Book

More Than Just a Game: Football v. Apartheid

Name: More Than Just a Game: Football v. Apartheid
Author: Chuck Korr, Marvin Close

Chuck Korr, Marvin Close

2008

Chuck Korr, Marvin Close · 2008 · UK/South Africa

Tells how political prisoners on Robben Island organized a football league under apartheid.

A remarkable, verified account of how football sustained dignity and resistance in captivity.

The Historian

This poignant film sheds light on the unyielding human spirit that endured behind the bars of apartheid South Africa. Drawing from meticulously documented research, Korr and Close's collaboration preserves a vital chapter in the history of resistance sports. Their work humanizes the often-romanticized concept of "sports as politics.

The Psychologist

This archive piece reveals the human need for connection and belonging, even in the most oppressive circumstances. Football becomes a means to resist dehumanization, providing a sense of community and purpose among prisoners. The project illustrates how sports can transcend oppression, highlighting the power of shared experience and collective identity.

The Sceptic

The narrative hinges on the assumption that football's role in sustaining dignity and resistance is universally applicable, but what about those who didn't participate or were forced to watch from the sidelines? How do we account for the complexities of individual experiences under apartheid, rather than relying on a simplistic "football as resistance" framework?

These are interpretations written in three voices, not quotations from any individual.

Language: English
Length: 304 pp
Subject: Football on Robben Island under apartheid
Region: Africa
Tone: Elegiac
Difficulty: Familiar

Harper Collins; paperback

In print

Sourcegreenleft.org.au

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