What will we do and talk about after 64 games (or matches), Ghana’s entry into the quarter finals, and Spain’s victory in South Africa? The 2010 World Cup was also a victory for the African continent and went a ways in creating a sense of worldwide and African solidarity. I was surprised to hear, when I took my niece to a cathedral in Dakar, a brother talking about vuvuzelas as a cultural question, referring to the soccer ball in a metaphorical sense, and putting the games at the centre of a homily. The author was kind enough to share, and here is how the sermon starts.

Coupe du monde FIFA 2010 / FIFA 2010 Worldcup

“Dear friends, I still remember the breaking title of a news article: “Who cares about soccer!” We can understand such a rebellion, because we are not all soccer fans. We do not all like soccer, and we do not all vibrate when the ball crashes into the net. We are not all attuned to the rhythms of corners and penalty kicks. But it is clear that the Soccer World Cup is an event that can not be ignored, for the simple fact that anything that affects humankind cannot leave us indifferent. Therefore, while Spain and the Netherlands are preparing to play the final of the 19th Soccer World Cup, I would like, as part of our family talk, to share with you, in the light of sacred texts, a mediation seasoned by five points that have marked me during the 2010 World Cup.

“First point. A friend living in Jobourg phoned me from South Africa the night of South Africa vs. Mexico to inform me of the atmosphere in the rainbow nation, the country of Nelson Mandela. Black and white take the same bus to go to the stadium …”

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