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There seems to be a growing chorus of people in South Africa who are none too happy about a Columbian songstress singing the official song for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. And we've got to say, we're probably with them. Though Shakira does a pretty admirable job, coming up with something that sounds altogether like it's from deepest darkest Africa (looking incredible to boot) and the team from Freshlyground all hail from the continent, there's something just a bit sucky about a song that's supposed to represent your country to the world being imported from halfway across it.It's a bit like buying Australian souvenirs that are made in China, really.
1 comments:
I dont understand the cynicism at the end of your post. Just be thankful that there is an African artist in it after all. This is what she said?
"The World Cup is about this melting pot, you know, in which so many cultures come together. So when Sony ... asked me to write a song for the World Cup, I decided to bring a little bit of my culture, too, which is attached to Africa through an umbilical cord. I mean, I was raised listening to music that was heavily influenced by African music ... that's how close Colombians are to African culture. So I decided to use a little of Colombian and Afro-Caribbean elements, these chants from Cameroon ... and invite a South African artist to also bring their own flavor to this song. And I thought in that way we could create a song that would be more emblematic of what the world cup spirit is, that spirit of tolerance and integration and that melting pot that South Africa is right now"
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