I get quite irritated when I hear, on radio talk-shows back home, people talking about so-called “Fong Kong” products.

“Fong Kong” is a term adopted in South Africa to describe cheap, often sub-standard product made in China.

I don’t deny that, being the factory to the world, there are a lot of crap produced IN SOUTHERN CHINA and not Hong Kong, so I’m not sure why Hong Kong has to cop it.

That is why, while scrunching up today’s South China Morning Post for the refuse bin, a story, partly titled “Made in China” caught my eye.

I un-scrunched it and here it is:

Seems that a Guangdong-based company is trying to cash in on the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton by producing their own souvenir to mark the occasion.

Only…

They have the wrong groom on the mug.

Talk about a right royal screw-up!!

(Source: South China Morning Post/SCMP)

At the recent Opening Ceremony Party for the 2010 World Cup at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) in Hong Kong’s Central district, I was taken to task for featuring “so much rugby” here on Howzit-HongKong.com.  Well, the same person who had this (non) issue will probably have the same complaint about the amount of soccer coverage we have here.

I have only one response:

Soooooorrrrrieeee! That’s your problem, not ours.

Just Feel it… it is Here!

As a South African stuck on this side of the noodle-curtain while the World Cup is happening back home, I am tuned into the South African radio stations TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN to hear the latest from the World Cup and have a look at their FaceBook Pages for the latest pictures and videos.

One of the stations I don’t miss is 567 Cape Talk, my favourite show being the Time Out Taxi with Soli Philander.

While listening to our Soli on his show tonight, he read out an article from the Huffington Post.  I read the Huffington Post regularly but for some reason I missed this particular story.  (It happens when your live a large part of your life online and read lots of papers on the net!)

This particular story struck a chord with me (as it did with Soli) because it sounded so real and sincere coming from the Huffington Post.  It also encapsulates perfectly what I try to tell the local Chinese whenever they ask me about our beautiful country.

Please join me in celebrating Shari Cohen‘s take on our country’s Ubuntu spirit through an American’s eyes:

I went on a rant the other day regarding the cost of the 2010 World Cup versus all the critical needs South Africa is facing and whether or not the most vulnerable of this country would gain anything from having the World Cup hosted in their country. At that time, I also had some very positive things to say about our hosts for the 2010 World Cup and I wanted to share that side of the coin as well, because it is equally important.

To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement. I think back on recent Olympics and struggle to remember much reporting in the USA of athletes from other countries. I remember when a Togolese guy won a bronze medal in kayaking and NBC reported it and I thought to myself, “where are all the other fascinating stories like this one…like the Jamaican bobsledding team.” In today’s America, sadly, we have drifted so far towards being so US-centric that we only seem to root for the Americans.

Not so here in South Africa. I’ve been here since early May and each week I have become more and more impressed with the global embrace that South Africans have offered up to the world. On the way to the airport a couple of weeks ago, I heard a radio program that said each day they would focus on one country that would be coming to South Africa for the World Cup, and they would explore not only that sport’s history in soccer, but also their politics, religion, and socio-cultural practices. On the television, I’ve seen numerous programs that focus on a particular country and it’s history of soccer and how the history of that country is intertwined with their soccer history. I’ve seen programs on India, exploring why India enjoys soccer but hasn’t really excelled at the global level… yet. And I’ve seen shows on soccer in Muslim countries. Maybe it’s planned, maybe it’s unplanned, maybe it’s by chance, but it is happening. It’s not just about South Africans showing off their varied and multifaceted culture to their global guests, it’s also about using this opportunity to educate South Africa on the rest of Planet Earth’s inhabitants.

As I moved through my work here in the provinces over the last six weeks, I had a pivotal meeting with the Board members of a rural NGO. They were explaining their guiding program philosophy of Ubuntu. No, not the Linux program. I’m talking about the traditional African philosophy of Ubuntu that essentially says, “No man is an island.”

I found a better explanation from Wikipedia:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu in 2008:

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality — Ubuntu — you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

To me, Ubuntu is the acceptance of others as parts of the sum total of each of us. And that is exactly what I have experienced during the lead up to, and the initial days of this World Cup. There is nary a South African citizen that I’ve met on the street, or in shops or restaurants or hotels, that hasn’t gone out of their way to greet me and make me feel like I am home. And I don’t mean that in the trivial, “Oh, aren’t they nice, homey people here… ” sort of way. I mean real, genuine interest and questions. People seriously want to know where I come from. What it’s like where I live. How does it compare to where I am now. What do I think of South Africa. Oh yes, and what do I think of Bafana Bafana… The questions and conversations are in earnest. They are honest. And they are had with enthusiasm and a thirst to know more. South Africans are drinking deeply from the cup of humanity that has been brought to their doorstep. I would never imagine that an American World Cup or Olympics would ever be this welcoming to the rest of the world. And that saddens me for the state of my home country, but it also makes me feel the pride of the South African people.

