The London 2012 football kits for 10 Puma-partnered African countries were unveiled at the Design Museum earlier this year. It was the perfect opportunity for us to look at the exhibition for our World in London blog project. Cameroonian artist Barthelemy Toguo was chosen to design his country’s kit, which features a lion’s head.

“This imposing animal is emblematic of Africa, simultaneously expressing forcefulness and serenity,” said Toguo. “It also suggests an ability to overcome any adversary, which is relevant to the nature of a sporting challenge.”

Cameroon’s men’s football team won the country’s first Gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, when they beat Spain in a penalty shootout. This year, the men’s team have been knocked out of the competition, while the women’s team have qualified for the 2012 Games.

You can buy tickets for the Olympic Football Tournaments at www.tickets.london2012.com

Do you know anywhere else you can see Cameroonian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

Ntokozo Kunene came to London to study Fashion Design, and is currently interning at an African publication. Ntokozo tells us her South African highlights in London.

Statues of Nelson Mandela

You can’t talk about South Africa without mentioning Nelson Mandela – our symbol of reconciliation, and what it means to be South African. London has two statues dedicated to him.

The first, a bust outside Royal Festival Hall, was unveiled in 1985 by Oliver Tambo – another stalwart of the fight against apartheid. In Parliament Square, you’ll find a life-size statue of Mr Mandela, which he unveiled himself in 2007.

The Lion King in London

Several South Africans star in the award-winning musical The Lion King.

Brown Lindiwe Mkhize plays Rafiki, Andile Gumbi plays Simba, and Sello Maaka Ka Ncube once starred as Mufasa. South African musician and Grammy award-winning artist Lebo M contributed to the soundtrack of both the original animated film and the London theatre production at the Lyceum Theatre.

South African Food: Cape Town Fish Market and Nandos

When I arrived in London I was happy to find that one of my favourite South African restaurants from back home, Cape Town Fish Market, also has a branch here.

The walls are decorated with pictures, commissioned from various Capetonian museums, depicting the fishing community of Cape Town.

The menu is a mix between South African and Japanese cuisine and caters to both meat and fish lovers. I thoroughly enjoy sitting around the Teppenyaki grill table and watching as my meal is prepared.

South Africa is a diverse country of people of various origins and this is reflected in our food. Few people know that the highly popular Nandos (Portuguese flamed grilled peri peri chicken) found all over London, is actually a South African chain.

South African Shopping at Savannah

There are times when we miss the comforts of home, and when this happens we head to the many Savannah stores, which stock South African food and drink.

This is a good place to purchase genuine biltong, a kind of dried/cured meat that most South Africans cannot live without. You can also find maize meal – corn that is ground to a fine powder and used to cook our one of our staple starches called pap/meilipap. From South African cider and wine to our local sweets and crisps, Savannah is like taking a trip to the country itself.

Where else can you find South African culture in London? Tell us in the comments below.

Just a few minutes away from the bustle of Oxford Circus, the seafood restaurant Cape Town Fish Market offers a variety of seafood and sushi with a South African feel.

We marvelled at the live lobster tank as we walked in although I felt rather sorry for their inevitable outcome.  However, a huge tank full of beautiful tropical fish also welcomes you into a unique and fun environment.

You can choose between eating at a table or at the moving sushi bar. The menu takes a while to choose from with its many choices, ranging from seafood favourites such as calamari to sea bass. The restaurant also offer steak, ribs and salads.

Cape Town Fish Market is well-known in its native land of South Africa and its popularity is growing in London. The décor is informal yet impressive. 

We ordered seafood soup and fishcakes to start which were absolutely delicious. The salmon glazed in a ginger Teriyaki sauce and the prawns in an Asian sauce that followed left us very impressed with both the food and the service.

The location is ideal for people planning to see a show at the London Palladium which is next door  or for a break from shopping in Carnaby Street  and Oxford Street. 

Cape Town Fish Market,  Sutherland House, 5&6 Argyll Street, W1F 7TE

If you’re in London for the next few days and are keen to learn more about the World Cup and watch quality theatre at the same time, check out live comedy show called Bend it Like Beauty. This is a one-man performance by highly acclaimed and award winning South African actor Ben Voss. He plays well-to-do business woman of the year Beauty Ramampelepele who has flown to London to welcome the world to the World Cup in South Africa.

This charming satire offers a fascinating insight into the humour and openness of South Africa and its people, right here in London. It is an hour-and-a- half comedy performance that had me in stitches. Ben Voss offers hilarious tongue-in-cheek tips on best practice for attending the World Cup: “when you pack – take trainers, you will have to run” and “please, if you’re British, don’t dance”.

This is theatre away from the flashing lights and big-set productions of the West End and based just a short distance from the Brit Oval: the home of another much-loved British sport (cricket). The play is a simple, comic satire with a wonderful script that manages to remain light and funny while still managing to convey serious truths about a young African democracy in the high-profile role of host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Mid-way through a fascinating chat with her audience Beauty answers the phone with “no, don’t worry its fine, I’ve had enough now”. Not too long after this she is gone – leaving us wanting more from the magician who made one and a half hours in a small basic theatre feel like an entire week with a good friend.

Bend it Like Beauty runs at Oval House Theatre until 12 June 2010.

The Ball 2002 from Christian Wach on Vimeo.

Back in 2002, a group of lads kicked a football from Battersea Park, overland, to the World Cup in South Korea. A kind of Olympic Torch, The Ball became a symbol of the spirit of football, universal across cultures.

This weekend, they’re at it again; starting from Battersea Park, where the first ever game of football (according FA rules) was played. The fun kicks off on Sunday at 10am at the park’s bandstand. Why don’t you pop down to see The Ball off on its trip to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? It’ll be passed and dribbled through 17 African countries, over five months, to the World Cup.

Check out all the details on facebook.

If you can’t make it on Sunday, check out this ace video of the whole thing. And if you’re inspired, why not back the bid for us to host the World Cup in 2018? (It’d mean these boys don’t have to go quite so far, of course…!)