The Entire Country Weeps

Tonight is the final match of the World Cup: Spain vs. Netherlands. I can’t believe I’ve been following soccer for so long and feel so fortunate that I got to be in Ghana to really experience it. I’ve never seen an entire nation of people united for one sport. The excitement during the Super Bowl is nothing compared to the palpable fervor and energy of the World Cup. There are hoots and hollers for every referee call and steal. And the celebration that ensues when the Ghana Black Stars win is unparalleled. There is singing, dancing, chanting, and drum beating on the tables and chairs. Shakira’s World Cup anthem has even become a Ghanaian clubbing favorite!



I caught World Cup fever and have become a huge supporter of the Ghana Black Stars. Without much effort, during the quarterfinals match (Ghana vs. Uruguay), I was on my feet cheering for joy for goals and could feel my pulse increase whenever Uruguay approached the Ghana goal. My heart was on the line as the overtime minutes ticked and Ghana and Uruguay remained tied at 1-1. I didn’t just wish with every ounce for the Ghana Black Stars to prevail and continue towards the World Cup Finals, but also dreaded to see what would happen if the Ghana Black Stars were to lose.

If you want to see ultimate soccer drama, the Ghana vs. Uruguay game would be a perfect specimen. The last few minutes of overtime were oozing with drama. Ghana kicks a goal only to be thwarted by a handball by the now infamous Uruguay player, Luis Suarez. For his handball, the referee gave Suarez a red card pulling him out of the game and awarding the Black Stars a penalty kick. So much was riding on that one kick and Ghana Black Stars star, Asamoah Gyan overshoots his kick and just barely misses the goal putting the Ghana Black Stars in the unfavorable position of one on one penalty kicks to determine the ultimate winner of the match. When Gyan missed the shot, the medical school dorm JCR was silent with disbelief. I think I may have even stopped breathing. Not only could you see the heads of team Ghana hang low, but the feeling of demoralization permeated the room. Ghana’s succession forward was hanging by a thread and the psychological odds were not in our favor.

In the end, Uruguay succeeded in scoring more penalty shots than Ghana. The Black Stars players’ faces were covered in anguish and some of them even hid their heads under their jerseys. If I ever felt like crying over sports this was it. Sure, it was a huge upset to see the Ghanaian World Cup journey end here, but my heart went out to the Black Stars for their valiant efforts. They were not just holding the hopes and dreams of their country, but the entire continent of Africa as the only African team to make it past the first round of games and potentially make history by playing in the semi-finals.

Although I had lost my appetite, I walked out with the Ghanaian medical students to find food. The joyful chatter that usually fills our interactions had deadened. The usually busy and lively Bantama High Street was languid and morose. The entire country had taken a beating in that game. The only thing you could hear on the streets were arguments about the game and curses against Luis Suarez.

Since then, my interest in the World Cup has halved. I don’t particularly care who wins anymore except that I vehemently do not want to see Uruguay make it any farther. I peeked my head into the JCR during the Uruguay vs. Netherlands game briefly just to check that Netherlands was winning. Yesterday, I sat through the second half of the Uruguay vs. Germany match, again, only to cheer for the loss of Uruguay and hope that Luiz Suarez would get injured while playing.

Despite the disappointing loss, the Ghana Black Stars are being lauded across the country and the continent for making it as far as they did. They represented the country and all of Africa well and everyone is confident that Ghana has only more surprises for the world in the next World Cup. On the flip side, Luiz Suarez has become public enemy number one and his infamous handball has been deemed “Hand of the Devil” countering Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” handball. If I were Luiz Suarez, I wouldn’t plan any vacations in Ghana…ever.

Here are a few news clippings of Ghana’s loss.







While my favorite sport to follow is still basketball (in case y’all haven’t been paying attention, D-Wade, Chris Bosh, and Lebron James will ALL be playing for the Miami Heat!!!!), soccer has become a close second. At the very least, I will definitely be cheering for the Ghana Black Stars in the next World Cup.

As for who will win tonight? I’ll side with the octopus…Spain.

