his summer, members of UVA’s men’s and women’s rugby clubs will travel to Cape Town, South Africa to participate in “Game Change: Race, Rugby, and Reconciliation,” Global Affairs’ latest course in an emerging series exploring the links between sports and global politics. Thanks to the generous support of the UVA Parents’ Committee and several other private donors, participating students will spend two weeks in mid-June intensively studying South African culture and history; collaborating with local communities working to achieve greater social integration through sport; and training and playing rugby with South African counterparts. The course will take place 30 years after the 1995 Rugby World Cup tournament in South Africa, in which newly-elected President Nelson Mandela embraced and cheered on the nearly all-white South African Springboks to an upset victory in a stirring symbol of national unity across racial lines following the collapse of apartheid (dramatized in the 2009 film Invictus).

Though South Africa is half a world away and our nations have dramatically different pasts, we have much to learn from each other as we work to surmount complex and difficult histories of race relations to build more inclusive societies featuring equal opportunity for all. Sports in both countries have played important roles in forging at least temporary unity across racial lines: on rugby pitches, basketball courts, and in arena stands. But all too often progress stalls in the face of other barriers. Our students – under the leadership of Director of Global Initiatives Tina Mangieri, Engineering Assistant Professor Matt Burkett, and Batten Postdoctoral Research Associate Xanni Brown -- will explore how sports can succeed even further in overcoming persistent, painful divisions.

The course is but one of a growing range of activities available to UVA students in South Africa where, by the end of the summer, more than 100 students will have participated in various academic programs this year involving astronomy, public health advocacy, community development, business, the humanities, and a range of internships. With our expected opening of UVA’s new office in Cape Town in the coming year and new sources of financial aid to support study abroad in South Africa, the opportunities for more global experiences in South Africa are bound to grow.

Stay Global!