As part of my final practical for design, I received the topic `I see the future and it works`. So what is our future? Is it the possibility of a massive mechanised world with robots carrying out mans work or the fact that we could start migrating to places never before inhabited? But what about South Africa as a country? a country rich in cultures and diversity?
Well right around the corner is the FIFA World Cup Soccer right, so I thought why not live in the moment and do something to do with our country hosting this prestigious, and arguably probably the biggest sporting event in Africa.
As we know South Africa has a diverse makeup of cultures at any given place at any given time. From the Kaapse Klopse in the Cape to traditional tribesmen in the North. Not to mention all the avid soccer supporters in-between, be it for the Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulus or Orlando Pirates or more importantly the Bafana Bafana.
One thing synonymous with African soccer is our atmosphere, created by a sense of belonging and unity. But then again there are other reasons. Take the Vuvuzela for instance, almost every avid soccer supporter has one, or even more recently the Kuduzela, now let’s take it even further- for the diehard fans the multi facetted Makarapa.
In this essay I will discuss the how the designs within the soccer community reflect the different cultural identities, and how they manifest a sense of heritage of customs and beliefs of various groups of people. Probably more importantly how the designs integrate traditional skills into newer forms of expression and passion.
Much controversy has been raised over instruments such as the Vuvuzela at soccer gatherings, such as that it poses health risks and such as a result of the noise produced. But lets face it, what would South African soccer be without the Vuvuzela? What sets South Africa apart from other countries? It`s the Vuvuzela, the crowds, the Kuduzelas, the hype, the Makarapa, the celebrations. As the British sing, so we blow our Vuvuzelas and Kuduzelas, it just has that African effect does it not. The effect that these cheap, dispensable horns have on our crowds and visitors alike is indescribable.
The Vuvuzela is said to be derived from the kudu horn that was blown in the rural areas in Southern Africa to call people to tribal gatherings. How much has changed? Not much, now much the same as then the blow of the Vuvuzela or Kuduzela signals the time of gathering and festivities. So essentially this simple instrument dates back centuries and forms part of our rich heritage. The fact that `Vuvuzela` means `to make noise` reiterates the fact that we are a jubilantly noisy nation, the louder the prouder as the saying goes.
Although we have witnessed this shift from the traditional kudu horn to the manufactured Vuvuzela we have now realised a new product, the Kuduzelas. Keeping with the tradition of an African theme whilst being able to manufacture products out of plastic, thereby making it accessible to all and obviously much cheaper as well.
Now how do these designs manifest a sense of heritage in people? Well firstly we are the only country or region that use Vuvuzelas, Kuduzelas and Makarapas. So we can be proud of being diverse and unique. As mentioned above, we are also a noisy nation, we take pride in what we stand for and our country. The louder the prouder, so owning a Vuvuzela would align us with the masses of others passionate about South Africa. We live in South Africa, and are fortunately surrounded by sanctuaries and game parks. We know what the deep trumpet of an elephant herd in the dusty evening sounds like. The sound of something greater than we are, of awe and majesty. There is something compelling about what we as South Africans can achieve through being united.
Let us now look into the fundamentals of the Makarapa and how it was conceived. The master mind behind the Makarapa was Alfred `Lux` Baloyi an avid Kaiser Chiefs supporter, who in 1979 attended a soccer derby. His friend a construction labourer allowed him to borrow his helmet to protect his head against missiles being thrown at the match. Baloyi, being somewhat artistic added some colour to the helmet and thus the Makarapa was born. From there on the Makarapa has been a fans favourite and will always be, as fans come out in hordes sporting their favourite teams colours and designs.
As I said above, these new forms of design reflect different cultural identities through bright vibrant colours of respective teams, as well as all the side paraphernalia such as the likes of traditional shields, fly swishes and dress. The colour scheme of the designs range from sunlight yellow to blood red, each colour representing an important aspect of our country, as in our national flag where green represents land and growth, while yellow represents the abundance of minerals.
If for instance we go to a soccer game, we will see hundreds, if not thousands of these designs synonymous with South Africa. But most of all we will see how each and every Makarapa, Vuvuzela, Kuduzela has a bit of authenticity or homely touch added to it, be it some paint, bottle tops or eccentric intricacies. Each design is unique and meaningful to the individuals who wear them and creates a sense pride in what they stand for.
We see that in many instances our designs of today are just a reinvention of yesteryear`s, or are simple yet effective additions to otherwise normal products. For instance the Makarapa, initially it was a hard builders hat that morphed into an international trend at sports events not to mention corporate uses. Even the Kuduzela, derived from the traditional kudu horn which has somewhat been phased out with the development of South Africa, yet once again people have gone back into the past and reincarnated instruments and objects unique to Africa and to celebration and success.
In a sense we can say that the jovial soccer supporters’ products are mementos of history of a naturally diverse and gifted land. We can also proudly say that they instil unity by allowing us as South Africans to come together and be unique in our own special way.
All in all I would like to say that we as South Africans are immensely proud of where we have come from to being the hosts of The Fifa Soccer World Cup. The designs of products that we use to show our support and loyalty are loud, vibrant and jovial. We are not ashamed to be extravagant and want to be the very best we can possibly be, even if it is just cheering our team on. Our many and often homemade designs are compelling in the way they reflect who we are, where we come from and what we believe in. The incorporation of various colours and patterns all mean something and manifest a sense of pride, unity and uniqueness which is evidence of our diversity of local customs. But most of all these designs are all somewhat old traditions that have fallen away and are now still being represented by what we do today, and turning traditional skills and customs of yesteryear into new and exciting forms of expressing here in South Africa.