Talk of Racism Tainting the World Cup: Ghana Black Stars Only African Team to Qualify for Round of 16

This Thursday (July 1) is a Ghanaian public holiday (Republic Day), but overshadowing the public holiday is Friday’s big World Cup quarter finals match: Ghana vs. Uruguay!

Still behind on the details of soccer, I can’t give you solid prediction about the outcome of the game on Friday, but I can give you a quick update on Ghana’s World Cup journey. Ghana was the only African team to make it into the round of 16. This is still a very delicate subject for Ghanaians despite Ghana’s success because this year’s World Cup, hosted in South Africa, is an opportunity for Africa to shine and only Ghana has succeeded in staying in the spotlight. I’m completely unqualified to evaluate the African teams’ strengths and weaknesses, but several Ghanaians that I have talked to suspect foul play as a factor in the reason why most of the African teams have not performed so well.

Having the World Cup in South Africa carries with it many important messages and themes. It showcases the entire continent of Africa in a similar way to the glory and attention given to Olympic cities. But even that comparison seems too simple. It’s not just nationalistic pride that the African countries feel. They believe that this kind of recognition proves to the world that Africa is not a backward and resources-deprived land, but can compete competitively with developed countries on several measures. So, the performance of the soccer players is not just about the game, but also about achieving the status of being equal members of the global community.

One important part of achieving that equal status is racism, which I don’t believe has been stamped out of any country. One of the most commonly played commercials during the World Cup games is a commercial about stopping racism. It shows soccer stars like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo taking stands against racism, players of different colors exhibiting admirable sportsmanship, and teams walking together arm in arm across the field. Because of this commercial, it is disheartening to hear the Ghanaians attribute the African teams’ poor performance to racism.

The Ghanaians are not just invested in their own Ghana Black Stars, but all of the African teams. They have said that the referees of the World Cup have always favored the opposing team and thus refuse to give Africa a fair chance to show the world how great they really are. I have noticed the crazy inconsistencies in reffing the games and will say that I’m in the camp that believes that changes need to be made to bring a little bit of standardization into the game. But, given that there is just one ref and no instant replay, these inconsistencies are things that just have to be swallowed as part of the game, for now. I do hope that racism is not part of the results we have seen, but simply a matter of antiquated soccer rules that need a bit of updating.



Despite the setbacks the other African teams have experienced, the Ghana Black Stars are forging ahead strong. Last Saturday, they played the United States in the first of the elimination matches. Since I’m in Ghana, I naturally supported Ghana. I even bought a Ghana Black Stars jersey just for the event and made a point to sit with the Ghanaian medical students in the packed Junior Common Room (JCR) to watch the game. Just watching the game with the Ghanaian med students is an experience—it feels like you are in the stadium. There are vuvuzelas and the reaction to every kick, steal, and slide is met with a huge outburst from the med students. The best part about watching the game with the Ghanaian med students is being a part of the celebration whenever Ghana scores a goal….or better yet, when they win the game like they did last Saturday against the US (2-1). One second my feet were on the ground grabbing for my camera to record the celebration and the next second, my feet were off the ground and I was on someone’s shoulders being paraded around the room. The Ghanaian med students didn’t just break out into cheers, but sang and beat the tables and chairs in rhythm for at least five minutes! Stay tuned for a Youtube video!

I will admit that it was a little sad to see the US lose and have their World Cup journey cut short. We did have some good moments, but I think Ghana was the better team on Saturday. All eyes in the country will be on Ghana again this Friday as we play Uruguay. If all goes as planned, I’ll be back in the med school JCR wearing my jersey. Go Ghana! Go Black Stars!!!!

Ghana Black Stars

If my time in Ghana teaches me nothing about maternal mortality, I will at least have left with a better understanding and much greater appreciation for soccer/football. Thank you Bryant for the best quick soccer synopsis (posted as a comment). I've officially caught World Cup Fever and can't wait to join all of Ghana tomorrow to cheer them on in game 2 against Australia.



So, what's it like watching the World Cup in Ghana? From my research project's perspective, the World Cup is a significant enough distraction that I have to plan my assessment and interviews around it. There are usually three games a day and the first game starts at 11:30AM, so I have to try to talk to the right people before 11:30AM. Or I'll have to compete with the buzzing sound of the vuvuzelas. My interviewees' eyes will literally drift towards the TV while I'm talking to them!



