Johannesburg - Former Banyana Banyana captain Portia Modise launched a first of its kind interactive and multimedia book titled From Portia Modise With Love at BMW Joburg City in Newtown on Thursday evening.
In her book, the former captain shares her experience as a top African footballer and fighting inequality in a patriarchal system governing the Beautiful Game in South Africa.
Modise spoke recently at an event where she laid bare the realities and inequalities of women’s football.
🗣 Portia Modise: “The time I was the highest scorer in African football I was living in a shack.” pic.twitter.com/TOEJFodAy7
— David Kappel (@kappilinho) May 10, 2022
“We need gender equality, and we need to be paid the same. I’m playing for the national team, but I’m getting R3 5000 for my game. I don’t even have a signing-on fee coming to the camp. Doc was telling me there is R50 000 coming on camp. Where? R50 000, that time I’m living in the shack,” Modise said in a video that went viral on social media.
“Being the top goal scorer in Africa, but at that time, I’m living in a shack. No one cares.”
In her book, Modise further details her struggles to understand and find herself as a black lesbian woman and her battle of being Portia Modise.
“I have owned my truth since I started playing football because I know how hard it is being Portia Modise, but through my book, I hope to change how people perceive the sport. My aim is not only to inspire the next generation but, most importantly, to emphasise the importance of education,” said Modise.
The writer and publisher of the book, Bandile Sikwane, called Modise an iconic legend of the game.
“It was obvious after speaking to her that to get her story across, we needed to do something very different. We opted for an interactive multimedia book because it allows Portia to connect with her audience in a very intimate and engaging way,” Sikwane said.
The Star