Each trip to a foreign place leaves its marks and memories – experiences that irrevocably print their souvenirs of taste, smell and emotion into our minds. It is exactly that fulfilling feeling that inhabits my soul since I am back from South Africa, this memorable African winter 2010.

I cannot say that I am a big soccer fan – I even used to point out that I found it the most stupid game in the world. Until Africa taught me better. Until I saw with my own eyes the joy and pride of a whole nation, of a immense continent even, preparing itself to be the host of one of the most important sports events of our times.

Walking through the streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg or Soweto, I could breath in that overwhelming enthusiasm of happiness. That contagious outburst of collective joy – for being once in the centre of that world’s attention. And this time not because of civil war atrocities, nor because of horrifying scores of death by famine or new records of HIV infections.

No, this time it is because the world is witnessing this incredibly wonderful and honest demonstration of brotherhood and peace, that unique feeling we are missing all so much while watching the daily news in a world of terror and catastrophes.

Africa shows us all at this very moment what it means to live the instant of happiness. Even with stadiums that will be far to expensive to be maintained in the future, tickets for matches that are far too pricey for those who live next to the holy temples where the soccer games are held. Even while not making the hoped for money – where as the big sponsors of the FIFA event reach for new superlatives every day.

It is something that has to do with that simple pride of being able to share: share that moment of fame and glory, that instant of joy and happiness, that illusion of hope and solidarity that is ported by the enchanting sound of Africa’s Vuvuzelas.

“Do feel it? It’s here!”, that’s how South Africans refer to the World Cup 2010. I am proud and happy to have had the honor to feel it with them. And to be able to find those big moments of specialness in many of the stories told by the Dream Team of the Twenty Ten project. More than just a time exposure of what is happening on the African continent, their stories constitute a documentation of what Africa is about: Life!  – Do you feel it? It’s there!