I was born in Ghana, became a man in Germany and made a home in the US. However, no matter how far I go, I never forget my origins – Ghana, Africa.
Why?
Because there is a bond that pulls all Africans together and to the continent.
It is a bond forged by pain and suffering, disease and hunger, exploitation and colonialism, tribal strife and inept leaders.
This bond is not static. It waxes and wanes. It grows and sometimes looks like it’s on it’s death bed.
The bond reaches far. It reaches into the hearts of immigrants all around the world – living rooms in the US, England and Australia. It reaches Darfur. It reaches the pirates in Somalia and rival factions in the Congo.
This bond has stood the test of time because it is nurtured. It is nurtured by family and friends, love and charity, the warmth of helping one another and encouragement. We cry with each other and share the joys too.
Perhaps though, its strongest sustenance is hope. The hope of something great. The hope of rising above the impediments that liter our way. The hope that it can be better. The hope that this time, it is different.
Like a clarion call, nothing gets this bond going more than hope.
So when the Black Stars made to the round of 16 as the only African team, there was hope. The hope fed the bond and the bond grew.
For the first time in it’s 80-year history, the FIFA World Cup comes to Africa. It is really symbolic that it is being held in South Africa. By the end of the first round of games, 5 of 6 African teams are out, including the Bafana Bafana of the host nation, South Africa. The Black Stars of Ghana are left standing, alone. That also by itself is deeply symbolic, then Ghana was the first sub-Saharan nation to win independence from colonial rule.
Before the games started, I am sure all the African teams hoped to make their countries as well as the continent proud. And all Africans, on the continent and abroad, hoped for the same. But only one team seems to believe it more than all the others. The Black Stars. And with their performance so far they have engendered a lot of hope in Ghana and on the continent.
…and are feeding the bond!
I rooted for Ghana in the Word Cup match against the US not because I don’t like the country I live in now. Far from that! I love the US! It’s just that Ghana and the continent of Africa needed this win more.
Many years ago Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president said “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of Africa.” Back then (and even now), that was a bold statement and many a critic berated him for it. Nkrumah however recognized how important and symbolic the Ghanaian independence was. It had spurned hope and the hope was feeding the bond. He realized that on this continent of pain and suffering, no one country was an island. We need each other. That is why the bond is essential.
That is why the success of the Black Stars is so important.
The continent needs it. A proof that we can measure up, if just for a few weeks. A proof that if we set our minds and spirit to it, we can achieve success. A proof that given the chance, like the prepared, we seized it. A proof that in spite of wars, disease, hunger, famine and bad leadership, we can rise above it all. The continent needs that spirit, if just for a few weeks. Then that can change and save lives.
The US has this spirit. It permeates every aspect of life here. This nation is a “Can-Do” nation. Africa could use a dose of that.
That is why I rooted for the Black Stars.