Formula 1, So Much For Ke Nako

Ke Nako Image: aysoworldcup

“Waka Waka ehe waka waka ehe”  that tune, the soundtrack of the time. The time for Africa it was said. Big things were going to go down, down South. Even bigger things expected of the continent as fortune, rather too optimistically, like a drop of ink in a glass of water diffuse its arrival announced by the din of the Vuvuzelas.

Ke Nako time for Africa. The much awaited time when the land of lions,elephants and giraffes would sit with pride, shake up the corporate world and  with heads held up high cease being the problem and   provide solutions to prevailing global situations. You see, the gloom in the world markets like malaria and Aids had been infectious. Spectating on from its perennial designate position- the sidelines- was Africa.


Lost to the audience catching on the on goings in the Euro zone and Americas was what the big deal was about being unemployed or having no home to rest your weary body. To some, it was just short of an ill placed joke the only amusing thing were the names being floated around Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, funny names for a bank they thought.

The pundits on the tube told us that this gloom, these social problems were born of the global economic meltdown. Problems that in the homes of the spectators were bread and butter issues. Not so though was hosting the world's most watched event, the world war without bombs: The FIFA World Cup. Thus every reason for the 800 million inhabitants of the mother Continent to sing along to Shakira's rendition of the tune they knew of so well 'Waka Waka' after all, it was Ke Nako.

Everything said it was Ke Nako. For once CNN , BBC (just to name names) spoke well of the dark continent. Nonetheless as they say, even good things come to an end. Some premature end this was as way before Barcelona,pardon me,  Spain were crowned champions of the South Africa 19th  edition of the FIFA World Cup, reality had reared it's ugly head disrupting the African hosted party.

The problem was not with the host as 'haters' had gone waxical about in the run up to the event, but with the caterers (multinationals from lands beyond keen to grab the marketing opportunity that big sport graciously offers) as sections of the party goers started to feel discriminated, served scrapings from the bottom of the pot or missing out on rations all together.

Forget the nonesence noise about the Vuvuzelas and the subsequent preemptive bans from European stadia , forget the ticket prices out of reach for the thousands whose homes had to make way for the multi dollar stadiums, think the young ones whose potato chips had to find their way from their grasp into dustbins just because they had been fried by the wrong brand.

All the same all taken in stride in lieu of the symbolism of the time. In South Africa, lay hope and hope is one thing hard to rubbish. Kenya started dreaming of the Olympics in a few decades just to sample some of the high of the moment. At the very least, the return of Formula 1 to South Africa. Such is the sense of family in Africa . Your brother is still your brother even if sibling rivalry best defines the relationship.

When Ghana failed to progress into the semifinals of the world cup in a fashion that typifies the African situation, the disappointment was shared from the cape of good hope all the way to Alexandria. When the 2011/12 Formula 1 calender was released just recently, the glaring miss was a difficult pill to swallow for Formula 1 enthusiasts across the continent. So much for Ke Nako

March 11-Bahrain
March 18-Australia
April 1-Malaysia
April 11-China
April 22-Korea
May 6-Turkey*
May 20-Spain
May 27-Monaco
June10Canada
June17-United States
July1-Valencia,Spain
July 15-GreatBritain
july 29-Germany
August 5-Hungary
September 2-Belgium
September 9-Italy
September 30-Singapore
October 14-Japan
October 28-India
November11-AbuDhabi
November 25-Brazil
* Subject to confirmation

**Coming Soon: Russia
***Hopefully this Africa- Kyalami circuit South Africa? Libya- rebirth of the Tripoli grand prix? Nigeria?

In the media blitz surrounding the African World Cup, a cornered Bernie Ecclestone had this to say:

"When we speak about the Formula 1 World Championship, we are aware that Africa is missing. We had talks a couple of years ago and almost reached a deal but at the moment they are so wound up with the football World Cup - there was not much point in talking."

To me a dismissal rather than a note of hope “...so wound up with the football World Cup- there was not much point talking!”  with all due excuse me Mr Ecclestone. Nonetheless, in a miniscule way you have a point. You see too much talking has always been the problem. Talking in conferences, capacity building workshops and the likes. Maybe it's time for a hush and then some action. Till then for Africa Formula 1 back to the reserved seats in the sidelines as is norm.