In our previous episode (with David Goldblatt) we looked at the globalisation of football and its impact on Africa. We highlighted issues affecting the development of the game in the continent, including the influence of foreign leagues, infrastructure and governance. Mr Goldblatt suggested some strategies that can move the game forward, such as building fit-for-purpose facilities and making football more accessible to the population. David is of the view that Africa should take a different route in developing football in the continent, embrace a different kind of football culture!
What exactly is a football culture? How can Africa develop one? To answer this, we need to analyse the history of football in Africa. How have Africans appropriated the game since its introduction to the continent by white settlers?
Peter Alegi will shed more light into the cultural, social and political development of football in Africa, drawing from his research and experience mainly in Southern Africa. Peter Alegi is professor of history at Michigan State University in the United States and research associate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He is the author of “Laduma! Soccer, Politics and Society in South Africa” (University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2004; 2nd edition 2010), “African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World’s Game” (Ohio University Press, 2010), and co-editor of “South Africa and the Global Game” (Routledge, 2010) and “Africa’s World Cup: Critical Reflections on Play, Patriotism, Spectatorship, and Space” (University of Michigan Press, 2013). He hosts the “Africa Past and Present podcast” (afripod.aodl.org) and convenes the Football Scholars Forum (footballscholars.org).
This episode will touch on the following topics:
1. What is a football culture? Is there one “African football culture”?
2. African history of appropriations of the game (cultural, political, economic, etc.)
3. Researching the history of the game, what are the challenges and opportunities? Written and oral sources and the critical role of Africa-based scholars in knowledge production about the game.
4. History of the styles of play in African football: What are they? How have they changed over time? What do these changes tell us about football and in its place in society?
5. Football as a platform for identity formation/maintenance, self-organisation, and civic-minded masculinity .
These are essential topics for Africa, a continent that is desperately looking to make a mark on the globe, the last attempt being the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.
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