Africa and the World Cup

Did you miss StoryAfrica in the past two months?  I guess you did.  Circumstances of working and living put me off balance.  But I have regained my balance and I am back.

We kick off with the story of Africa’s preparation for the next soccer world cup,that is Germany 2006.  In the past five editions of the World Cup, FIFA the world governing body for the game of football has been gracious enough to upgrade Africa’s participation to 5 teams from this continent from one team in 1974.  Reason:  Standards of the game are improving in Africa, and the number of competing teams for the 4-year global soccer fiesta is increasing.

Twenty-five African countries competed to play in the next World Cup.  The play offs in five zones of four countries each, were concluded in different venues in Africa early October to determine the countries that will represent Africa in Germany 2006.   So who are they?

Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon or Zambia?  No.  These are the big soccer nations of Africa.  But they will not play in the 2006 world Cup.  They did not qualify after the world cup-qualifying matches in the various groups.  Rather, new African countries will be  in Germany.   They are, Togo who qualified in Group1, Ghana in Group2, Cote d’Ivoire in Group3, Angola in Group4, and Tunisia in Group5.

It is like a revolution is sweeping through African football, with big soccer nations failing to qualify for Germany 2006.   Of this five countries going, four will be there for the first time.  Only Tunisa has been there before.  See how The Guardian published in Lagos, Nigeria reports the qualifications in its October 10, 2005 edition.  “Saturday October 5, 2005 will go down as a memorable day in the history of African Football.  For on this final day of qualifying matches, four nations clinched their places at the FIFA world cup finals for the first time”

“Courtesy of the wind of change, the flags of Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Angola will flutter proudly in German skies next summer.  The scenes of mass hysteria in the streets of Lome, Accra, Abidjan and Luanda could scarcely contrast more starkly with the funeral mood gripping Dakar, Douala and Lagos.

Four of the five African countries going to Germany 2006 are first timers.  Tunisia is the only old timer among them.  The country represented Africa in the World Cup for the first time in 1978 and was also there in the last World Cup hosted by South Korea and Japan in 2002.  Nigeria’s failure to qualify is a shocker for millions of soccer crazy Nigerians.  The game of football is the main unifying factor of this nation of 120 million people from diverse ethnic nationalities, tribes and religion. It is one game that makes them happy and to forget all their economic hardships.

Harassed by many economic burdens, football provides a soothing relief for soccer loving Nigerians especially at the continental and global levels.  The average teenager in Nigeria closely monitors the leagues matches of European soccer where many Nigerian football stars feature regularly.  And with new stars coming on board the national team, branded the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the expectation of fans is that these rising stars recently upgraded from youth teams should play in the World Cup, showcase their soccer skills there, and sell themselves to foreign football clubs who pay huge sign- on fees.  That is not to be.  Hopes are dashed and dreams unfulfilled:  There are so many reasons for not qualifying, poor preparation, bad football administration and more.   In the midst of the national anguish, one man is laughing last, his name is Stephen Keshi, a former Nigerian international who captained the Super Eagles for many years in the 80s.

He served as a coach in Nigeria recently but was sent away for some reasons in 2002 by the Nigerian Football Association.  Shortly after, Togo signed him on as their National Coach. Keshi has helped the tiny West African country to qualify for the World cup finals for the first time.  And Nigeria who sent him away could not qualify. This goes to confirm the Biblical saying that “The stone that the builders rejected has been become the chief corner stone”.  To show appreciation, the Republic of Togo has rewarded Stephen Keshi with that country’s highest national honour.

This is the story of Africa’s participation in the next World Cup.  The mighty have fallen, and new comers have emerged.  Four of the fire countries representing Africa in Germany 2004, are new comers to the World Cup.

Fasting

In Malaysia, we’re right in the middle of Ramadhan, the holy month. All Muslims are fasting for this period of time.

I am reminded of the stories of Gandhi and his fasts. More often than not, he fasted to achieve a particular goal and it seemed like a very useful political strategy. In all, he undertook some 14 fasts. In this edition, I thought I would highlight four of the most significant ones.

In 1924, when communal riots started in India’s northwest frontier, Gujerat, Gandhi undertook a 21-day purification fast. At the coast, salt was produced by evaporation of sea water in violation of the law as a gesture of defiance against the British monopoly in salt production. As a result, the Viceroy started to relieve the punitive salt taxes and the government monopoly.

In 1933, he undertook a fast to raise the status of untouchables and persuade the orthodox Hindus to wipe out the ‘blight of untouchability’. He gave them the name harijan, or 'children of God'.  He founded a weekly paper Harijan, which was published in English and Hindi. This fast lasted for three weeks.

On the 10^th of May 1942, Gandhi wrote in his newspaper,

"The presence of the British in India is an invitation to Japan to invade India. Their withdrawal would remove the bait. Assume however that it does not, Free India would be better able to cope with invasion. Unadulterated non-co-operation would then have full sway."

Gandhi and Nehru, together with other Congress leaders, were arrested and interned in Aga Khan’s Palace at Poona. At the age of 73, Gandhi began another fast.

Winston Churchill suspected that Gandhi was fed glucose whenever he drank water and had this to day:

"... and this, as well as his intense vitality and lifelong austerity, enabled this frail being to maintain his prolonged abstention from any visible form of food. Nearly all the Indian members of the Viceroy's Executive Council demanded his release, and resigned in protest at our refusal. In the end, being quite convinced of our obduracy, he abandoned his fast and his health, though he was very weak, was not seriously affected." (from The Second World War, vol. 4., by Winston Churchill, 1951).

Nevertheless, Gandhi was released from custody unconditionally in the spring of 1944.

With the end of World War Two, the British realised that they would have to let India have its Independence. At the same time Muhammed Ali Jinnah and his Muslim League were lobbying hard for a separate Islamic nation. In August of 1946, the Muslim League proclaimed a ‘direct action day’ which set off a wave of Hindu-Muslim violence. The ensuing violence from the partitioning of India into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan would result in the deaths of about 500,000 people. 

Gandhi began to fast for peace and this time he almost died. Finally, the leaders of all major factions signed pledges to end the violence and Gandhi ended his fast. This was what he apparently said:

"In the name of God we have indulged in lies, massacres of people, without caring whether they were innocent or guilty, men or women, children or infants. We have indulged in abductions, forcible conversions, and we have done all this shamelessly. I am not aware if anybody has done these things in the name of Truth. With that same name on my lips I have broken the fast."

I hope you enjoyed that story.

your interviews are useful!!

Sharon Bakar

Hi Aneeta,

Thank you very much for your email. I appreciated very much for the info, about the story of people you had interviewed. I am so happy to learn something about their life and story. Thank you for the encouragement. ... I just want to thank you.

Regards,

 VER