United Nations Association Film Festival
Stanford, California
Screenings will take place:
October 22-31, 2010. Showtimes: TBD
South Africa vs. Greece, Germany and Kenya
Thapelo
Player from Kenya
Whew! It was another intense day of street soccer. South Africa played three matches today: against Greece, Germany and Kenya. They started off the day with a four point lead against Greece but in the second half, Greece caught up and tied South Africa, winning the game in another shoot off. Similarly, South Africa and Germany ended their game in a tie and this time, South Africa took the shoot off, once again. In their final game against Kenya, they lost by two points. They played a hard game and due to the tough defense on both sides, not many points were scored by either team, but ultimately, Kenya’s precision and focus helped them to win the final match of the day.
The great thing was that after the game, both teams hugged each other warmly, congratulated each other and met up behind the field for photos of both the South African and Kenyan teams, together with their coaches. They chanted together in support of Africa and our guys were very positive about the game, believing they played hard and are still in the running to make it to the finals if they play right tomorrow.
Almost injured Rasta
Tonight there is a bar-b-que for all of the teams to come together and celebrate over traditional Australian food and recreation. Everyone’s looking forward to some time to hang and enjoy the international company of fellow players. Hopefully, the team will get a good night’s rest tonight before another full day tomorrow. I’m tired from just watching them play all day…
South Africa vs. Chile
Melbourne
South Africa played their first game today against Chile. It was a tough match–an intense game for Rasta, the goalie, in particular. He did an excellent job blocking many solid shots. It was the best I have seen him play to date. About a week before we left, he had injured one of his thumbs, so I think was playing it cool in practices to maintain his hand for the actual tournament. Rasta is fierce on the field!
South Africa had taken the lead in the first half but ended the game tied. In street soccer, when teams end with even scores, each team picks two players to participate in a shoot out. When it comes to winning in this situation, much of the pressure is on the keeper/goalie. Each team takes a turn with one of their chosen players trying to score a goal. Essentially, whoever misses first loses. It was a high intensity game with quite a few rounds going back and forth during the shoot out but eventually, South Africa won! There were South African supporters in the crowd who now live in Australia and were so excited for the team. It was great to see the guys celebrated after the game.
Rasta getting pumped
Ethan scoring
After the first match, we spoke to Thapelo, the team’s captain. He was not entirely pleased with the way his team played, although they were able to win the game in the end. He believed they needed to be more focused and precise and work better together as a team. Also, he said that it was a difficult game because the turf they are playing on here feels very different to what they are used to back home and so running and controlling the ball was more of a challenge.
Sandile and Thapelo
Sandile in Action
South Africa will be playing three games tomorrow against Germany, Kenya and Greece. Hopefully they will rest up tonight and show up refreshed, focused and energized for such a big day.
The coaches
Celebrations: Sandile, Vuyo and Ethan
Rasta getting some love post win
South Africans in crowd
Ethan
Riaan
First days of the 2008 Homeless World Cup
Thapelo in Opening Parade
Sicelo in Melbourne
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We have now been in Australia for two days. As traveling usually is, it has been quite a whirlwind of events. There were several near missed flights with our crew running through international airports, Sandile spent a night alone in Johannesburg due to a flight mix-up, the second crew had trouble leaving the country and so missed their flight from Hong Kong to Australia and ultimately canceled the first day’s games. However, everyone is now safely in Melbourne and so far, having a magnificent time.
Players from India
Player during opening festivities
The opening ceremony was a special event. Local musicians and indigenous Australian dancers performed for all of the teams. Mel Young, the creator of the Homeless World Cup, spoke to the crowd, encouraging each player on their journey. The event ended with a drumming crew playing through the hall and many of the players from around the world dancing together on the stage at Melbourne University, where the event is being held.
