Race – The Fall of Apartheid
The big question: Can sport change society?
Sport has frequently encouraged and occasionally forced societies to change, in defiance of the old mantra: 'Keep politics out of sport.' In no area has sport been more influential than in perception of race.
Background
'Cape-coloured' cricketer Basil D'Oliveira found himself the unwitting cause of South Africa's isolation from world sport after he was told he would not be welcome on England's tour of the Cape. The D'Oliveira Affair became an international 'cause celebre' and led directly to the Apartheid regime's exclusion from world affairs.
Twenty years as the pariah of international sport placed enormous pressure on the minority government, eventually helping to bring it down. Sport then helped to heal the nation after its re-admission to international competition. The Rugby World Cup was won in 1995, with black leader Nelson Mandela and white captain Francois Pienaar standing side by side on the winners' podium in emotional embrace.
Zimbabwe today faces the prospect of similar racially-driven problems to those that faced its neighbour 30 years ago. Both black and white players have refused to represent their country in protest at the racism and violence of Robert Mugabe's regime.
Zimbabwe's relationship with the rest of the sports world remains highly fragile, with the prospect of total exclusion never far away. With a partial cricketing boycott already in place, will sport be the catalyst for further change in the region?
Benjamin Zephaniah talks to Simon Hughes and Henry Olonga
Simon Hughes is an award-winning broadcaster for Channel 4's cricket coverage and played at county level in England. He also went to South Africa under the Apartheid regime and played for an all-white team at a time when South Africa was banned from international competition.
Henry Olonga played international cricket for Zimbabwe. During the Cricket World Cup in 2003, Henry and team-mate Andy Flower wore black armbands as a protest against 'the death of democracy in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe'. He subsequently retired from international competition and emigrated from his homeland, where fears for his safety mean he cannot return.