I have been truly humbled on this trip. And while I have my gripes regarding development here, I cannot say one negative thing about how South Africa has handled its duties as host and hostess to the world. If I could say one thing to sum up being here during this once-in-a-lifetime experience, it would be that I’ve learned the value of Ubuntu, and that when found and offered in abundance, the world is indeed a better place to live in.

So, if South Africa accomplishes nothing more on the playing field, it will still have won as a host country. I am a cynic, no doubt about that. And yet I have to admit, I’m a little teary just writing this because I leave for home next weekend and I will be leaving a little piece of myself here in South Africa. I just hope I have learned enough to bring back a little piece of Ubuntu to my homeland, where perhaps with a little caring and a little water, it will take root as naturally as it does here, in the cradle of civilization. It’s funny, many people in America still ask me, “are the people in Africa very primitive?” Yes, I know, amazing someone could ask that but they do. And when they do, I usually explain that living in a mud hut does not make one primitive, however, allowing kids to sell drugs to other kids and engage in drive-by killings — isn’t that primitive behavior? I think it is. When I think of Ubuntu and my recent experiences here, I think America has much to learn from Africa in general, in terms of living as a larger village; and as human beings who are all interconnected with each other, each of us having an affect on our brothers and sisters.

As the 2010 Cup slogan goes, “Feel it. It is here.” Well, I have felt it, because I am here. Thank you South Africa, for giving me this unexpected gift. I am humbled.

You can find this story here

Listen to Soli Philander (7-9pm SA time) on 567 Cape Talk here

Soli has some video clip about the World Cup here

Although only about a week old, SA 2010 Ambassador Mark Fish’s baby daughter is already making ripples on the other side of the world.

On the day that we were supposed to attend a media conference with South African 2010 Ambassador Mark Fish, the Hong Kong media was alerted that the press conference was cancelled due to the birth of Fish’s baby-daughter.

As I’ve mentioned before, there are two things dear to the Chinese heart: one is their food with the other being their kids; and not always in that order.  The latter showed during the unveiling of the 2010 countdown clock.  The MC started his questions (see video) to the former Bafana Bafana (SA soccer team) player with a question about his baby.  I also heard two other reporters start their questions with the same issue. 

The local English daily’s sports reporter Alvin Sallay, though of Sri Lankan descent, was not left out and he filed the following story in the South China Morning Post the following day: 

(click on the pics to open larger image) 

South Africa won the 2009 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes title in the most dramatic fashion at Kowloon Cricket Club on Sunday evening as Farhaan Behardien smashed a six off the final delivery of the tournament to down a gallant Hong Kong . 

Set a total of 98 runs to win the title for a third time, the South Africans left it late to claim the trophy – and the first prize of US$55,000 – when Behardien thumped Mark Wright’s final ball into the stands to the delight of his team mates. 

The defeat was a cruel blow for a Hong Kong side that had impressed throughout the competition and who went into the final having won all six of their previous matches, including two against South Africa. 

Cheered on by the majority of the crowd at Kowloon Cricket Club, the home side were put into bat for the first time in the entire competition after the South Africans won the toss.  Hong Kong made a disappointing start to the final, however, losing captain Najeeb Amar with the first ball of the game and then creeping tentatively through the opening overs. 

Star man Irfan Ahmad was next to go when he holed out to Rory Kleinveldt off the bowling of David Jacobs for just seven runs – his lowest score of the tournament – in the second over with 17 on the scoreboard.  Nerves looked to have taken hold of a Hong Kong team that was opening the batting for the first time in the competition.

The pressure to set a substantial total was threatening to take its toll, but Munir Dar steadied the ship for the home side alongside wicketkeeper Hussain Butt, with Dar eventually retiring with an unbeaten 31 runs.  Butt scored 24 before being caught by Behardien off the bowling of Coetzee while Tanwir Afzal claimed 20, only to be run out, but by the end of their innings Hong Kong had set a respectable target of 98 runs for South Africa to win. 

The South Africans started confidently enough, claiming 21 runs off the first over from Dar, but a spectacular spell from Tanwir Afzal put the result back in the balance.  The 21-year-old picked up the wicket of Loots Bosman with his first ball and, two balls later, Kleinveldt was heading back to the pavilion after being bowled. By the end of the over, Jacobs had joined Afzal’s casualty list, leaving South Africa on 32 for 3.

However, the South Africans steadied the ship until the final over, when Mark Wright claimed the wicket of David Wiese to set up a grandstand finish. 

Seven runs from the next four balls left South Africa needing six off the final ball to win the title, and Behardien duly obliged, dispatching Wright’s half volleyed delivery over the boundary.  There was some consolation for Hong Kong ’s Irfan Ahmad, who won the Ben Hollioake Trophy – which is awarded to the competition’s leading player – as a result of his performances throughout the weekend.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand handed Australia a comprehensive defeat to win the Plate competition, winning by five wickets when they successfully chased down a total of 69 runs to pick up US$13,000 in prize money.

Alvin Sallay’s article in Monday’s South China Morning Post (Pic: Oliver Tsang)