I was moved nearly to tears several times during the ceremony. There are 56 countries from all over the world represented at this year’s event. It is a beautiful sight to see flags, country colors, jerseys and hundreds of excited faces from so many places and cultures. Multiply that by the scenarios these athletes have lived through and the hope that is inherent in their presence here, at an international competition, and I was more inspired than I have been even by the Olympics. There are some absolutely phenomenal individuals at this event and the city is buzzing from it all.
Portugal
Namibia women
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Melbourne has done what seems to me to be a fantastic job of organizing for the Homeless World Cup. Over 900 volunteers are coordinating all of the games, the crowds, the set up, etc. Local schools have assigned different teams to their various classes and so each team has a solid fan base and is being chased by kids who want the players’ autographs and arrive enthusiastically, country flags painted on their cheeks in each team’s colors.
Supporter of Ethiopia
East Timor
.
.
.
.
.
.
The games began yesterday and every team showed up ready to fight. These preliminary rounds are the placement games. Because no one is allowed to play in the HWC more than one time, each year it is unknown which teams will be the strongest. Last year, Scotland won first place. From the matches I saw yesterday, many were close calls between equally solid teams. There were a few significant wins, however. In particular, the team from England is tough. They scored goal after goal and all of their players showed up with incredible strength and ferocity. From the sidelines with my camera, I thought I might lose my head a couple of times. Also, the women’s team from Kyrgyzstan did very well. Their team looks young and potentially passive but their skill and footwork was impressive and they won a solid victory against Australia, as well.
England (in White) Vs. Sweden
Players from England
Street soccer is a bit different than field soccer. Each team has 3 players on the court and one keeper/goalie. One player must be on their side of the court playing defense at all times. The court is much smaller and the games are 15 minutes each, played in two halves. The walls of the court are used to bounce the ball off of and pass it to other players so to win, one must be ready for a lot of fast running and brave handling of a ball that is being shot with great power around the court.
Thapelo signing autographs
South Africa supporter
.
.
.
.
.
.
Our guys play their first game at 4:40 today. They are more than fired up and excited to get out there and play. They will be playing Chile, in this round. Tomorrow, they are up against Greece. Send up some good thoughts for South Africa!
ETC Crew and The ARK
Soccer Stunts from South Africa Street Soccer Docum on Vimeo.
Yesterday, Demetrius and I spent the morning and early afternoon at The Ark, a community for individuals dealing with homelessness and/or addictions. It is a fenced in community in the township of Khayalitcha that has been around since the mid 80s and now has a full school, provides housing for families, men, women and children, offers rehabilitation programs, meals for the students, athletic and creative opportunities, as well as social gatherings. It is entirely volunteer led by individuals who have come through the programs and community there. Riaan and Thapelo, two players on the Homeless World Cup team live at The Ark.
ETC Crew
In the afternoon, we went to film the ETC Crew in their studio and captured three of their tracks. Demetrius and I are excited to use this music and footage to support the rest of the story. I’d tell you how, but then you’d have nothing to look forward to….
This morning we got up and spent some time at the team’s practice. They are still down one man due to sickness, and Rasta, their keeper, has injured one of his thumbs and is a bit slower than usual. It is not looking promising that Martin will be able to go to Australia. The closer the Homeless World Cup gets, the less likely it is that the pieces will come together in time.
Riaan at Practice
Tonight, we headed to Zula on Long Street for the ETC Crew’s show. The house was packed–we were on the second floor of the building and the floors were shaking as the crowd jumped and danced along with the crew. I can’t lie, there were moments where my mind drifted to pictures of the floor caving in and what kind of stories they’d tell my mother when the news hit. It was nothing but good energy, however, and the guys put on a great show. They have a solid following who are full of energy and excitement.
All in all, it’s been a great few days and we have a packed week coming up, as well. Stay tuned….
It takes a village
We have now been gathering stories for two weeks. Stories of artists and athletes, young people who have lived or are living on the streets, educators, community developers and the like. One of the most interesting things so far has been to see the similar topics that are addressed by each community and to hear their perspectives coming from sometimes very different points of view. Ideas of what South Africa is today, what has transitioned since the end of apartheid and what has remained, who can be trusted or seen as “safe” have all been addressed in one way or another and are pertinent issues to each community.
