Photo by David Thomas

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa will leave lasting impressions on the minds of many football crazy fans across the globe, especially in Africa though. How they get to South Africa will vary, from road to sea, and air, but many will make sure they don’t miss the first football fiesta of this magnitude on the continent.

As the first African country to qualify for the global soccer fiesta, supporters unions in Ghana want to be the first to make an extraordinary long road trip from West Africa to South Africa. “We want to leave a lasting impression on the minds of the world. We want to be part of history in the making and make the World Cup traditionally African,” stated Abraham Boakye, the President of the Ghana Supporters Union (GHANSU).

Besides the excitement, the trip is also meant to cut down on costs and avoid visa acquisition bureaucracies. As South Africa becomes the first country in the history of the FIFA World Cup to offer an Event Visa, supporters from qualified African countries – Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast – are mandated to produce four documents for the free visa. These are a valid travel document, proof of a valid return air ticket, match ticket booking voucher and two color identity photographs.

The 90-day period visa is solely for the FIFA World Cup event and not for business purposes. Although a Ghana-based sports consultant Rex Danquah has described the Event Visa as a novelty, the supporters’ president feels the South Africa Home Affairs office should reconsider its requirements.

Boakye forecasted, “About one million people across the world will be traveling to South Africa to watch the matches. But not all these will go to the stadiums, many of which can only take a maximum of 50,000. People want to go to South Africa for the fun of it and will be happy to watch the games on giant screens.” In Germany there were giant screens all around that added to the fun atmosphere and people gathered to watch the games with their girlfriends and wives.

Traveling along the bumpy roads of Africa by seems like an easier option in some ways, as well as being a lot more exciting and challenging. The two-week bus trip is set to be fun packed and many hopeful travelers are saving from meager incomes of around US$150 monthly to make the trip possible.

Boakye said they would set off from Ghana’s capital Accra with their whistles, vuvuzelas and other cheering paraphernalia to light up the jamboree from city to city. “We hope to incite other supporters in the other African countries to join the fun across the continent,” said Boakye, popularly known as the “One Man Supporter” of Ghana.

The route will progress from Ghana to Togo, Benin to Lagos in Nigeria to visit the Globacom head office, and from there they will go from Calabar and Duala to Cameroon. “We’ll meet the presidents or sports ministers before heading towards Libreville of Gabon then Kinshasa and Gaborone of Botswana. Then zoom into Angola and finally settle in Mbabane of Swaziland,” added Boakye, who attends almost every major international tournament involving Ghana across the globe.

The fans will set up camp in Swaziland for strategic purposes. Boakye explains, “We cannot afford the high cost of accommodation in South Africa and it is just about two hours drive from Swaziland, where the Black Stars will also be staying. We can get accommodation in Mbabane for about US$10 – 20 per night, as opposed to US$300 – 400 in South Africa.” Mbabane is the capital and largest city of Swaziland with an estimated population of 95,000 as of 2007. It shares borders with South Africa and relies heavily on tourism and sugar export for its revenue.

The group expects between 100 – 200 people for the trip and are in the process of engaging the services of two doctors and armed security men. He said they are fashioning out well-coordinated security arrangements with the countries they will journey through.

Boakye, who has been in the supporting business for close to three decades, cautioned those who think Africa is going to the World Cup as spectators alone. “If Ghana was able to lift the U-20 World Cup in Egypt then anything can happen at the senior level in South Africa. Ghana can go far… Ghana can go far and let’s wait and see,” he said.

As the clock ticks towards World Cup 2010, Africans are striving to make it their own. Indeed the 2010 World Cup is the greatest thing ever to happen to South Africa since the release of Nelson Mandela.

Publication rights to this feature are available from Africa Media Online.