From angel voices to the samba 2010 parties on everywhere

Tenors delight

On Friday 9 July at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg, South African singer Nianell will duet with the legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at his first appearance in South Africa, following in the tradition of prestigious FIFA performances by Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti - The Three Tenors.

Bocelli will also duet with Bryan Adams and South Africa's own soprano, Pretty Yende and he and his special guests will be supported by the Italian flautist, Andrea Griminelli, Simon Estes and the Simon Estes Music school choir, the Gauteng Choristers and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra conducted by Marcello Rota.

Brazilians are coming

"Over the next one and a half weeks, the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, in conjunction with the Fundação Cultural Palmares, (Palmares Cultural Foundation) in partnership with Mauricio Pessoa Produçes, is here to participate in our regional Fanjols for the 2010 FIFA World Cup," says Dr Laurine Platzky, 2010 Western Cape co-ordinator.

"Sponsored by Eletrobras via Lei Rouanet, the movement referred to as 'Expresso Brasil na copa' - 'Brazilian Express of Art', is here in the Western Cape, through collaboration with the provincial government in a series of activities that highlight the intellectual and artistic expression of Brazilian culture.

She goes on to explain that this is the first step towards a bigger picture exchange between South Africa and Brazil as these countries share strong cultural bonds. The main objective of the 'Brazilian Express of Art' movement is to promote the 2014 FIFA World Cup that Brazil will host.

"This is the beginning of a cultural exchange that will continue until the next World Cup that we will host. Our country will only gain by this," says Zulu Araújo, president of the Fundação Cultural Palmares. Brazilian participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the first time goes beyond soccer. "Soccer has the power to unite everything that Brazilians excel at and enjoy. That is what we are doing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup here in South Africa, and that is what we will showcase in 2014 in Brazil," he concludes.

To learn more, go to www.expressobrasilnacopa.com.br.

Gold Reef learns to Samba

On Saturday 3 July, the Gold Reef City Theme Park will be hosting a Brazil showcase filled with celebration, vibrant music and activities. It forms part of a series of events that the Brazilian government has commissioned to create awareness and generate excitement about the 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted in Brazil.

There will be a central dance floor where skilled samba and capoeira dancers will be showing off their slick dance moves and a DJ will be spinning vibrant Latino and African music throughout the day. There will also be giveaways throughout the day with soccer balls, soccer shirts and more. Authentic Brazilian snacks and drinks will be on sale at the Town Square. Visitors will be able to round off their day by watching the Brazil football team in action on the big screens at the Fan Hall.

Township taverns join the beautiful game

The community upliftment initiative from Coca-Cola will ensure that fans who can't afford to be at the stadiums can still celebrate at township venues that bring the Beautiful Game straight to the people. Of these, around 150 will be large Coca-Cola dominated taverns, with the remainder being large outlets with adequate Coca-Cola presence. Many are in townships and rural areas, with others being located in urban hubs such as Rockey Street in Yeoville, Johannesburg.

Spearheaded by Peter Nemaenzhe, operations marketing manager at Coca-Cola South Africa, the project aims to bring partying out of the suburbs and into the townships. "They want a community hotspot around which they can conglomerate with family and friends and that's within walking distance from where they live," he says.

With varying degrees of sponsorship for the different outlets, all of these soccer 'hot spots' will be noticeable by their distinctive red Coca-Cola branding - particularly the FIFA "lollipop" football outside. Many will sport stylish tables, comfortable chairs and large LCD televisions screening all the games live for the array of football lovers that flock there to soak up the vibe.

Tavern training, empowerment

The initiative is also about job creation and entrepreneur empowerment as well. Tavern owners have received training from the beverage giant on basic business principles such as pricing, customer service and operational aspects - helping to ensure that their establishments are run sustainably and profitably, while retaining that unique 'shebeen' atmosphere that is a mainstay of authentic South African culture.

Leaving behind a meaningful legacy that will endure beyond 2010, Nemaenzhe says these donations of equipment and furniture, as well as the business training, are aimed at encouraging larger taverns to entrench quality service and the smaller venues an incentive to grow their business.