“Sport helps young women in their personal development and self-empowerment. It teaches them self-confidence, group trust and respect for rules,” Dagmar Freitag, Member of the German Parliament, said at a panel discussion at Ke Nako Africa, an initiative of the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa during the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.
Together with Kylie-Ann Louw, captain of South Africa’s women’s football team Banyana Banyana and Nia Kuenzer, former German national football player and World Cup winner in 2003, Mrs Freitag discussed the empowerment of girls through football with young women from South Africa who work in the youth development through football programme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH in partnership with Sport and Recreation South Africa.
Moskito Manamela, a young football player from Mamelodi that plays for the South African U17 women’s team, explained that she had to face opposition from friends and even her own family when she decided to play football, “But football was in my blood, so I went on and on,” Martha Mathane, a young football coach from Ga-Rankuwa, added, “In townships, girls are often confined to household chores, they have to cook, clean and look after their younger brothers. Football is way for girls to find something on their own, something they are good at and that gives them strength and confidence.” Banyana Banyana captain Kylie-Ann Louw confirmed, “Sport gives the individual so much dedication and discipline. Sport helps you to be a successful person.”
Professional players like Kylie-Ann Louw and Nia Kuenzer act as role-models for young women but is it crucial for girls not to focus entirely on a professional career:
“Education is in cooperation with the key. Many players are also good at school, because sport teaches them the discipline you need to succeed in other areas of life as well,” Nia Kuenzer stressed. “And it is important that the coaches convey such values. Coaches in Africa must be educated in order to understand the different facets of football not just the training itself, but also issues such as confidence, fair-play and life-skills. In this regard, development cooperation plays a crucial role in training the coaches such as in the youth development through football programme.”
Dagmar Freitag confirmed Germany’s commitment to such programmes, “Sport can be a life-changing experience; this is why the German government supports many sport-related programmes, especially in Africa.”
The panel discussion took place in the framework of Ke Nako Africa. Ke Nako Africa is an initiative by the Department of Sport and Recreation. Partners are the Southern African Development Community (SADC), The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Artists Trust of Southern Africa (ARTSA), the German Development Cooperation, WASH United, an non-governmental organisations (NGOs) campaign on water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as the youth development through football programme of Sport and Recreation South Africa, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) on behalf of the German government and which is co-founded by the European Union.
Ke Nako Africa features two main elements on the one hand, the Ke Nako Africa Exhibition, which is a platform for actors from Africa and the world and on the other hand the Ke Nako Africa programme, where political meetings, cultural events, youth activities and discussion forums on topics such as water, sanitation and hygiene, energy, sport and business, ICT and investment are organised.
Ke Nako Africa takes place within the international football village at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Johannesburg. The international football village has been designed to enable local and international visitors to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event in a safe and entertaining environment.
For further information please contact:
Katharina Binhack
Cell: 078 85 71 236
E-mail: katharina.binhack@gtz.de
Source: Sport and Recreation South Africa (http://www.srsa.gov.za/)
