2010: Celebrate Africa's Humanity
26 November 2007
Africa is a continent rich in resources, but its biggest asset by far is the warmth, friendliness, humility and humanity of its people. This was the inspiration for the official slogan of the 2010 Fifa World Cup: "Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa's Humanity".
The slogan was launched by 2010 Local Organising Committee chairman Irvin Khoza during the worldwide broadcast of the 2010 preliminary draw TV show in Durban on Sunday.
"'Ke Nako' simply means 'It's Time'," Fifa says on its website. "And indeed Africa's time has come to use the 2010 Fifa World Cup to change perceptions of Africa and reposition the continent in a positive light with South Africa as the theatre and Africa the stage."
Khoza said the Local Organising Committee had "felt it appropriate that we develop a message, a theme that would resonate with the objectives of the global football family as well as the intentions and ambitions of the African diaspora.
"In the development of this slogan - our 2010 message - we were also inspired by the outpouring of excitement and joy that we witnessed from villages and cities across the continent when President Blatter announced the name 'South Africa' on 15 May 2004."
Speaking during Sunday's ceremony at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, South African President Thabo Mbeki said the country aimed to "stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo - an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa.
"We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 Fifa World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict."
SAinfo reporter
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