The ongoing AFCON is a testimony to the uniting power of football. The tournament which is presently being played in Ivory Coast witnesses a reawakening in cultural pride and kin consciousness among Africans.
As if to usher us into what has now become an odyssey of cultural renaissance, the host nation, Ivory Coast, welcomed us to the tournament with a goose-bumping exhibition of African masquerades, dances, artworks and music. What followed after that symbolic opening ceremony has been a carnival of art and a celebration of our oneness as a people.
A few days after the opening ceremony, Ivorian fans, faced with the fear of being eliminated in the group stage of the competition after losing a match to the Super Eagles of Nigeria, found succour in an Igbo song, a sorrowful soundtrack picked from the old Nollywood movie: Billionaires’ Club. In viral videos being circulated on social media, the Ivoirians are seen playing and singing the sorrowful Igbo song to console themselves as they departed the stadium, after watching their national team being beaten by their Nigerian counterparts. Hearing Ivorians, a distant country from Nigeria, heartily singing in Igbo, proved that, like Julius Malema of South Africa had always said: these territorial borders which seek to separate one African country from another are very much artificial.
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In the field of play, there has been a commendable show of sportsmanship and brotherly love among the players, match officials and fans. The officiating has been friendly and fair. The post-match interviews and reactions have been devoid of rancour and bitterness (except for the allegation of bias recently levelled against CAF by Senegalese player, Krepin Diatta, after his team was knocked in a penalty shoot-out by the host, Ivory Coast). The vibe has been one which proudly proclaims the mantra: ‘This is a brotherly affair’. A clear demonstration of this is the uncle-nephew relationship between Ivorian legendary striker, Didier Drogba, and Nigeria’s star striker, Victor Osimhen, both of whom have been seen, publicly fraternizing with each other since the AFCON began.
On social media, the interaction among fans has been fun-filled and engaging. Even amidst the trolls and banters, which are very common among football fans, there still exists that kin spirit of oneness. A Nigerian who trolls a Ghanaian for the latter’s country’s failure to qualify from the group stage is quickly being reminded by his Ghanaian brother that he hails from a country which cannot boast of a stable power supply. A Cameroonian who laughs at an Ivorian after the latter’s national team lost a match is immediately reminded that his country has been ruled by an octogenarian for over 3 decades.
At the centre of these interesting engagements are content creators from different parts of Africa who have been deploying their talents and influence to create fun around events happening in AFCON, all in an effort to entertain their followers while promoting a sense of oneness among Africans.
This AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast reminds us of the strings which pull us together as a people – our culture, music, dances, artworks and our free-spirited disposition as a people. It has been a beautiful experience.
