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On: 2011-08-29 17:21:28
awarenet Open Day visitor changed content of section 170192921556469160 to
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I arrived just in time to watch the first match at the communal
viewing station located in the church directly across from the Zwelenqaba
School. There were well over 100
people watching the game and the atmosphere was great. Since this was the first time most
people in the village had seen Lutz and me, we were pretty conspicuous and
there was not much interaction with the locals beyond a bunch of people asking
us to take their pictures. The
lighting inside the church made photographing the scene quite difficult.
For the next few days, Lutz and I got acquainted with the area and
watched most of the matches.
Siphiwo helped with transportation and also controlled the viewing
schedule at the church across from Zwelenqaba. After the opening match, there was never the same huge
turnout at any of the televisions.
We watched as many matches as we could at the communal TVs during the
first few days.
Early on in my stay, I explained to Siphiwo that I wanted to
organize a soccer camp for local kids.
He assured me that there were lots of interested youth players and
promised to help me organize the training sessions. For several days, he kept telling me that he would make
calls and set up a meeting with the local kids and some important older
community members. Eventually,
Lutz and I were introduced to the tribal chief of the village and met some
community leaders (most of whom seemed to be teachers). After I explained to these older men
what I had in mind for the kids – a daily training session to build on and
enrich the soccer experience of the World Cup using balls I had brought with me
– they seemed enthusiastic for it to happen. The tribal elites introduced me to a large group of young
boys and explained, in Xhosa, my plan to train them everyday.
Each morning for the next four days I met with the same group of
boys on the local soccer field.
The language barrier made communicating very difficult and I was forced
to simplify many of the activities I had planned, but the kids kept showing up
each day and seemed to have a lot of fun.
We worked on passing and shooting and finished each session with a match
and penalty kicks.
During my stay I also accompanied a local soccer team to a
tournament in Eliottdale organized by the Eastern Cape Department of Sport and
Recreation for boys and girls between the ages of about twelve or thirteen and
seventeen. The referees never
showed up, so I ended up refereeing all of the matches. Later on, I learned that there was an
older under-eighteen team based in Nkwalini. I met them and gave them jerseys and some balls that I had
brought from my home before a match of theirs in a neighboring village.
During my last few days in Nkwalini, I spent much of my time trying
to confirm the delivery of the SolarWorld equipment to Mthatha. Unfortunately, Siphiwo’s contact (at
the delivery location) did not notify us of the parcel’s arrival until a day or
two after the drop-off. It took an
entire day to drive into Mthatha and back. On my final day in Nkwalini, Lutz and I distributed the SolarWorld
balls and jerseys to the kids who had trained with me during my practice
sessions. After a brief meeting
during which I tried to explain a bit about SolarWorld to the kids (although
I’m not sure how much of my English they understood), Lutz and I organized a
full eleven versus eleven match for the kids. This experience was detailed in my final blogpost for
soccerblog.com. In the closing
minutes of my stay, I interviewed two of the kids I had been working with
during my stay about the experiences of the soccer training sessions and
watching the World Cup. A local
teacher translated while Lutz filmed.
Both boys said that the two experiences were very beneficial and that
watching the World Cup complemented the soccer training sessions.
Most days I woke up in Siphiwo’s round dung hut with a plan for the next
day, but an understanding that circumstances often arose that prevented the
perfect execution of those plans.
Lutz and I had trouble securing reliable transportation and often found
ourselves walking to our various destinations. I spent a lot of time at both the church and the Arts Center
television sets and training and talking with the youths of the village. The rest of my time was spent simply
living with the people of Nkwalini.
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On: 2011-08-29 17:10:12
awarenet Open Day visitor changed content of section 622811008894912013 to
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The experience of living for several weeks in this environment gave
me a glimpse into the daily interests and struggles of the people of
Nkwalini. In that respect, the
most shocking adjustments for me were the lack of electricity, running water,
and transportation. It was amazing
to me how the pace of life was slowed by the fact that, for the most part, to
get anywhere one had to walk. This
was compounded by the reality that at sunset, village life essentially
stopped. Very few people seemed to
have generators and so light after dark was an extreme luxury. Given that it was winter and got dark
around six o’clock each night, the days seemed very short. The darkness was quite daunting. Any type of productive activity had to
be postponed as soon as night fell.
