Twelve years ago, just a few months after the opening of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the impressive queen of Latin pop Shakira He threw Waka Waka (This is Africa), the official anthem approved by the International Federation of Associated Football (FIFA), which unceremoniously revoked the privilege it had previously granted to Somali artist K’naan, with waving a flag.
Composed and co-produced by Shakira, Waka-Waka was sung by the vocalist alongside South African group Freshlyground at the closing ceremony on July 11 in Johannesburg.
Waka-Waka was successful for combining Afro-Colombian rhythms and instrumentation with soca (music of Trinidad and Tobago derived from calypso) and South African guitars.
From Olmedo to Shakira
Some of its lyrical content includes a refrain (“Samina mina”) inspired by Waka-Wakafrom Trafassi (Suriname), in turn taken up by Miriam Cruz, Dominican author of black can’t and which, in Argentina, has become popular thanks to the theme What will black want?known for the famous television program by Alberto Olmedo.
“The official song is as eagerly awaited by fans as the mascot or logo. It is part of the identity of the world’s biggest sporting event. The song represents African rhythm and identity and sets the pace for this unique event.” declared then the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter.
Shakira said she felt “very honored by this Waka-Waka he was chosen to be part of everything the World Cup stands for, which, to me, means a global illusion, as it connects all countries, races, religions and social sectors around one passion.”
All the proceeds from its sale went to FIFA’s “20 centers for 2010” charity campaignwhose goal was to build 20 football centers across Africa to help solve the continent’s health and education problems.
The video with Piqué
Shortly after its premiere, the official video of Waka Waka (This is Africa) surpassed 100 million views on YouTube and became one of the most viewed videos on the popular digital platform.
This has been said for years the shooting of the video was responsible for the love between the singer and the footballer from Barcelona, Gerard Pique. The story dates back to the months preceding the competition, when the Colombian had to record the video of the song and for this several international football personalities were called.
Among them was Lionel Messi and, of course, the Catalan who would later lift the cup at that tournament. It was supposed that it was in that shot that the famous couple fell in love with it, but years later it was said that this was not the case.
It was then that the footballer acknowledged that “I won the biggest title you can get and met the love of my life. I left South Africa a different person and had an unforgettable experience. I met Shakira in Madrid before to go to the World Cup and the first day I told her that we would meet in the final, I am always brave. She sang the World Cup anthem during the ceremony and I assumed that we would play that match. And we got there at the World Cup and we started by losing the first game. But hey, in the end we win.”
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Source: Clarin
