According to their blog, Oxford University Press has named South Africa Place of the Year, largely due to the 2010 Fifa World Cup which will be hosted here next year.
On the OUP USA blog, publicity assistant Michelle Rafferty writes:
"...we are excited to announce South Africa as Oxford’s “Place of the Year.” The 2010 World Cup—arguably the most important international event the country will host since officially becoming a post-apartheid, democratic nation only 15 years ago—signifies further transformation, quantifiable in millions of dollars worth of new infrastructure..."
Rafferty goes on to say:
"This week we are both excited and proud to share a range of perspectives in celebration of “Place of the Year.” The stories told will express a dichotomy of beauty and tragedy, and we hope give you a better, if not more personal, idea of a country that has largely influenced the world’s headlines, history class lessons, books, and films."
You can read these stories here.
(Images: Joy-Anne Goodenough. Creative Commons)
