! 

There you have it! Now you're ready for the World Cup! I of course will have to be supporting South Africa today in the match against Mexico, but I wish all teams the best of luck!