Reflections on Our Journey- The African Black Stars

History is on the move. Africa hosts the world cup finals for the very first time; a fact we are tired of saying. The greatest sporting spectacle is seen not as a game but a passion for those who understand football. Many countries invest what for football critics are unreasonably high investments in a mere sporting activity.

Africa’s participation in the soccer festival is a very significant one. It was seen as an opportunity for all participating African countries to prove to the world that they had world class talents to contest shoulder to shoulder, foot for foot, teeth for teeth with the spectacular world class breeds like Lionel Messi, Christiano Rolnaldo, Wayne Rooney, Aiyen Robben and those whose name is synonymous to football- yes I am talking about the country you are thinking about.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup started with a beautiful display of South African Culture, one which reflected and confirmed the capability of Africa to do what the rest of the world can do. I watched the opening ceremony with a mixture of awe and pleasant delight at the amazing choreography and performance of the dancers and musical artistes at the ceremony.

The opening game gave Africa a lot of confidence with a one-all draw between South Africa and Mexico. The matches continued. The goals we scored. Wins were secured. Africa was found wanting. Then all hopes for Africa lied on the brink of collapse. Five African countries including the host nation were crushed out of the tournament making Ghana the only African country to proceed to the next stage of the competition.

The dominant idea was for Africa to unite and leave an incredible mark in the tournament and in the history of the game. But how can this happen when only one team is left to carry the remaining task on its shoulders. This can happen anyway because the spirit of every African supports the lone star, the hope of Africa- the Black Stars.

The “Africa Unite” agenda was a brilliant motivating factor for the continent but now it has been zeroed in on Ghana. So you can call it the “Africa United behind Ghana” agenda and you won’t be wrong. But how heavy is this task to the Ghana Black Stars?

Let us hold on to the question and look at the significance and the cues we need to gather from all these events as a continent. Fifty-three years ago, independence was declared in West Africa. We were made to understand that that country’s independence was meaningless unless it is linked up to the total liberation of the African continent. That same country blazed the trail for independence in Sub-Saharan Africa and I understand it is this same country blazing the trail in the 2010 world cup. That famous leader dreamt of an Africa united not by artificial borders but by a common sense of purpose and identity. Is this what we see?

Decades after decades, year after year, African leaders have -for lack of a better word -babbled for a United States of Africa. The dream has never seen the light of day. The ever delusive United States of Africa has crippled development in many spheres of the continent’s life. The irony of the continent is that we know what is good for us as Africans but we do not do what we know. And then the partition between the dream comes to play- the gradualists and radicals. What is essential is where the entire continent draws consensus on- the now or never radical approach or the we have to put things in place first gradualists approach.

As the Black Stars attempt to make Africa proud by qualifying to the quarterfinals stage, our leaders should take a cue from this and promote a United Africa at the upcoming African Union Summit in Kampala, Uganda. Each step we make at the African Union summit should save children and mothers from dying from causes we all know are preventable. The decisions we take at the summit will determine whether or not we what is just and right. Commitments by declaration and word of mouth is too expensive than the simple actions we must take to ensure that mothers give birth safely and children live to see their fifth birthday and beyond. We must meet knowledge with action.

Now back to the question I raised about the heaviness of the task on the shoulders of the Black Stars. An interesting side that specializes in winning matches with just a single goal is worth watching in the quarter and semi finals stages of the competition, isn’t it? As the Stars are making history on every step of the way, its remains crucial that every meaningful African throws their weight behind them to bring glory to not only Ghana, but Africa because it is only fair that a host continent gets a representation in the semis. Now I am tempted to use the names Ghana and Africa interchangeably.

These current events echo the leadership role that Ghana has played in trying to mobilize African countries to unite. Our current leaders should watch the games not for the fun of it but for what it symbolizes- that five decades back, a man from Ghana stood on a podium to advocate political unity among the countries on the continent. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah sends messages through the Black Stars that we are responsible for our own prosperity, that referees or in this matter western countries cannot decide our fate. Our destiny is us.

To be continued.