Yesterday, Demetrius and I spent some time at a local NGO, MyLife, where several of the players of the Western Cape Street Soccer League are connected and have found rehabilitation. Martin and Rasta are both a part of MyLife and have opportunities for projects and work lined up for them upon their return from Australia.
Several of the guys from the team were at MyLife when we visited. Many of them are coming down with physical ailments of one sort or another. Sandile was laid out on the couch and was taken to the hospital after we left. Martin’s eyes were swollen, almost shut. Linzy shared several stories with us of past students that came down with sometimes severe ailments before opportunities to leave the country for the first time. Her thought was that it is most likely adrenaline and nerve based in anticipation of such a big transition and that once they leave, they will be fine.
Linzy Thomas
Traveling the world is a big transition for anyone. For these players, the idea of traveling to Australia and playing on a team that represents their country as a whole is daunting, at times. Yet, in the midst of day jobs, families, organizations to run, lives to live, the leaders of these organizations are running around town, finding students to complete paperwork, drive them to practice, organize practice games, provide meals, take the players to hospitals and prisons and where they need to go in order to get all their ducks in a row to be a part of this team and to travel the world. The village is gathering round and I believe these guys are on the brink of something special.
Interview with Greg Homann and Uju
Today we visited the University of the Witwatersrand to interview professor, Greg Homann on youth in South Africa. Afterwards, Uju came in for an interview. It was helpful to hear various perspectives on this new generation in South Africa, the post-post-Apartheid generation and how they are defining themselves. We will soon be meeting with the players of the 2008 Homeless World Cup team from South Africa and they are all between the ages of 16 and 30, certainly falling into this generation. We are looking forward to beginning the next leg of the journey.
Tomorrow? Off to Cape Town.
Uju
UJU Live from Christina Ghubril on Vimeo.
Today held the stories of a gorgeous rooftop video shoot overlooking Johannesburg, capturing the magic of one of South Africa’s fastest growing bands. If you don’t know Uju, check them out, as I’m sure they will be bursting into the world at large in the next few years. Their new album is in process and is even tighter than their last project.
Check out our collaboration above and have a beautiful day!
THE TEAM
Meet the Players of South Africa’s 2009 Homeless World Cup team.
Vuyo Mehlo currently lives in Phillip, outside of Cape Town, with his grandmother and grandfather. While he was the youngest member of South Africa’s 2008 Homeless World Cup team, he represented his country with pride and focus on the court, often serving as a secret weapon, due to his humble nature yet accurate goals. Vuyo is currently in grade eleven and hopes to study to become a police officer. His desires are to use his life to work towards eliminating the crime and violence in his country and to help those who are struggling. His hopes are to see a crime free South Africa.
Riaan Du Plessis has been playing soccer since 1999 when his family began to live at the Ark City of Refuge in Khayalitcha. Since then, he has built up his skills on the court and is talented when it comes to soccer tricks and fancy footwork. Riaan loves music, as well. He and his brother write music together and freestyle for fun. He is currently twenty years old and is interested in pursuing a career in computers and IT. In his free time, he works fixing computers and recently started back at school to finish grade ten and eleven. He hopes to attend an international university and continue to see the world throughout his life.
Ethan Theys grew up playing field soccer and only began playing street soccer once he was chosen for the Homeless World Cup team. He has enjoyed the challenges of learning to be clever on the court within the rules of street soccer and served his team well in Melbourne. Ethan is seventeen years old and currently lives with his mother outside of Cape Town. His success in soccer and his international opportunities have made him a beacon of hope in his home and community and Ethan works hard to stay out of trouble and to pursue positive opportunities with his life. He recently returned to school to complete grade eleven.
