This weekend marks the beginning of the 9th African Women’s Championship, a major football event on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) calendar. Women national teams from Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, Zambia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have been jetting into the country, albeit quietly, for the past few days, while some crowd favourites such as Nigeria have parked in neighbouring South Africa for training. Tomorrow the games begin.
Aside from the crowd-pulling pastime that is football, Namibia should be proud to have pulled off such preparations – starting with the bid to the awarding of the hosting in 2011 – and having the wherewithal to hold one of the biggest spectacles in the region. This is no small feat, especially considering the fact that this competition has since its inception in 1998 been hosted by only three countries, which are Nigeria, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea on a two-yearly rotation basis. From Namibia it goes to Cameroon in 2016.
It is at times like these that we, all of us, as Namibians, irrespective of our creed, tribe, colour, origin – either white, black, yellow, blue, red or green – should raise high the Namibian flag of ‘My Namibia, My Country, My Pride’, and host the visiting women, and men, with true Namibian hospitality.
Hosting the championship successfully should make us proud for here is an event that goes beyond being a football showpiece, as it presents time to share and experience other cultures with fellow Africans. It gives us the opportunity to further our collective cause in taking advantage of the African Agenda 2063, in which the continent aims at doing things differently.
Our actions as individuals, either through the entrepreneurial zeal we would show throughout the event, the innovative approaches we would demonstrate in hosting a diversified group of African footballers, the thinking that would come out of the occasion and the appreciation of women’s football itself, are bound to define not only the championship itself but the continent’s place in world football affairs, where the continent is not only a supplier of talented footballers but the buyer of world footballers and athletes as well.
After all we are, as Africans, aiming for the African Union’s vision of “An Integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”
It requires concrete actions, and innovative thinking to make that vision a reality.
Beyond being mere spectators, we could reflect on how we can effectively learn from the lessons of the past, build on the progress now underway and strategically exploit all possible opportunities available in the immediate and medium term, so as to ensure positive socio-economic transformation within the next 50 years. How could we make our football, and other sports codes better? Or even perhaps how could we host more of such world events in future and promote Namibia as the Mecca of sports activities in Southern Africa.
Namibia, being the virtually last born of the oppressed African countries who had to go through a bitter bush war for liberation, still has a warm place in the hearts of many African countries. Not to forget the West’s consideration of Namibia as one of the best managed young democracies in the region. That consideration should not make us shun the passion we have for Pan-Africanism. We should perhaps use this event to celebrate our journey to independence, remind ourselves of our remaining struggle for economic independence, by rekindling Pan-Africanism for it was that very passion that prompted the African forefathers to come to Namibia’s aid, at great costs to their countries and economies, to fight for the removal of colonial oppression from Namibian soil.
Let us strive to re-orient the AU back to the vision of the founding fathers who met on May 25 1963 to adopt the OAU Charter and form the continental bloc, the forerunner of the AU.
May we enjoy and share with pride the 9th African Women’s Championship with our fellow African sisters and brothers.