Event Details - Africa Awareness Week 2024-Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World, with Jean Duffy and Beka Ntsanwisi

Africa Awareness Week 2024! Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World, with Jean Duffy and Beka Ntsanwisi. Thursday, April 18, 12:30-1:45pm in RSU 201. Beka will join us via Zoom.

In rural South Africa, beloved humanitarian “Mama Beka” defied social convention and started a soccer team for the women in her community. The Soccer Grannies, as they came to be known, won over their families and villages who at first rejected the idea of older women playing soccer, and that single team quickly grew into dozens. Soon, the strength, tenacity, and pure joy of the Soccer Grannies had captured the attention of the world.

In Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World, Jean Duffy, a soccer-playing mom herself, recounts how she and her team set to work to bring the Soccer Grannies to the U.S. after hearing their incredible story. Despite many obstacles that stand in their way, the Soccer Grannies finally arrive, and Jean describes the wonderful friendships and cultural exchanges that follow. But Soccer Grannies tells more than just the physical journey of the South African women; it also details the Grannies’ personal journeys, sharing poignant insights into the realities of women living in South Africa.—Google

Sponsored by the African Studies Program and the Departments of  Social Work and Health & Kinesiology.