Call for Papers: VOL. 6. No. 2 'Under the Lens: South Africa and the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010'

[Cara]

POSTAMBLE: CALL FOR PAPERS, VOL. 6. No. 2 'Under the Lens: South
Africa
and the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010'
UCT's Centre for African Studies and its multidisciplinary
postgraduate,
peer- reviewed student journal, postamble invite you to submit essays,
photographic projects, book reviews, and opinion pieces that
critically
engage with the socio- political, cultural and economic impacts of the
FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament on South Africa.
The atmosphere around this event in South Africa is fevered, not only
owing to the opportunities FIFA and the South African government have
promised, but also because this moment signifies a chance for the
country and continent to project a positive and powerful public image
to
the rest of the world. The event has heralded huge developments in
urban
infrastructure and transport, tourism is expected to surge, sustained
attention has been paid to improving the safety of and access to
public
spaces and investment-both local and foreign-is high. Soccer fans, of
which there are many, are awaiting the arrival of some of the greatest
names in sport; energies have soared in anticipation of an extended
period of mid year celebration. There is a feeling of pride here, and
South Africans seem to be united in a way unseen these past fifteen
years.


However, critics have questioned the real sustainable effects of the
event, the development it brings, and have criticised the quick fix
clean up strategies of the state and local government.
There are hard questions that stir: what will be the real benefits of
the FIFA World Cup, and what will happen once it is over? Who will be
the real victors here? Will South Africa be able to use this
opportunity
to shift global perceptions about Africa and African cultures and
societies? Or, do we stand the risk of entrenching many of the
stereotypes that persist in the global public
imagination? Achille Mbembe suggests that,


...if we cannot win on the soccer field and if our victory won't be
economic and financial, then we better start thinking hard about
changing the very terms of what it means to win at all...Our victory
can
only be a cultural and moral victory. We will win the 2010 Soccer
World
Cup if we organize it in such a way that it powerfully contributes to
changing the terms of Africa's recognition in the world. 1


We invite submissions that heed the debates and questions around the
2010 Soccer World Cup tournament. Postamble aims to publish an edition
that is lively and polemical. The issue will be released a month after
the end of the tournament, in August 2010. Photographic essays and
opinion pieces can be created during the tournament time. Submissions
may vary in their subject matter and approach and will be assessed on
their relevance to the edition's theme. Long papers should be
addressed
to the Managing Editor, and emailed to post...@gmail.com or cas-
post...@uct.ac.za by no later than the 15th June 2010. These should
be
between 5000 and 8000 words. Short Submissions (1500-3000 words) and
photographic essays (10 to 15
photographs) should be submitted to the same addresses by the 15th
July
2010.
OR submit on our website: www.postamble.org For correct formatting,
please see http://postamble.org/Submissions/Guidelines.aspx.
Please ensure all submissions contain a short abstract (200 words),
biography (50 words), with relevant contact details.


1 Mbembe, '2010 Soccer World Cup: Where Is the Moral Argument?'
Published online (31/10, 2006) in Africultures, Cultures Africaines:
www.africultures.com. Accessed 8 April 2010.