“If a hundred things separate us, soccer unites us.” These opening lyrics to the viral African Cup of Nations (AFCON) song highlight that nothing unites African nations more than soccer. Transcending borders, language, religion and culture, countries across the region compete for the coveted AFCON title. Hundreds of millions watch the games, with a viewership third in popularity to the FIFA World Cup and European Nations Championship. A unified African identity is celebrated and imagined in these moments. Devotees across the continent and diaspora rally behind their national teams, waving vibrant flags while singing populist songs harmonized by a chorus of football aficionados. Multigenerational crowds fill cafes as the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke dissipates to the shouts of spectators’ pulsating jeers and cheers. Embracing their shared Africanness, to enthusiasts it is more than just a game. The tournament educates children to an inclusive lived history of their continent unbridled by stereotypical narratives of Africa as being ‘backwards.’ Even offering a geography lesson, fans can easily identify countries like Namibia, Mali, or Senegal, nations often overlooked in today’s media. Within soccer circles, African nations are not labeled by their place on…
Arabs in the African Cup: How Soccer Challenges Egyptian Nationalism
August 9, 2019
