FIFA selects all non-African talent to perform at South Africa-hosted World Cup.

[Bluebear]

If Alicia Keys performs You Don't Know My Name when she headlines at the opening ceremony of the World Cup on 10 June, she will be echoing the feelings of top South African artists who have been left off the bill.

In the latest blow to South African pride in hosting a competition expected to be watched by billions of TV viewers, local artists are to stage protests over being sidelined by the likes of Keys, the Black Eyed Peas and Shakira.

To mark the disappointment of local musicians, Arthur Mafokate, a star of the local musical genre known as kwaito, has called on South African radio stations to play only African music for the duration of the tournament. "At least the tourists might hear us on the radio,'' he said. :(

Actor Mabutho "Kid" Sithole, a spokesman for the Creative Workers' Union, added: "It is not as though we want second-rate performers to replace the Americans. Performers such as Johnny Clegg, the Soweto Gospel Choir and Ladysmith Black Mambazo – can stand head and shoulders alongside them.''

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/28/world-cup-south-africa-musicians-opening-ceremony-protests

[ClarkUSA]

1. How utterly stupid of FIFA...

Hopefully, they will change their musical roster soon before they embarrass themselves.

[provis99]

2. this is bizarre.

Keys and Black eyes Peas are African Americans (well,, except Fergie) and play soul-based music based on African music. Johnny Clegg on the other hand, is a white Rhodesian (not even South African), and plays white-guy "interpretations" of African music, the Soweto gospel Choir sings European religious hymns, and Ladysmith Black Mambaso plays world music, not just African music.

I don't understand their complaints.

[Bluebear]

3. 'I don't understand their complaints.'

Alicia Keys is African-American so the artists who actually live in that country and would like to be featured should pipe down? Whatever.

[Posteritatis]

8. That was an impressively dumb claim alright

I wonder if it'd be alright for people from my neck of the woods to bump local performers from an event in Scotland because we'd be Nova Scotian and thus "close enough" or something?

[Posteritatis]

9. Are you actually striving not to understand their problem? It's not exactly subtle. (nt)

[paulsby]

10. do you fail to understand the difference between racial identity and national identity?

regardless of their race, not a single performer has ties to south africa.

heck, they could have gotten dave matthews. HE is from south africa.

it's not a race thang, it's a national pride thang.

imagine a sports event held in new orleans, and not a single artist was from new orleans (which has great jazz and other musicians) but instead had bands from canada, mexico, and the UK.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Soweto Gospel Choir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd6sy5DKpxk

Far more African that anything Alicia Keys or Black Eyed Peas have ever done.

Clegg was born in England; he has spent nearly all his life since he was seven in South Africa. http://www.johnnyclegg.com/biog.html Again, his music is far more African (in particular, South African) than Keys or BEP. I'm slightly worried you think that his being white is enough to exclude him. As for your claim that "Ladysmith Black Mambaso plays world music, not just African music", it's absurd; their music is quintessentially South African. Yes, that happens to be part of the world. But Keys and BEP's music is fundamentally American.

Or is your whole post satire?

[Bluebear]

12. Well, he did say it was "bizarre".

[BolivarianHero]

19. Johnny Clegg is also far more talented than either...:)

One of the few White people in South Africa who had a brain or a heart during the dark ages.

[blondeatlast]

16. Friend, there is a distinct difference between African and African-American.

Under your argument, Paul Simon should be on the bill.

But don't let me stop you...

[Bluebear]

18. Just when you thought...

[izzybeans]

4. If anything will save us from another Ricky Martin please let it be the local

musicians. I predict a Shakira cover of She Bangs. FIFA isn't known for making wise musical choices. Seems like a great opportunity to show off local culture.

[MrScorpio]

5. Wow!

Words simply escape me.

[JackintheGreen]

6. Mahotella Queens can rewrite "Nyalo Ea Tshwenya"

to be "FIFA is a problem."

[Bluebear]

13. Or we can have Martha and the Vandellas do it.

Since they are African-American :)

(referencing post above)

[JackintheGreen]

14. Well, that of course would be more suitable to FIFA

(and the referenced poster, too) :)

[Bluebear]

15. =)

[blondeatlast]

17. ...

:spray:

[xultar]

7. Maybe with all the aliens in District 9 it was hard to find talent?

:shrug: