The African Cup of Unity

It is now that biennial time when African nations are brought together by the African Cup of Nations hosted this year in the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa. For most evenings, many people will be glued to their TV supporting one team or the other, commenting on ball passes, screaming at the screen, laughing and clapping in triumph, or shouting in disappointment at their favorite players.  

The kickoff event earlier this month showcased Africa and its different cultures in a visual splendor. In the stadium, a colorful view of thousands of faces, flags, cultural outfits, and country-specific jerseys gave spectators a glimpse of an African mosaic. The theme song by the Ivoirian music group Magic Systeme, Nigerian singer Yemi Alade, and Mohamed Ramadan an Egyptian performer had some power lines such as “whether you are from Anglophone, Francophone, North African, or Lusophone we are together hand in hand; it’s the Africa of friendship” This upbeat song brings out an energy that promotes the integration and mutual understanding between African nations.

In 2010, when the World Cup took place in the Republic of South Africa, the vibe was that of pride for the whole continent. There was also a sense of unity from African teams wanting to represent their countries and overall, the continent. It was the first time it was hosted in Africa, and the hope of having an African nation take the cup while at home was a driving force leading to mutual support.

Currently ‘invisibly divided’ into politico-socio-economic regional blocks namely North, East, West, Central, and Southern Africa, Africans are still not fully integrated and still hold prejudices from one block to another. Furthermore, different colonial languages spoken in these blocks, and distorted media biases also cause a cultural divide that needs to be overcome. When a sport becomes an energy that pulls together nations, it is a gentle reminder of the path we Africans have to take to reach the unity that will showcase the continent as one force to be reckoned with in the global arena. 

The camaraderie, sharing of cultures, food, laughter, and arguments in the Ivorian cities are stepping stones to learning more about each other across languages and cultures. The country teams, supporters, businesspeople, media, and others landing in Abidjan builds the cross-continent travel much needed and slowly break down those prejudices.

The collaboration between artists representing English, French, and Arabic speaking countries is a beautiful sight and hearing of a continental harmony; and as they stated in the song, “together hand in hand”, Africans are moving towards the impulse of harmony and unity.

Deborah Melom Ndjerareou

Picture credit: AFCON Online