Author: matt.kelemen

“They promised a boost in business, but I haven’t seen it.” Those were the words of a craft merchant in the heart of Cape Town, looking around a near-empty mall just a stone’s throw from Green Point stadium four days before the kick-off of the 2010 World Cup. Amidst all of the fanfare – the soccer ball water fountains, the stores filled with vuvuzelas, the ubiquitous Adidas billboards – and all of pomp about what an African World Cup might mean, this simple, poignant statement left us with a sinking feeling. Will the World Cup do right by South Africa?

In the lead-up to the 2010 Cup, the flip-side question has been the obsession of the Western media. Is South Africa up to the task of preparing for an international sporting event of the magnitude of the World Cup? Will the stadiums be built on time? Will fans be able to get to and from the venues? Will there be enough hotel rooms for everyone who will come? And above all, will it be safe enough for tourists toting cameras and cash?

But enough ink has been spilled on these topics and too much of it has been laced with the racism that permeates criticism of the African tournament organizers. We have found it more compelling to consider how Africans will benefit from the Cup. On this front, there are some ominous signs.

We were shocked to learn that the Ministry of Education added two weeks to the winter vacation for schools in order to be sure that schools would be closed during the Cup. Two extra weeks? And the reasons given . . . to prevent against absenteeism by students and adults and to alleviate congestion on the public transportation systems. Seriously? You put millions of families in the position of scrambling for child care or leaving children at home unattended because you suspect some of them might play hooky to watch the games or take up a seat on a bus? Truly unbelievable when you consider the connections between instructional time, student achievement, educational attainment and, ultimately, economic and social well-being.

With more unsupervised time, South African children are vulnerable in so many ways. One child advocacy organization pointed out that, with the influx of a large number of men (95% of guests to the World Cup are expected to be men), there’s an increased risk of children being victims to sex trafficking. You won’t find that eventuality on the FIFA website.

On another note, a much higher percentage of match tickets have been bought by foreigners than at any World Cup in recent memory. It was illuminating to learn that, in addition to the often prohibitive cost of tickets, local sales were dampened by the fact that all transactions were done online despite limited internet access in many South African communities.

Finally, there’s the question of jobs. We asked the leader of a refugee support organization, Whole World Women Association, what she thought the benefits and challenges of hosting the World Cup to be. Her answer: “Jobs were added, but many livelihoods were lost.” Operating in the shadows of the informal economy, many refugees and other low-income South Africans have found themselves swept away from the city center “fan zones.” Some people able to swap their previous informal services and goods to selling World Cup flags may be weathering the transition, but that is cold comfort. So, while the Cup has undoubtedly created jobs and opportunities for local entrepreneurs to cash in on an influx of visitors, the net effect of the Cup on jobs seems up in the air.

Amidst all of these worries, there’s Nelson Mandela. On our second day in Cape Town, we visited Robben Island where a former political prisoner walked us around the barren cell blocks and gave us a lesson in redemption. It was inspiring to hear from a veteran of the struggle and to see the very place where Mandela – one of the world’s truly great heroes – endured for two decades before emerging victorious and on his own terms.

Coming away from that experience, we were reminded that Mandela is a big booster of the World Cup and has used sport in the past to unite his nation (he famously donned the jersey of the rugby national team captain and embraced that white-dominated sport’s World Cup as a way to demonstrate that he was a leader of all South Africans). Mandela, at 91, is slated to attend the opening match of the Bafana Bafana on Friday. We know that his presence will legitimate the World Cup to many of its supporters and we hope that his confidence will be borne out in long-lasting benefit to the people of South Africa.

The World Cup is here. Well, almost. One week until kick-off of the first Cup on the African continent. But, our journey begins today with a marathon flight from San Francisco to Singapore and then on to Cape Town. As luck would have it, Dylan and Adela met a couple of kids – Dominic and Rosie – in the security line and became fast friends. Down the jet way, I watched Adela holding hands with Rosie and overheard her say, “We love each other, right?” Seems like an auspicious start to the trip.

For weeks now, we have been bursting in anticipation of our adventure in South Africa. Dylan has been deeply obsessed with the Cup itself, assiduously considering the odds of various teams advancing to the knockout rounds and making it to the final in Johannesburg. Jeannette set him on a project to create cards for each of the 32 teams in the tournament, drawing the flags, maps, and jerseys and filling in information about the best player and a few demographic tidbits. He not only completed it, but also had the cards laminated, spent hours sorting them, and packed them away with pride into his travel bag. His resulting store of soccer and geography facts is impressive, matched only by his insatiable thirst for more news and analysis of the teams.

Adela, I think, is viewing the experience as one grand playdate. She is highly motivated about anything that gets her out of school, so the prospect of a three-week hiatus holds real appeal. The animals that we will see in Madikwe are a draw, too, and I won’t be surprised if she asks to live in the game reserve forever.

For Jeannette, the trip is a return to southern Africa. Thirteen years ago, she brought 10 high school students to Zimbabwe on a truly ambitious exchange program, one that probably transformed several lives. Now, amidst the soccer mania, she is making sure that our time in South Africa connects us to the culture there. Through contacts at the International Development Exchange, Jeannette has managed to have us visit with several non-profit organizations working to improve the lives and status of women.

