(Photo credit: Hurst & Co.)
(Image above shows cover image of the book which is the title, African soundscapes: how a continent changed the world’s game, and images of stamps representing African soccer players)
As evidenced by this years World Cup, Africa has a passion for soccerball. Soccer (or football) is the most popular sport in Africa, played almost everywhere from the centre of huge modern cities to rural isolated villages. Nelson Mandela wept tears of joy when FIFA awarded South Africa the right to host the 2010 World Cup finals – the first on African soil.
But how did an African country come to host the World Cup?
African soccerscapes tries to answer this question by telling the little-known story of football in Africa.
Peter Alegi’s book opens with the arrival of football in the late 19th century and discusses how football changed Africa and how Africa changed football during the 20th century.
The book’s epilogue focuses on the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.
Further details of African soccerscapes can be found on the main catalogue (available in ‘Catalogues’ on the Library’s website)