In June, the first coin of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be tossed in host country, South Africa. Amidst the entire African continents’ excitement over its hosting debut, South Africa will once again make its mark as the midfielder of the seamless intersection of soccer fever and government and corporate accountability. Join labor, gender, peace and justice activists and true fans of the sport to make South Africa’s mark count. Midfielders, strikers, forwards and defenders: Let the games begin!

Speakers:

• Dave Zirin is a national sports writer and the host of “Edge of Sports” on XM Radio, “where sports and politics collide.” He recently authored The South Africa World Cup: Invictus in Reverse.

• Emira Woods is the Co-Director of the Foreign Policy In Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies, where she sheds light on issues ranging from debt relief, gender equality, trade and development to U.S. military policy. For more, read her latest article.

• Tope Folarin is a Newman Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. His focus is on African politics, the racial-wealth divide in the United States and any intersections therein. His latest article is The World Cup And I.

• Patrick Bond is a political economist and a professor at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, where he teaches political economy and eco-social policy. He also directs the Centre for Civil Society and is involved in research on economic justice, energy and water.

RSVP to sena@ips-dc.org or call 202-787-5277.