And me? After watching the last two Cups on the small screen, the prospect of being dipped into the World Cup experience is a return of sorts, or perhaps a chance to mark the passage of time. In Italy in ’90, my Cup was about stepping out into the world alone for the first time. In ’94, it was about (naively) believing that my sport would finally catch fire in the US. In ’98, appropriately in France, was about sharing soccer with my true love. Now, with the kids old enough to travel well, 2010 seems destined to be about passing the beautiful game on to them.

“Ladies and Gentleman, The President of the United States!” Applause. “Thank you, thank you. I’m pleased to join you all tonight and to let you know that the state of our union is strong!” Well, at least the state of our little union is strong. In the year since we watched Barack Obama inaugurated on a big screen in civic center with thousands of other hope-filled citizens, much has happened with the Kelefors clan. One family matriarch, Dottie Kelemen, turned 95, and the whole Kelemen clan turned out to celebrate. We said goodbye two two other matriarchs, Aunt Bebe Matthewson and Aunt Elizabeth Pavel, who lived long and storied lives. Jeannette hit 4-0 and rode a bicycle for 500 miles in one week. We picked peaches in Fresno again. We admired the spires and red rocks of Sedona on a family trip with Mimi and Pop-Pop and celebrated a White Christmas in the Mid-Atlantic with the boisterous brood of cousins. And, oh yeah, we bought a ski house in Tahoe with two other families — our friends the Dunhams and the Waldman-Grunbaums. Maybe now you’ll come to visit.

In ascending order, here are the updates for 2010:

Adela is a vibrant four-year old with an independent spirit and joie de vive that brings us all much delight. Skiing for the first time in February on our trip to Steamboat, CO, she already demonstrated a love for speed as she giggled down the slope with no intention of slowing down. She also enjoyed her first soccer season this fall with a fabulous coach and a good friend from pre-school. Her love of the arts reflects her grandmothers’ gifts – this holiday she marveled at the SF Ballet’s Nutcracker and this week she requested we go to another museum after last weekend’s trip to the deYoung. While quite social, she is equally content to play independently in her own make believe worlds or “read” for hours. If you come for a visit, you’ll likely experience her changing into 2-3 different costumes, and she may even sing for you.

Dylan is thriving at school and in his activities. He is part of a terrific 1st grade class this year with two outstanding teachers and he’s grown so much as a reader and writer this year, both in English and Spanish. Captivated by our collective reading of Harry Potter – four volumes so far – he convinced us all to dress up as characters from the series for Halloween. Dylan’s exuberance and intensity come through not just in his love for school but on the soccer field, in his drama club, during dance classes, while beat-boxing, at the capoeira studio, and in front of any game-board. He plays a mean game of Monopoly, but if you play him, you might want to let him win. He wouldn’t mind at all if we moved permanently to Tahoe – he loves skiing, sledding and our shared time up in the mountains with friends. Finally, Dylan’s passion for soccer continues. Recently, he announced that “I am going to exercise every day until I’m on a traveling soccer team.” We think the Barcelona v. Chivas friendly and our upcoming trip to South Africa may have inspired him.

Matt continues to grow his consulting practice and volunteer portfolio, all rooted in the pursuit of better educational opportunity for underserved youth. Much of his work centers around the Obama administration’s education agenda and the rapid impact it is having on the strategic direction of school districts and other educational organizations across the country. (Here’s a prediction: Given the way, the economy and health care are going, Obama will run for re-election as the “education President” and it may actually be true.) These are challenging times in public education, with already inadequate budgets shrinking even further, but it is exciting to be part of a movement toward better schools for kids, ours and everyone’s. Matt turns 40 this year and will mark the occasion with a family trip to South Africa for the World Cup (Ole!) and a yet-to-be-determined physical challenge. If you call him, be sure to ask him if he ran today.

Jeannette celebrated her 40th birthday this year with a close circle of friends, enjoying a delicious 5-course meal prepared by the loving Chef Matt. Two weeks later she embarked on an amazing trip as a cyclist in the AIDS Lifecycle, pedaling more than 500 miles from San Francisco to LA. The inspiring company of so many folks dedicated to ending the threat of HIV motivated her through the demanding trek, as did all of you with your generous donations and emotional support. Her arrival into LA was made even sweeter by having Dylan, the Bennetts, Avery, Mimi & Bob and the Yu-Liter Family there to meet her. In July, Jeannette began a new position as Director of Professional Services with Teachscape, Inc. (www.teachscape.com). Ensuring teachers and school leaders improve their impact on students motivates her as it always has, and the frequent trips to Washington State help her stay connected with family and friends in the Northwest. She treasures her family time and reunions with friends near and far.

As we write to you, we are still reeling from the terrible tragedy in Haiti that claimed an unimaginable number of lives. And we are frustrated that our political leaders have been unable to make a dent in the pressing problems in our country and our state. But we remain hopeful, inspired by the good works of our amazing network of family and friends. We bid adieu to the “aughts” and welcome a decade of hope, change, and peace.