World Cup Titbits
The football world cup continues to spread its magic all over the world, as millions witness the colours and culture of the African continent.
Although the national team Bafana Bafana crashed out in the first round of the event, the spirit of the fans is still alive and kicking with beaming faces spreading the message of love, peace and tranquillity in a country that has been plagued with racism and deadly violence over the years.
The love for the game has spread all across, and during the tournament shanty town soccer matches have been arranged to foster the inter-community relationship.
One such occasion was the organization of a football match in the township of Saulsville, Atteridgeville, near Pretoria, between locals and refugees from a squatter camp; the event was aimed at spreading tolerance amongst the various communities.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) who were behind the event felt that the matches provide an opportunity to bring various communities together and end years of mistrust and bitterness that has plagued the country.
"I do hope and I am confident that the authorities of this country, who are responsible for the maintenance of law and order, the protection of whoever is in South Africa, will do the utmost to make sure that everything is peaceful and that foreigners continue to live in this country as they have done for so many years in peace and security," said one representative of the UNHCR.
While there are strict security procedures in place for the world cup, rumours are rife that violent attacks which left 62 dead 100,000 homeless in 2008 in the country due to communal riots will resume at the end of the tournament.
The chances of these attacks are considered high since foreign migrants are seen by locals as the real reason for their worries, as they are willing to work for paltry wages, taking away the jobs that are originally meant for the local work force.
The matches at shanty towns are arranged by a charity organization based in Spain called Play4Africa and the UNHCR.
Besides unifying the communities, the aim of these activities is to promote education through the game, and to create tolerance amongst generally enraged people who are deprived of basic necessities of life.
Meanwhile the passion for the beautiful game of football is not restricted to countries that have made it to the world cup but also finds its roots in countries like Indonesia who failed to make it to the world cup finals.
There remains a high demand for football world cup merchandise in the soccer mad nation as makers of the traditional "batik" clothing mark the sporting event in their own way.
Some unique techniques have been deployed in manufacturing the merchandise like using the centuries-old, wax-resist dyeing technique.
"It has become a trend. My husband is a big fan of football and he is also a batik artist. So we are trying to benefit from the event," said one woman at the forefront of cloth making.
The traditional art of colouring is known as Batik and incorporates cloth using wax and dyes.
The name is derived from the Japanese word "titik," wax is applied to the white cloth before it is dipped into dye, If the wax has permeated through the fabric, it will remain white.
After the initial step some of the wax is removed for the next round of dyeing and the already-dyed segments are re-waxed, the process finishes when the pattern is complete.
The region of Yogyakarta is considered the hub of Indonesia's handicraft industry; Local tourists are intrigued by the World Cup designs.
"The good thing about batik is you can draw anything. People can draw anything related to events and now they have tried the World Cup theme," said one of the tourists who bought a piece of the football-motif batik for her son.
On the other hand South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela was also a huge fan of the Indonesian handicrafts he wore colourful batik wardrobe, which he wore for both formal and informal occasions.
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