Balls or bullets

In the notorious township of Johannesburg, Soweto, the lives of the residents are filled with criminality and violence. This documentary, balls or bullets, shows how football can be an alternative for a criminal life. Young boys are playing football and chasing a career, while other citizens are enjoying the football games organized by the Goodwill Games or watching the national club playing against the Congolese team. In the townships, for those who seem talented, football represents hope for a better life.

Social Interest of ‘Balls or bullets’

The township Soweto is known for its poverty and criminality and poses the backdrop of the World Cup 2010. During the apartheid regime in South Africa from 1948 till 1994 the black population was forced to live in the townships of Johannesburg. The township Soweto was formed at the north side of the city centre, where economic development stagnated due to the apartheid regime. In 1983, Soweto became an independent municipality, and in 2002 Soweto became a part of the city Johannesburg.