Imagined histories and the incorporation of cultural difference within the
production of events is now commonplace. The process of appropriating indigenous
cultures to brand destinations is a significant feature in postcolonial settler
societies. South Africa differs in that the aboriginal peoples are the majority,
although South Africa’s global tourism and investment marketing strategies are
still largely shaped with a predominantly white Western audience in mind. It will
be interesting to see whether alternative visions of South Africa and South
Africans can be sold successfully to the international market by the time of the
2010 soccer World Cup, when South Africa will receive its largest and most
sustained level of international attention since the anti-apartheid struggles of the
1980s.