Photography Life

A big part of our soccer project has been driving around and finding people through sheer luck. Actually, it has not been that hard, as people play the beautiful game absolutely everywhere around South Africa. Today we made our own luck and met up with some people from Oasis, an organisation that teaches underprivileged children life skills through soccer.

Boys wait for their turn in the skills drill

We met up with them about a twenty minute drive from Cape Town, halfway to the suburb of Ottery, in the southern suburbs. Thomas, from Oasis, drove a small white bakkie (ute) with a canopy on the back and as we followed behind, we could see the ten or so faces squashed in the back. They had music playing and the bakkie hopped and swayed as they danced away while seated. The back door was open for air as the temperature soared into the high 30’s.

As we drove deeper into the suburbs, the landscape changed from manicured gardens to dustbowls. The streets had quite a bit of litter and the security fences grew higher and thicker. Finally we rounded a last bend and we could see an open field, with more sand than grass, the types of sports grounds that we had become accustomed to through our journey.

Piled into the back of the bakkie (ute)

On the one side there were bulky cement housing blocks, about 6 stories high. They were spaced apart at regular intervals and their walls were graffitied as high as one could comfortably reach. It had a real ghetto feel. The area looked poor but cheerful as the dreary cement was decorated in colourful patches where washing had been hung out to dry.

On another side of the field, sat an impressive mosque, which later on made the scene even more interesting as the call to prayer came over the loud speakers. In the distance you could see the back view of Table Mountain, not particularly clear at this time of day due to the haze, but still impressive nonetheless.

The children started off by dividing into two groups and warmed up with a selection of drills and skill exercises. The boys were all the same age group, 12 or 13 years old, and as they started their warm up, more people arrived from the neighbouring blocks of flats either to cheer or join in. The boys were really good, their ball control was great and they showed off their skills to the camera on more than one occasion.

After the warm-up it was game time. The goal areas were marked by small piles of clothing and shoes. The two teams had different coloured bibs and most boys played in bare feet. I noticed at least two boys with miss-matched shoes. One had a sneaker on one foot and a soccer boot on the other, while the other boy wore mismatched sandals. Many boys played in jeans or tracksuit pants even though the heat was almost unbearable.

The boys take the camera and turn the tables

Neither team had a full quota of players, but once again the skills were on show and we got many good pictures. As the game wore on, some spectators lost interest but found what we were doing irresistible. They posed and laughed, ran away and sprinted back again to have a look at their pictures on the back of the camera. One boy, after posing for many photos asked if he could use the camera to take a picture, I gave it to him and posed with a soccer ball. It gave him great enjoyment and his picture was not half bad. He walked forwards and backwards to get the focus right and clicked away merrily.

Some tricks on show

With the game finished, it was time to go. We could see without a doubt that this organisation made a difference to these boys. The game brought them together, giving them an opportunity that they might not have otherwise. They want to fulfil the same dream as so many of the South African youngsters we have encountered, to play soccer on the big stage. They want to be the next David Beckham’s or Christiano Ronaldo’s, however hard they must work to get there.

Cheers

Morne de Klerk – Photography Life