CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Young Americans descended upon Cape Town in hordes, drawn by a new-found love of soccer, World Cup partying, and the dream of visiting the idyllic land of Nelson Mandela in the far-off continent of Africa.
Although the United States’ 2010 World Cup aspirations were cut short on June 26 when they were beaten 2-1 by Ghana in a hard-fought loss, for many American fans this Cup was as much about visiting South Africa as it was about soccer.
Amanda Eron, 27, a special education teacher from Chicago, began listening to African music as a child. She became obsessed with visiting the continent, but was afraid of becoming sick or being put in danger. This year she realized her dream by traveling to South Africa for the games.
“The night when I was packing, I started crying,” she said. “This place that I’d been feeling and felt so connected to, for totally no reason at all, I was going to go there. Finally, I’m going to go to this place. And that was like, almost a relief.”
According to the World Cup organizing body (FIFA) about 130,000 of the 2.8 million tickets sold were purchased by U.S. residents, the highest number of tickets sold for any country outside of the host country.
After the U.S. lost in the “Round of 16,” a group of dejected Americans sat at their own table at The Pitch and Putter sports bar as the rest of the crowd celebrated the win by Ghana — and Africa.
No American was happy to see their team eliminated, but the general attitude seemed to be that if the U.S. was going to lose to someone, losing to Ghana left the least bitter taste in American mouths.
“I’m upset that they lost, don’t get me wrong. But it's nice to see an African team win. It's nice to see a win for the continent and see everyone throw their weight behind them,” said Mike Cash, a recent Northeastern University graduate from Connecticut.
“I'd like Ghana to keep winning because then South Africans are going to be more invested in the outcome of the games,” Eron said. “And when Ghana won people were just going crazy in the streets … it’s nice to see an African team do well.”
Part of the World Cup fever stems from the fact that the American team was much stronger this time than it had been in past World Cup matches. The team was ranked 14th in the world and boasted star players such as Landon Donovan, who graced the pages of the May issue of Vanity Fair along with soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba.
Rafikis, a bar near Long Street, was overrun with American tourists during the match between the U.S. and England on June 12. Dozens of people, wearing American flags like capes, stood to sing the national anthem. People danced on tables and sang after the two teams battled to a draw.
Quinn Hovey, 23, a video game programmer from Massachusetts, said he jumped on the “2002 bandwagon” when the U.S. team reached the World Cup quarterfinals, and he has been a soccer fan ever since. He didn’t have enough money in 2006 to go to the World Cup in Germany, but he said having the games in South Africa was a huge benefit for him.
“Africa is one of the few continents I hadn’t been to,” he said, adding that crime in South Africa is not as prominent as the media makes it out to be.
Kevin DiFiore, a 23-year-old American staying at a hostel on the notorious Long Street party strip, agreed. “I just thought it would be one of those things I would check off my list: the World Cup and the African continent,” he said. “The fact that made it so interesting was that it was in a far-off land. A fairy-tale land.”
Stephen Maganga, 26, and Alex Bothie, 28, sell African paintings and carved wooden animals in Green Market Square in the center of Cape Town. Both said there has been a huge increase in the number of Americans coming to shop in the last two weeks.
“I think nowadays Americans have more love for football than before,” Maganga said. “And Americans love to come to South Africa; they see something unique and different.”
Bothie chimed in: “We have things they don’t have, other animals. Some people, they just wanted to feel Africa. Others, they came for the football itself.”
Cape Town boasts some of the best tourist attractions in the country, including Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned along with other freedom fighters for 27 years. Other major attractions include Table Mountain, Cape Point, world-class beaches, and the picturesque Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Hostels in the area coordinate trips to these popular spots as well as tours to the nearby townships. The city is also considered to be safer than other major hubs, such as Johannesburg and Durban, where games are being held.
South Africa’s rampant violent crime — the country is well-known for its shocking statistic of nearly 50 murders a day — had been cited in the media as one of the top deterrents for people in coming to South Africa in general, and to this World Cup in particular. Some said the notion that there is safety in numbers is the reason they came to experience South Africa now.
Canadian Rosanna Santo, 22, said she and her sister had wanted to come to South Africa for years. “We thought it would be safest to come during the World Cup,” she said as they enjoyed lunch on the swanky waterfront. Although they bought tickets to several games, they came for “safari more than anything.”
Nathan deWindt, an American studying at the University of Cape Town, said Americans idealize South Africa’s story and Mandela’s dream of a “Rainbow Nation.”
“There are a lot of similarities [between South Africa and America]. They are the ‘Rainbow Nation,’ and we call ourselves the melting pot,” deWindt said at Cape Town’s Fan Fest for the kick-off party.“Now that our team is actually good, people are starting it follow it. Combine this and that people really want to come to South Africa, and that is why you see so many Americans here.”
He added that, in addition to the people who are worried about South Africa’s crime, there are a number who see it as a westernized country and mistakenly assume it is therefore safer than other places in southern Africa.
Mali Mothiba, 26, also sells goods in Green Market Square. He said Americans love South Africa and are good for the country, “as long as you come here with the right frame of mind and right attitude.”
Eron, meanwhile, is already planning her next trip to the continent and hopes to see Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Malawi. One of the draws for her in coming to South Africa, she said, was the visible difference in her friends after they returned from studying or volunteering in Africa.
“When they came back, they’re permanently changed,” she said. “There’s something about their eyes. And all they talk about is Africa. And I was like, when I come back from South Africa, I’m going to be like that.”
