desmond tutu

It could be mistaken for any other street in Soweto, with small, well-kept homes and the daily bustle of pedestrians. One may notice a few extra restaurants and bars, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Vilakazi Street is one of the most famous in South Africa.

With the 2010 Fifa World Cup less than two years away, stakeholders are working on ways to shape a positive image of South Africa and the continent as a whole.

The advert in which Desmond Tutu exhorts South Africans to pull together to build the kind of country they each want to live in has got me thinking about national traits. What does it mean to say the French are elegant or the Zulus fierce, writes Jacob Dlamini.

In a strongly worded address to the nation President Thabo Mbeki has spoken out against the violent attacks on foreigners in South Africa that have shocked the world and tainted the country’s image.

South African adventurer Kingsley Holgate is yet again out into the wild in his Land Rover, this time circumnavigating the edge of the African continent and, on the way, distributing a million malaria nets to women and children.

Nobel Peace laureate Professor Wangari Maathai challenged Africa to "rise up and walk" at the third annual Nelson Mandela Lecture, saying the continent needs to be empowered to help itself.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has criticised South Africans who sell their country short, saying many seem to be "embarrassed" by the nation's successes. At the same time, he has warned against "party line-toeing", calling for robust, open debate on the problems still facing the country.

Any visitor to Soweto knows that a tour of the Hector Pieterson Museum is compulsory. So are visits to the houses of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, and dinner at Wandie's Place. But not everyone knows that overnight stays are an option.