The song will be performed at the FIFA World Cup(TM) Final by Shakira and South African artist Freshlyground on July 11, 2010.
The song combines Afro-Colombian instrumentation and rhythms with a rousing Soca beat and Southern African guitar. The chorus borrows from a favorite Cameroonian marching chant made popular by the group Golden Voices.
“The Official Song is as much awaited by the fans as the Mascot or the Logo. It is part of the identity of the world’s most exciting sport’s event. This song is the personification of the African rhythm and identity and sets the pace for this unique event. I am looking forward to hear the song throughout the tournament and watch it performed by Shakira and Freshlyground at the Final,” said Joseph S. Blatter, FIFA President.
“I am honored that Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) was chosen to be part of the excitement and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Shakira. “The FIFA World Cup is a miracle of global excitement, connecting every country, race, religion and condition around a single passion. It represents an event that has the power to unite and integrate, and that’s what this song is about.”
The so-called “Battle of the World Cup Theme Songs” has finally been settled.
After much confusion, Shakira’s “Waka Waka” (or “Burn Bright” in Swahili ) has officially been named South Africa 2010′s World Cup theme song. Why confusion? Because if you do a quick search on “World Cup 2010 song”, expect most results to show ”Wavin’ Flag” by Somali-Canadian artiste K’naan.
To be fair, both songs boast lively beats, a catchy tune and — most important of all – a great sing-along, easy-to-remember chorus ( my all-time favourite is still Ricky Martin’s “Cup of Life”). But after a fair amount of investigation, I discovered that “Wavin’ Flag” is actually the official anthem for Coca Cola’s 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign and not for the actual tournament.
Even so, response to Shakira’s “Waka Waka” has been lukewarm. Firstly, the imagery of war and battle in the first 2 verses of the song is a little dodgy, bearing in mind the continent’s fresh and painful history of violence. But what riles many Africans more — never mind the fact that native South African band Freshlyground plays back-up – is whether the sultry Colombian is the right “face” for the continent’s first World Cup. And who can blame them?
As diverse as her heritage may be, she isn’t the least bit African. Local South African fans have voiced their disgust. “It’s horrible, I’m not standing for it” says Lindi Munondeand, and “How is Shakira going to sing the African part of it?” laments Nomaswazi Thomo. Jenny Cryws-Williams, presenter for South African station 702 Talk Radio also cried out: “Why don’t we have South Africans doing it for us?”.
The issue with Shakira’s song wasn’t the organisers’ only faux pas. The tournament’s opening concert on June 11 as also heavily criticised for having too many foreign acts such as American artistes Alicia Keys and the Black Eyed Peas. This forced an about-turn by organisers to showcase more local African acts in the line-up.
This will be the first time Africa will host the World Cup — a historic and proud moment for all Africans. The least the organisers could do is get it right.
But whatever has been decided will stand. And it’ll be interesting to see the reception when Shakira performs “Waka Waka” with Freshlyground at the World Cup Finals.
Having said that, have a listen to both songs and tell us which do you prefer?
