South Africa will host the football World Cup in June-July, in reccognition of the continent’s new-found status as a rising superpower in the game, rivaling Latin America. Black Africa is one of the biggest exporters of soccer talent to cold, rich and white Europe. But unlike Europe, which doesn’t bat an eyelid at a $51-m deal for dirt-poor Ghana’s Michael Essien, football for Africa is not just a high-octane, top-dollar sport. It transports Africans from deprivation and defeat, from famines, child soldiers and blood diamonds to well-lit places of the imagination where they are equal to the rest of the world. Football sets them free. Prepare for some stunning talent at the greatest sporting show on earth (with a cumulative audience of about 30 billion, much bigger than the Olympics) | Pages 15-20