Rugby, Race and Nationalism in South Africa

Comments (2)

1. 

   Bill Hewitt Tuesday - 08 / 12 / 2009 Reply

   I read Bill Keller’s review in the NY Times of Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made A Nation over a year ago and thought, wow, this sounds great. I picked it up and found it a terrific story, told dramatically and well. I thought, at first, not being a student of modern South Africa to any great extent, that the portrait of Mandela as this nearly omnipotent force for moral good was a bit overplayed. But as the story progressed, Carlin made his case. I am someone who’s worked in progressive politics for some time, and I’m a rugger, so there’s a lot of resonance in this book for me. Some of the vignettes are terrific: Desmond Tutu stranded in San Francisco and desperately seeking a bar where he can watch the final match; Mandela in prison teaching himself Afrikaans and Afrikaner history; the largely apolitical and almost entirely Boer rugby team learning the liberation song, Nkosi Sikelele; a black member of Mandela’s presidential protection unit suggesting he wear the Springbok jersey to the final match; and Mandela’s reception from the fans at the match, almost all white, almost all Boers, chanting ‘Nelson, Nelson.’ Plus the reaction of the Springbok manager: ‘It was the moment I realized that there really was a chance this country could work.’ Great read! Pick it up. I’m going to see “Invictus” – the Clint Eastwood movie of the book – the first chance I get.
2. 

   Derek Catsam Tuesday - 08 / 12 / 2009 Reply

   Bill -- I'm going to be writing an article about Invictus, Carlin's book, and another book on South African sports and politics as soon as I see the movie. I liked Carlin's book, but a lot of it fell into the category of "little new to see." It was really a good article-length project about the role of rugby that he fleshed out with the longer, but quite well told, tale of the negotiated settlement. Still, it's propulsively readable and he certainly tells the story well. My won article looks at the themes indicated in the title, but also plays off of my own experience playing for my South African university's rugby team. It was eye opening, and while it is an experience I'd never give up, there were remnants of serious racism that were pretty up front. I cannot wait for Invictus, though of course I worry about the Hollywoodization of it. But I plan to see the first showing, presumably this Friday morning. Thanks for writing -- dc