In this respect, the solar TV sets were an interesting anomaly, as
they often seemed to be the only activity available after dark on any
consistent basis. This, however,
did not necessarily work to attract more viewers to the televisions. The World Cup matches had smaller
viewing audiences than they might have because they were on after dark. Because people generally preferred not
to walk long distances on the roads at night and also because most people
seemed to return to their homes directly after their daily tasks, the evening
(8 pm) matches were not especially well attended.
In general, the solar TVs do not seem to be utilized to their full
potential. In addition to the
timing issues, there were many times when games were being televised and the
TVs were not open. Generally, Lutz
and I would find people who were interested in watching the matches at these
times (during the day). It was
sometimes disappointing to see that the schedule and personal preferences of
the people who controlled the televisions played such a large role in
determining when the televisions were open. As a result of this system of tight control, much of the
World Cup went unviewed.
It was always a guessing game about which matches the televisions
would be open for. Sometimes the
two o’clock game was shown at the Tafelehashi Arts Center, and sometimes it was
not. There seemed to be no
consistent practice that determined where locals could watch the games on the
solar televisions. This seemed to
limit the audience that consistently utilized the communal viewing option.
Since the television sets had to be opened by specific community
members, access to those televisions was subject to the schedule and preference
of these community members. This
system also ensured that only people who were acquainted with the particular television
controller learned about when a television would be open for viewing. Unless people walked by and saw the
gathering of people around a TV, most people had no way of knowing that the
match was on and being shown.
According to the SolarWorld website, the Sun-TV project has goals
that extend far beyond the World Cup, providing access to educational media,
like HIV information. I think
there is huge potential for this type of outreach. The villagers were generally fascinated with the television
sets and were enthusiastic about watching whatever was on. On this point, however, I noticed
something quite interesting when one night during halftime of a match (I
believe it was France v. Mexico), someone changed the channel from the soccer
commentary to a channel that was showing a Harry Potter film. Almost immediately, the audience became
quieter and more attentive to the TV.
When halftime was over and the channel was switched back to soccer,
there was actually a distinct mood of disappointment amongst many of members of
the audience. Perhaps this had
something to do with the particular makeup of the audience that evening (there
were a lot of kids and an unusual number of girls at the television that
evening as I remember), but I think there is a tremendous interest in the
television as a medium of entertainment.
It seemed that most of the people watching that evening were more
fascinated by the giant spiders they were seeing in the Harry Potter movie than
by the soccer. The World Cup may
have barely scratched the surface of this community’s interest in television
watching. If this fascination with
television programs can be used to for good it could potentially be a very
powerful development tool.
In the end, I am not sure how to best address the problems I identified
earlier. The issues of access and
control are unfortunate, but they do not overshadow the fact that the
television sets are, at times, bringing people in this community together.
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On: 2011-08-29 17:09:23
awarenet Open Day visitor changed content of section 622811008894912013 to
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The experience of living for several weeks in this environment gave
me a glimpse into the daily interests and struggles of the people of
Nkwalini. In that respect, the
most shocking adjustments for me were the lack of electricity, running water,
and transportation. It was amazing
to me how the pace of life was slowed by the fact that, for the most part, to
get anywhere one had to walk. This
was compounded by the reality that at sunset, village life essentially
stopped. Very few people seemed to
have generators and so light after dark was an extreme luxury. Given that it was winter and got dark
around six o’clock each night, the days seemed very short. The darkness was quite daunting. Any type of productive activity had to
be postponed as soon as night fell.
In this respect, the solar TV sets were an interesting anomaly, as
they often seemed to be the only activity available after dark on any
consistent basis. This, however,
did not necessarily work to attract more viewers to the televisions. The World Cup matches had smaller
viewing audiences than they might have because they were on after dark. Because people generally preferred not
to walk long distances on the roads at night and also because most people
seemed to return to their homes directly after their daily tasks, the evening
(8 pm) matches were not especially well attended.
