Ayoba Time

For those who didn’t score tickets to any of the 10 World Cup venues, the Fifa Fan Fests are the next best thing. In Cape Town the Fan Fest occupies the Grand Parade, the downtown park where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after being released from prison in 1990. With a massive high-def screen, food court, souvenir shops and capacity for 17,000 – many of them wielding the obnoxious vuvuzela – it has a vibe that I suspect is similar to the actual event. The best part is, it’s free.

Yesterday Mzo and I took the train downtown to watch the Germany-Argentina match at the Fan Fest. I didn’t have a dog in the fight, but since my last name is German, I decided to pull for that side. It was a raucous atmosphere, especially as the Germans continued to pile on goals in blasting the Argentines 4-0 (or 4-nil, as the soccer aficionados say). The vuvuzelas were buzzing and the park remained packed after the match, thanks to a free concert by my favorite South African band, Freshlyground.

All the free entertainment has to be paid for somehow, of course. In this case, it’s largely by one of the principal World Cup sponsors, Coca-Cola. No food or drink is allowed to be brought in, so if one is thirsty, the options are to drink a Coke product or stay thirsty. Another sponsor is MTN, a cell phone company whose “It’s Ayoba Time” ad campaign has been a big hit. “Ayoba” is a South African slang term used to express amazement, delight and approval. And really, everything about the day was Ayoba, except for the ride home, when all 17,000 of those Fan Fest attendees seemingly were on the same train as us back to the suburbs.

Here are a few more images from the festivities.