As in previous years, to promote the FIFA World Cup an official mascot and song have been released. For 2010 the mascot is a teenage humanised leopard with green hair called Zakumi. His official motto is "Zakumi's game is Fair Play". The official song is Waka Waka performed by Shakira.
Zakumi was born on 16th June 1994. This date was selected as a day celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa. The year 1994 marks the first non-racial nationwide elections in South Africa.
His name comes from "ZA", the international abbreviation for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the South African playing strip – yellow and green.
The contract for the manufacture of the Zakumi figurines was outsourced to a factory in Shanghai however due to concerns over the loss of jobs in the South African manufacturing industry, it has been suggested the additional 2010 merchandise may be sourced locally.
The official song of the FIFA world cup "Waka Waka" (This Time for Africa) is presented by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa. Shakira and Freshlyground will perform the song at the pre-tournament Kick-Off concert in Soweto on 10 June. It will also be sung at the opening ceremony and at the final on 11 July.
