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In 1985, Nelson Mandela, then in prison for 23 years, set about winning over the fiercest proponents of apartheid, from his jailers to the head of South Africa's military. First he earned his freedom and then he won the presidency in the nation's first free election in 1994. But he knew that South Africa was still dangerously divided. If he couldn't unite his country in a visceral, emotional way--and fast--it would collapse into chaos. He would need all the charisma and strategic acumen he had honed during half a century of activism, and he'd need a cause all South Africans could share. Mandela picked one of the more farfetched causes imaginable--the national rugby team, the Springboks, who would host the sport's World Cup in 1995. Author Carlin, former South Africa bureau chief for the London Independent, offers a portrait of the greatest statesman of our time in action.--From publisher description.… (more)
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Carlin sets up the book with a tremendous amount of detail on the major historical events that preceded the end of apartheid including biographical accounts of Nelson Mandela, the Upington 14, the murder of Chris Hani, and much more.
Sports and politics are always mixed together into the cultural fabric of a nation. Rugby in South Africa shares a unique past. As "the opium of the boer," rugby was traditionally the most segregated of all sports in South Africa, it represented the worst of humanity, of the tyranny and endemic white racism that oppressed the black majority. It was therefore significant that Rugby was the sport that would bring the 2 sides together. Mandela understood this, and so therefore Rugby was a critical component in his plan for the healing process. The following quote encapsulates the spirit of the moment:
"The symbolism at play was mind-boggling. For decades, Mandela stood for everything white South Africans most feared; the Springboks jersey had been the symbol, for even longer, of everything black South Africans most hated. Now suddenly, before the eyes of the whole of South Africa... the two negative symbols had merged to create a new one that was positive, constructive, and good. Mandela had wrought the transformation, becoming the embodiment not of hate and fear, but generosity and love." (p 223)
The book is definitely more political background than it is sports. If you're looking for more information about Rugby, the 2005 World Cup, and how they won, "Playing the Enemy" will disappoint. If you're looking for a primer on the life of Nelson Mandela, why he was imprisoned, how he was released, how he became President, and the turmoil and near civil war that followed, this book is for you.
In the 1980's, the Springboks, much like the people they represented, were the pariah of the rugby world. Their rivals, New Zealand and Australia, refused to play them for years because of Apartheid. This caused much consternation in the white community and on the team. The players were like many Afrikaaner: politically ignorant and rugby focused. Rugby was the religion of the Afrikaners and the symbol of Apartheid for much of the black community.
After the election in 1994, Mandela knew how important the games were to making "one country". Mandela met with the team and convinced the black community to cheer for the team, and the team learned the anthem Nkosi Sikele, visited Robben Island and played rugby with children in the township. These experiences, coupled with their victories in the tournament made the players realize the important role they played reconciling the nation.
Overall, the book is a beautiful, heart warming, if not mildly simplistic story of what sport can do for a country.
The political events of this time are well described and he captures the
The writing, however, is often awkward and overwrought. Whether stretching a metaphor or twisting a sentence, Carlin can never leave the language well enough alone.
I found that this book was very moving and gave a very understandable perspective on the life of how black Africans were thanks to the apartheid. This book put Nelson Mandela in the light that he deserved for achieving something that had once been thought to be so impossible. This book was a great read that showed the raw emotion which caused the change in South Africa.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
-William Ernest Henley
Reading Playing the Enemy became a game of ‘spot the difference’ for me. For instance, Invictus left the impression on me that prior to winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the Springboks were quite a hopeless team (apparently not all that true). They had, for instance, beaten the All Blacks before, as well as Argentina, another strong team, if I remember correctly from the book. Perhaps the biggest tragedy of Invictus was the lack of excitement in their rugby footage! The husband and I were commenting that even an episode of Friday Night Lights has more exciting sports footage than Invictus! And also, the role of team captain Francois Pienaar is played up. The movie portrays it as his idea to have the team learn the new anthem (it was the team manager’s idea). And the team did not react as negatively as the movie suggests, and many of the team members embraced it wholeheartedly, such as James Small, an Englishman who had felt ostracized by his teammates.
More importantly, Playing the Enemy also made me realize just how much was glossed over, or perhaps not even mentioned at all. The violence, the protests, the false arrests, the assassinations, especially of Afrikaners such as the defense attorney working to free the Upington 14 who were accused of killing a black policeman who had fired into a crowd. There wasn’t enough of a sense of this tension, of the background that shocked the world.
But enough about the movie. Movies tend to pale when compared to the book, don’t they? Playing the Enemy is yet another well-written non-fiction book, from which the movie pulled information from just the last few chapters. It sustains one’s interest in a subject that could easily have been bogged down by too much information. (Here I should admit that I am somewhat interested in rugby. Thanks to its colonial past, Singapore does actually have a national rugby team, and so do many of the schools and I have actually seen watched a little rugby – at the Singapore Sevens, although I never thought that I’d ever read a book on rugby.) There are ample interviews with relevant people, which was aided by Carlin’s journalism background (he was The Independent’s South African bureau chief in the late 1990s). The information is well laid out and interspersed with interesting anecdotes and quotes, and he provides plenty of background for ignoramuses like me, who need to a refresher on South Africa’s apartheid history. Unlike the movie, the book wasn’t all about the game. The Rugby World Cup final was the culmination of all this planning, strategic or accidental, so like the firework spectacular at a new year celebration, it gave the world a big bang to wow over. Carlin does a wonderful job capturing the issues, the hostility, introducing a host of other characters but at the same time keeping Mandela very firmly as the main personality, the driving force of these events, both captivating and enigmatic. This is Mandela’s story, this is South Africa’s story, as it very rightly is.
Highly recommended!
August 20/2010
I began reading a few weeks ago. I am afraid that it is not as appealing as the movie; however, I must add that I am not a fan of this genre and generally read for enjoyment.
While the story is interesting it is not engaging as
I intend to keep reading as the Mandela/apartheid story is interesting and it never ceases to amaze me that Mandela could survive 27 in prison and be as influential as he has been both in and out of prison.
25/12/2010
As mentioned earlier, this is not my favourite genre. However, I find that there are parts of this story which are truly inspiring and one becomes excited and imagines that more of the same will follow only to be disappointed with further facts and figures of Mandela’s life story and abolition of apartheid.
With around 70 pages left to read I do not intend to make any further posts regarding ‘Playing The Enemy’.
There is enough interest to keep me reading but as has been proven many other times – I am not a fan of this genre!
Merry Christmas to all.
The last 100 pages reminded me of the movie.
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