Though if Ghana is playing...the entire country is sitting in front of a TV. Erika and I made the mistake of trying to visit the National Cultural Center during the Ghana game last Saturday. It was "open" but all of the employees were occupied watching the game. Even the streets were deserted! We will not make that mistake this week. At 2PM tomorrow, we will sit in the medical school lounge and watch the Ghana game. Now, we just need to run out and get some Ghana Black Stars flare!

US Team Update: We tied with Slovenia...even though we should have won! That last ref call was totally wrong! He should walk home with a bodyguard tonight...

Special Report Relating to the World Cup from Kofi Annan and Didier Drogba

This newsflash from the Daily Graphic (Ghana's biggest selling newspaper since 1950) is yet another reason why I should be following the World Cup!



Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General and Chair of the Africa Progress Panel, and Didier Drogba, the UN Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador and soccer star published a report today (Thursday, June 10th) titled, "Scoring for Africa--An Alternative Guide to the World Cup."

The report is a novel way to draw attention to a country based comparison of key indicators of development including access to education, gender equality, economic growth, human development, and CO2 emissions. So, how is the World Cup related to this report? The report is written in the form of the World Cup schedule of matches. For example, the first country comparison is between South Africa and Mexico (game scheduled to play on June 11th). Rather than compare their offense or defense strengths, you will see comparisons in life expectancy, corruption perception rank, environmental performance rank, etc.

Some highlighted comparisons include (from press release):

• The average life expectancy in Nigeria is 48 years, compared to 75 years in Argentina.
  
• Women in Côte d’Ivoire are eight times more likely to die as a result of child birth than their Brazilian counterparts.
  
• Japan has donated $93.6 billion in ODA whilst Cameroon has received $5.2 net ODA.
  
• In South Africa 44.5% of parliamentarians (in the lower or single house) are women, compared to 18.9% in France.
  
• Algeria is contributing only 0.32% to the world’s yearly CO2 emissions, while the US contributes nearly 16%, making it the world’s second largest carbon emitter after China.

In the foreword of the report, Kofi Annan and Drogba say, “We passionately believe that fair play should not be limited to the way countries play, run, and score against each other, but also the way they do business and politics with each other; that the spirit of the World Cup should extend into countries’ economies and political relations; and that the celebration ofour common humanity should not be limited to one month every four years.”

What do y'all think of the report? Will the World Cup in South Africa bring developmental progress to the entire continent of Africa? Will this month of soccer fervor be more than just a sports competition? What kinds of changes can happen with this spotlight on Africa?

Need a Crash Course in The World Cup

I was never a successful soccer athlete since I have difficulties in resisting the urge to touch the ball with my hands, but I completely acknowledge that soccer/football is an amazing sport! I don't understand how such a fast paced and energetic sport could be second to a sport like American football. But, because I don't actively seek soccer exposure, I'm a little in the dark when it comes to the World Cup. Here's what I know (courtesy of the SuperSports TV Channel in Ghana that is playing World Cup news 24/7):

• It's like the NBA finals of soccer, but so much bigger because it's international. So, perhaps more like the Olympics just for soccer
  
• You have to qualify to play in the World Cup
  
• World Cup 2010 is hosted by South Africa and this is a HUGE deal for Africa
  
• Ghana's team is called the Ghana Black Stars
  
• Ghana Black Stars were the first African team to ever qualify to play in the World Cup
  
• Brazil is kind of a powerhouse when it comes to soccer and I think they've won the most titles
  
• The US has a lackluster soccer history
  
• David Beckham is not playing for the US
  
• Eyes are on Spain this year...why?
  
• And I know that this is an AWESOME World Cup "trailer" made by Nike

So, how does the World Cup work? Do you play teams within your region and then progress to different levels from there? If you lose a game, are you out? Or is it best of X number of games? How are the teams to watch? Brazil? Italy? Spain? England? South Africa?

I thought I could make a trip down to South Africa to get in all of the excitement, but South Africa is actually way too far away from Ghana. The World Cup starts in just a few days! So, if y'all follow soccer at all...please help!