In general, the solar TVs do not seem to be utilized to their full
potential. In addition to the
timing issues, there were many times when games were being televised and the
TVs were not open. Generally, Lutz
and I would find people who were interested in watching the matches at these
times (during the day). It was
sometimes disappointing to see that the schedule and personal preferences of
the people who controlled the televisions played such a large role in
determining when the televisions were open. As a result of this system of tight control, much of the
World Cup went unviewed.
It was always a guessing game about which matches the televisions
would be open for. Sometimes the
two o’clock game was shown at the Tafelehashi Arts Center, and sometimes it was
not. There seemed to be no
consistent practice that determined where locals could watch the games on the
solar televisions. This seemed to
limit the audience that consistently utilized the communal viewing option.
Since the television sets had to be opened by specific community
members, access to those televisions was subject to the schedule and preference
of these community members. This
system also ensured that only people who were acquainted with the particular television
controller learned about when a television would be open for viewing. Unless people walked by and saw the
gathering of people around a TV, most people had no way of knowing that the
match was on and being shown.
According to the SolarWorld website, the Sun-TV project has goals
that extend far beyond the World Cup, providing access to educational media,
like HIV information. I think
there is huge potential for this type of outreach. The villagers were generally fascinated with the television
sets and were enthusiastic about watching whatever was on. On this point, however, I noticed
something quite interesting when one night during halftime of a match (I
believe it was France v. Mexico), someone changed the channel from the soccer
commentary to a channel that was showing a Harry Potter film. Almost immediately, the audience became
quieter and more attentive to the TV.
When halftime was over and the channel was switched back to soccer,
there was actually a distinct mood of disappointment amongst many of members of
the audience. Perhaps this had
something to do with the particular makeup of the audience that evening (there
were a lot of kids and an unusual number of girls at the television that
evening as I remember), but I think there is a tremendous interest in the
television as a medium of entertainment.
It seemed that most of the people watching that evening were more
fascinated by the giant spiders they were seeing in the Harry Potter movie than
by the soccer. The World Cup may
have barely scratched the surface of this community’s interest in television
watching. If this fascination with
television programs can be used to for good it could potentially be a very
powerful development tool.
In the end, I am not sure how to best address the problems I identified
earlier. The issues of access and
control are unfortunate, but they do not overshadow the fact that the
television sets are, at times, bringing people in this community together.
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On: 2011-03-29 08:10:16
Anna Wertlen changed content of section 121530202212840112 to
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Public Viewing im ruralen Raum: die lokale Perspektive
A) Allgemeine Fakten zum TV-Gerät
1) Welchen Stellenwert hat das Solar-TV Gerät in der Gemeinschaft?
2) Wer verwaltet dieses?
3) Wo befindet es sich (wessen Grundstück)?
4) Wie wird es täglich genutzt (Bildungszwecke, Freizeit, Nachrichten)?
5) Welche Konflikte birgt das Gerät: unterschiedliche Nutzer, Zeitmanagement, verantwortlicher Verwalter, etc
6) Wie wird das Gerät lokal angeeignet (eventuelle Abweichung vom eigentlichen Zweck)?
7) Wirkung auf „social Hotspots“ (solarWorld): Merkmale, Struktur, Dynamiken/ Hybriditätsprozess ,Konfliktpotential
8) Community spirit: Auswirkungen > Differenzierungsprozess vs. Uniformität?
9) Netzwerkstruktur (bezüglich Dorfschreiberprojekt: zwischen Schulen, Unis, NGO`s, etc) – Funktion theoretisch/ praktisch
10) TV-Gerät als Teil des Dorfschreiberprojektes: Verwaltung und Weitergabe von Ideen > traveling model Ansatz (Zirkulation und Aneignung von öffentlichen Wissen, Aneignung durch welche Parameter, wer ist an Diffusion beteiligt, welche Einflüsse)
11) Wie sieht Integration „der neuen Situation“ (siehe homepage „Dorfschreiberprojekt) im Familienalltag aus?
