Africa is a continent with a rich reservoir of resources, but the continent's biggest asset by far is the warmth, friendliness, humility and humanity of its people. This has been the inspiration for the official slogan of the 2010 FIFA World Cup: “Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa's Humanity”.
“Ke Nako” means simply "it's time". President Thabo Mbeki has said repeatedly, “We want, on behalf of our continent, to stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo – an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa. We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict. We want to show that Africa's time has come.”
The slogan was launched by the chairman of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, Irvin Khoza, yesterday, Sunday, 25 November 2007, during the worldwide broadcast of the Preliminary Draw TV show in Durban.