In it Together

By Anja Merret 

It was one of those moments. The British would say Ah Bless. In South Africa that translates to Ag Shame. Reading about the welcome the German Women’s Football team received in Frankfurt yesterday gave me a lump in the throat and a few small tears down my cheek. They were being celebrated for having retained the Women’s World Cup by beating a scintillating Brazilian team.

Watching the video on the Spiegel home page, which led to the Bless moment, I noticed the huge numbers of German flags. I had seen these during the men’s World Cup in the previous year which had been held in Germany. And during that world cup the flags did not stop waving, even when Germany was knocked out of the competition. In fact Germany’s third place game was still hugely celebrated.

I remember when Germany got the nod by Sepp Blatter that they would be the hosts of the 2006 World Cup. We were all sitting in front of the TV, chewing our nails into oblivion hoping that South Africa would get the honour. It was not to be. Much to our embarrassment we were quite bad losers, setting off an enquiry and hounding some poor New Zealand official.

In retrospect, Germany’s holding of this world competition gave that country the opportunity to really unify itself and become a proud nation. Unification of East and West Germany had not been that long ago, in October 1990. This pride in their country could have been going on for a while of course. I haven’t been living in Europe that long to have observed the trend. It was just hugely noticeable this time and as seen from outside of the country as well.

As an aside, it seems the Brits are sending civil servants across to Germany to learn how to be more customer focused. Who would have thought! Of course my sister, who has lived most of her life in Germany says that Germans are only friendly to foreigners. They put on a friendly face to outsiders only, is her slightly cynical take on it.

What the Germans did though for several years before the World Cup, was to train the people who would come into contact with visitors, on how to be friendly towards visitors. All Germans were encouraged to be welcoming to them. The World Cup Logo had smiling faces in round footballs and the slogan was ‘A time to make Friends’. This doesn’t quite do justice to the German one which is more along the lines of - the world as a guest comes to visit friends. A bit more awkward, I suppose! I won’t take up that job as translator after all!

It was a huge campaign to ensure that Germany would come across as a friendly nation where the party never stops. And the parties did not stop. Every city and town had a central gathering spot/s where huge TV screens were set up and people were encouraged to come and participate even if they could not get into the stadiums to watch.

I travelled through Germany two weeks after the end of the competition to visit my sister. When people heard us speak English they came over to chat and to say hello and check if we needed help. What?? The last time I travelled in Germany, twenty years before, the reception was quite different.

What has the spin-off been for Germany besides a huge boost in GDP during the World Cup weeks? Considerable growth, much to the German economists’ surprise has continued into the next year. I read a day ago that a noticeable trend has recently been identified. German companies who since 2000 had been manufacturing outside of the country whether in the ‘cheaper’ east block countries or in China, are flocking back to their homeland. Sure there have been problems doing business outside Germany, but could it also be that besides strong economic growth, German business people could be more patriotic?

So watching fifteen thousand or so Germans celebrate their women’s team, and lets face it women’s football is not that popular anywhere in the world including Germany, made me think how more patriotic the Germans have become. They have certainly become a more unified nation, celebrating their successes with pride and exuberance.

In retrospect South Africa only receiving the go-ahead to host the World Cup in 2010 has been a blessing in disguise. And what a moment that was when Herr Sepp Blatter pulled out that piece of paper with the words South Africa on it. And the combined audience at the selection venue, and 44 million South Africans, waiting for Madiba’s arrival. I still get goose bumps remembering that.

Hopefully, all those observers who spent tax payers’ money enjoying the World Cup last year, will have come back to South Africa and said that that is how our competition must be run as well. It has to be a huge welcome to the rest of the world and a non-stop party. And we, as South Africans, will also show off our country with pride and passion, they should be saying - very loudly.

If it is organised as well as the T20 cricket world cup recently held in South Africa where ticket prices were kept to a minimum to ensure full stadiums no matter who was playing and a party atmosphere was maintained during the matches, then the legendary South African friendliness will create as great a feeling of togetherness world wide as the World Cup did in Germany.

If done right, the same spin-offs will be felt in South Africa. These would be a much needed unification of the country’s people which will be felt more strongly than after the Springbok’s 1995 Rugby Wold Cup win. It will most assuredly contribute further to the current strong economic growth. And maybe it will entice expat South Africans, their skills and businesses back to their homeland. She says writing from Brighton in the UK, and not the one in Durban.

Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK, having moved across from South Africa just over a year ago. She now looks after the business interests of her daughter who is a Flash Developer and Accessibility expert. She started a blog at the beginning of the year under the heading of chatting to my generation. Although she is chatting to the baby boomer generation, she sometimes feels that all generations have the same issues to face, they just don't have hearing aids or walking sticks! One of her pet peeves is the war in Iraq and in fact anything that causes innocent people to get hurt. But she also loves tech stuff, although only as an amateur. She considers herself a Silver Surfer Gadget Geek. She is even considering queuing for an iPhone in the UK later on in the year. But her daughter has offered, so she will only be taking hot food to the Brighton Geeks waiting in line. Her musings may be found on http://www.anjamerret.com Her observations on personal power and self-development may be found on http://www.pinkblocks.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anja_Merret