B) Fußball in der Gemeinde
1) Wie populär ist der Sport in der Gemeinde überhaupt?
Ø Gibt es ein Vereinswesen/ gemeindeübergreifende Turnierstrukturen
Ø Fußballplätze: polyvalente Nutzung (sozialer Treffpunkt, Marktplatz, etc.)
>hier wichtig: Vergleich FB-Platz und public viewing als sozialer Treffpunkt
Akteurszusammensetzung (Frauen, Männer, Kinder) , Dynamiken, Regeln , Verhaltenskodex, Nutzung neben dem Fußball
>hier besonders die Rolle der Frauen
2) „Konsum“ Fußball über die Medien (Zeitschriften, TV, DVD s, Geschichten)
3) Stellenwert WM 2010: Erwartungen, Vorstellungen, Patriotismus, „WM-Alltag“
4) Dorffußball vs. WM-Fußball = lokale vs. Globale Perspektive
↓
Globale Perspektive (allg. Annäherung an die Thematik):
Fußball als Teil des Sport-Medienkomplexes, Produktion von Bildern/ Vorstellungen/ Narrative
Power of Images Bilder konstituieren Subjekte, generieren und inszenieren Realitäten
↓
Beteiligte Akteure, Zuschreibung Bedeutung
(Encodierung)
Fußballbilder (inkl. Reportagen, TV-Übertragungen) = offener Text > Zuschreibung Bdtg. durch verschiedene Akteure ;
Spieler, Fans, Medien/ Werbung, Politik
à
Unsere Fallstudie:
Fußballschauen mit Dorfbevölkerung:
Möglicher Ausgangspunkt:
Medien –und Sportindustrie fördern Zirkulation von globalen Produkten, Bildern und Symbolen, erzeugen bestimmte Narrative
>>> Wie erfolgt lokale Aneignung?
z.B. durch TV-Fußball
von Interesse wäre hier:
Wie intensiv wird geschaut (permanent, sporadisch?), Wirkung der Übertragung > Spielberichterstattung, Werbung, Interviews
>>> Fußball als kulturelle Praxis konstituiert sich zwischen Lokalem und Globalen:
Dh.: wichtig ist die Analyse der lokalen Aneignung (des TV-Fußballs) im Alltag
Ø Aneignung von Ideen (FB als Entwicklungsmotor, Konfliktregulierung), Spielweisen, Verhaltensmerkmale (Fair-Play-Regeln)
Ø Local heroes vs. Global heroes
Ø Umsetzung auf dem Dorffußballplatz
Untersuchung lokaler Aneignung enorm wichtig, denn: lokale Fußballstrukturen sind zugleich Voraussetzung, Instrument und Resultat der globalisierten FB-Industrie
Ø Gegenseitige Abhängigkeit, die das globale Phänomen Fußball so stark macht
Welche Rolle spielt hierbei das TV-Gerät?
Neues Artefakt in der Umwelt > welche Dynamiken gehen von dem Gerät aus?
ANT/ STS – Ansatz: Technologie als ernst zunehmender Akteur in der Analyse von Gesellschaft
Ø OPP: TV Gerät verändert Gesellschaft, indem sich es selbst verändert/ verändert wird (lokale Aneignung)
Konfliktpotential: Fußball schauen vs. Andere Sendungen
TV Gerät als Tor zur globalen Welt > Verbreitung einer „medialen Wahrheit“?
Fußball-WM Spiele speziell
> Sympathie für welche Teams (warum: mediale Vermarktung, kontinentale Präferenzen), welches Wissen über Nationalmannschaften (und darüber hinaus)
Ø Hierbei Bezug zu globalen Wissen: wie ordnet man sich selbst in Weltsystem ein, Identitätsprozess, Nationalbewusstsein (wie sieht man sich als Gemeinde in Südafrika: marginale Wahrnehmung oder „Wir sind Südafrika!“ > dynamischer Prozess)
Effekte der WM (für eventuelle Nachfolgestudie)
Regenbogennation? , bestehender Rassismus, Zusammengehörigkeit? > wenn ja, anhaltendes Phänomen nach der WM