Petros NKomo a.k.a. “Rasta” was born in Soweto, in Johannesburg, and moved to Cape Town for the Homeless World Cup trials. Now, twenty-nine years old, he has been playing soccer since he was very young and says that soccer is in his blood; that when he plays soccer, he feels full, complete, happy. Rasta played keeper–or goalie–for the team and worked incredibly hard to represent South Africa well and with pride while in Melbourne. Having one of the hardest jobs, Rasta had to play every match, the entire match, as he was the only keeper, meaning while at the Homeless World Cup, he had to play three or four matches a day, often against incredibly challenging teams. Not many could get a goal past Rasta. These days, he is training to become a coach to share his abilities with his community.
Sandile Mhlongo grew up in Durban. His guardian passed away when he was a young boy and he has lived on his own since he was eight years old, negotiating life on the street. Now, at age twenty-four, he says that he has since found a new family in his teammates and is thankful for the opportunity he had to go to the Homeless World Cup. He played through the tournament as a starting player, all the while nursing an injury. Full of hope and laughter, Sandile is a strong believer that we must use our chances well in life and he hopes to complete his schooling and go on to be a soccer journalist and photographer.
Sicelo Mrnaji has been playing soccer since he was a small boy and has had several opportunities come his way due to his skill in the game. He was originally chosen to play on the 2007 Homeless World Cup team but was unable to go due to complications in securing his Visa. A strong team member on the court, Sicelo plays a hard game of street ball and represented his country well while in Melbourne. Originally from Khayalitcha, he has been living on the street since he was five, when his older cousin took him into Cape Town and left him there alone. He is now nineteen years old and recently completed his high school education, passing his exams. He hopes to soon enroll in a University and go into sports management. Soccer is his passion because he claims that when he plays, he feels stress free.
Thapelo Kalpens was the 2008 Homeless World Cup team’s co-captain. He has been playing soccer since he was six years old and is now twenty. Currently, Thapelo lives in Woodstock, and has just finished his metric/high school education. Known for dedication to his work and studies, his responsibility, skill, and support of his team, Martin Africa chose Thapelo to take his place as the team’s captain, in his absence. Thapelo enjoyed his first time overseas in Australia and plans to soon attend University to study Engineering.
Martin Afrika was set on being a part of the 2008 Homeless World Cup team and with dedication and hard work during the trials, he stood out so much that he was named the team’s captain. Martin has been living on the street since he was ten years old and now, at thirty-two, he has no record of his birth or existence via identity documents or family. Without identity documents, he was unable to obtain a visa and a passport to travel with the team to Melbourne. Keeping his head up, however, he has committed to continue pursuing his ID papers as well as to stay clean off of drugs and alcohol, find work and take care of his three year old son. Martin is currently in the final round of trials to be a part of the 2009 Homeless World Cup team traveling to Italy.
Kgafela
Today was full of grit and magic. We got up with the sun and traveled to Newtown to snag a few more early morning shots around the Afrika Cultural Centre before filming Kgafela’s videos.
Africa Cultural Centre
The shoot was fantastic. The location has so many options of rooms, hidden areas and magical gardens that we could’ve shot twelve videos there. We ended up getting in three and as the day progressed, so did the community we were working with. Kgafela had organized friends, mentors, mentees, a wild dog, his wife and sons and musicians and by the end of the day, we had quite the crew on set. It was a great day.
Kgafela oa Magogodi
Feya Sista
Returning to Jozi
The Mandela Bridge
Demetrius and I got up with the sun yesterday to get some establishing shots of Newtown.
We met up with world renowned performance poet, Kgafela, as well as several members from the band Uju. We will be filming videos with all of them for the documentary and connected to discuss details of their upcoming shoots.
Kgafela took us to the spot where he wants to film his videos. It is a maze of wide open space, raw, rough details. As part of the Africa Cultural Center it is a historic space that will soon be torn down and remodeled, so we’re excited to capture it before the “upgrade.” Tomorrow’s shoot should be a fantastic first!
Afrika Cultural Center
