adminHAMILTON. — The sweet sounds of South Africa, the green grass of home.
Hamilton has them both.
On Thursday, the Soweto Gospel Choir, a Grammy award-winning group that has performed for Nelson Mandela, at the Soccer World Cup and were at South Africa’s team send off in Johannesburg last week, played at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.
They have to be in Tauranga for another performance today.
If they get to Seddon Park tomorrow, they’d be forgiven for thinking they had travelled to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands instead.
The outfield grass was so green it reminded of South Africa’s lush land.
In a place where a drought is dominating headlines, its condition is impressive.
“There’s a story behind why is it this green,” a volunteer said.
And just as one would expect a tale about paint, he continued.
“And it’s all natural.”
Waikato is part of a farming community which has a special spray which prompts photosynthesis in plants and by so doing, makes them greener.
That’s what was used on the outfield and it is significantly more vibrant than the three grass banks, which are expected to be full come tomorrow.
A significant contingent is expected from the two competing countries.
Both South Africa and Zimbabwe have sizeable expat communities in Auckland, on the east of the city and the North Shore and they have gravitated to each other to form a southern African clique.
They may not be quite so chummy tomorrow but their rivalry will add to what South Africans call the “gees,” (the spirit) of the World Cup.
One of only two countries in the world to have hosted World Cups in THREE different sports, South Africans know the little secret of what it takes to put on a show.
It’s not about the marketing campaigns or the money, it’s about ordinary people and how good they are at being unofficial ambassadors for their country.
People like Shah, a taxi driver in Hamilton who greeted me as everyone in the service industry should when they hear a foreign accent during a World Cup.
“Are you here for the cricket?,” Shah asked. He got the answer he wanted.
“Yes, here for the cricket. From South Africa.” — Cricinfo.
Online Reporter