The 2003 Cricket World Cup : implications for identity formation and democratization prospects for Zimbabwe

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There can be little doubt about the ability of major international sporting events to capture theaspirations and hopes of nations. These events have an uncanny ability of seemingly effortlesslydoing what a hundred speeches and mass rallies by politicians could only hope to achieve.Therefore, it is no surprise that they are commonly understood to be able to bring nations andpeople together and provide a focus for national identity and unity. The 1995 Rugby World Cup inSouth Africa is an obvious proponent of such a claim, whereby South Africa was emerging from along and arduous political transition and needed something more than going to the polling booths tounite the nation.Major international sporting events are also said to be able to provide a catalyst or incentive fordemocratization and human rights enhancement in authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes. The1988 Olympics in South Korea is a landmark of such claims whereby the South Korean governmentwas said to bow to the democratizing pressures exerted on it due to its hosting of the event. Manyhave argued that China's hosting of the Olympics in 2008 will have a similar effect. However,equally potent, major international sporting events can have various unintended consequences interms of identity formation, democratization prospects and human rights for the host nations. Ananalysis of South Africa and Zimbabwe's co-hosting of the 2003 Cricket World Cup demonstratesthis point.The outcomes of the study suggest that whilst it is normally the intention for the host nations to usethe games to bring nations and people together, the Cricket World Cup opened up a rift betweenraces, both within the race contours of the cricket playing Commonwealth world and within SouthAfrica's domestic politics. It was also established that much like the 1995 Rugby World Cup hadsought to reconcile blacks and whites domestically under the 'Rainbow Nation during Mandela'spresidency, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, with its more regional focus and under Mbeki'spresidency, presented an excellent opportunity for transnational reconciliation between Africa andthe Anglo-Saxon world. However, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, as a project in racialreconciliation, was essentially a failure. This was predominantly due to the choice by South Africaof Zimbabwe as co-host and due to the shift of South Africa's national identity from that of the'Rainbow Nation under Mandela, to that of 'Africanism under Mbeki. President Mbeki's drivetowards 'Africanism proved divisive both transnationally and domestically. Symbolically, theCricket World Cup, when compared with the 1995 Rugby World Cup, had served to highlight thedecline of the 'Rainbow Nation. Zimbabwe's co-hosting of the event had served to further entrench the authoritarian regime.Instead of the regime opening up due to its co-hosting of the event, a broad clampdown on civil andpolitical liberties was experienced. The Zimbabwean government felt the need to tighten its gripduring the lead up to the event and throughout the tournament itself. The aim was to project asanitized view of Zimbabwe to the rest of the world. Thus, the event presented an opportunity forthe government to shore up its credibility and produce political propaganda. South Africa's stanceof 'quiet diplomacy also indirectly helped to further entrench the regime through the World Cup.Zimbabwe's co-hosting also impacted negatively on the opposition, the MDC. In addition to this,the various pressures which major events are said to exert on a host nation to reform politically andwhich result from boycott campaigns, pressure from the media, stimulation of civil society andprotests, were not very effective in enhancing democratization prospects and human rights inZimbabwe.This study reaches the overall conclusion that the claims that major events bring nations and peopletogether and provide a catalyst or incentive for democratization and human rights enhancement inauthoritarian regimes, need further revision. South Africa and Zimbabwe's co-hosting of the eventdid indeed have unintended consequences. Policy implications are also assessed. Future areas forresearch are also identified.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University