Viva Egypt.. Viva
Africa
By Dr Laila Abdel Aal
Alghalban
Professor of
linguistics and Chaiperson of the Department of English
Faculty of Arts
Kafrelsheikh University
A treat for me
It was a busy Friday
night. I was sitting at the dinner table surrounded by books and research
papers I had to review. " Please tone down," I asked my kids. "
The TV is on all day long." Like all Egyptians , Africans and football
vans the world over, we were anticipating
the opening ceremony of the
African Cup of Nations to kick off. The catchy and funny commercials featuring
all players of the Egyptian squad were aired repeatedly. Shooting every single
detail of the tournament, the participating countries, the lovely and
inspirational tournament mascot Tut, the renovated stadiums, the crowd flooding
, the colors, the customs, the flags and the ambience glued people to their
seats. The air was filled with joy, national pride, and hope for a successful
historic tournament crowned by winning the cup. The opening ceremony was
stunning: the parade, the fireworks, the music, etc. Everything was simply
charming. Once the opening ceremony kicked off with real vibrancy, and the
crowd, outfitted in red shirts, went crazy about the stunning festivities, I
stepped into a state of brimming, bubbling excitement of discovering our power
and the joy of accomplishment. Egypt looked like a tree stretching its shady
and full- of -fruits boughs. The fascinating models of pyramids prove one
of the most enduring images in African Cup of Nations history.
I am a huge fan
of African squads in all tournaments. I like their wild talents, breathtaking,
pleasantly brisk performance, undaunted courage, the fire and joy in
their feet, the spark of their faces and the sweetness of their smiles. The
opening ceremony came as a treat for me. It is an uplifting time out of
the annual blood boiling exam work: the pain of marking piles of exam sheets,
amid a storm of questions fiercely hitting my head, almost paralyzing me to do
anything else. How important is that phenomenal sporting event? And what
can be done to connect more and more to our Africa?
Historical background
Egypt are hosting AFCON
for a fifth time. Having a record of winning the tournament seven times, the
Pharaohs have been the most successful team in the tournament's history since
its inception in 1957. Egypt along with
Sudan and Ethiopia are the founder of the tournament. Back then, Egypt enjoyed a passionate and unparalleled
leadership in Africa and the Arab region, thanks to its cultural, economic and
military influence. Cairo was the main supporter of most African nations
aspiring to end the colonial era and many African leaders, at the time, sought
refuge in Egypt. Hosting AFCON 2019, the Egyptians aim to get more connected to
their continent, open eyes to the current accomplishments in Egypt, reintroduce
the phenomenal Egyptian culture to our the world, boast the potentialities for
organizing future continental and world sporting events. The tournament is real
opportunity to polish our organizational skills. Egypt has incredible
credentials to be a hub for world sport all over the year.
Welcome to Egypt!
After a tense, reeling
period , CAF put their confidence in the Egyptians who summoned enough
determination to embark on a thrilling
marathon to organize the tournament within a very short time span and
fulfill the African dream. The African festival has struck a chord in the heart
of every single Egyptian and grant us lovely, exceptional and happy days. Welcome to Egypt!
Africa is a mine of
talents and rich culture
Africa is the cradle of
humanity. It is the land of vibrant, rich culture. The abundant and versatile
African heritage has intrigued people everywhere. However, that stunning legacy
has not been fully discovered yet. As the world is starving for
authenticity and uniqueness , I think
that culture would be Africa's most demanded commodity and real gift to the
world. Think about the African hairstyle which symbolizes women's age, class,
education background and marital status. The Afro hairstyle is taking the world
by storm nowadays. The indigenous African fashion designs are equally mind
blowing, revealing the secrets of the black beauty. The same is true of the
rich African music and choreography genres; the Afro beats is going viral globally. Nigeria's Nollywood movie
industry is the third after Hollywood and Bullywood. Part and parcel of
cultural heritage is the typographical structure and components of Africa:
forests, rivers, lacks, exotic plants, animals, birds, coral reeves, minerals,
etc. Think about the local African culinary systems and the incredible tribal
dining experience. They become a tourist destination. The eco-friendly African
architecture is another cultural magnet. All in all, Africa has very promising
cultural industry to stun the world and have a vocal say in the future. AFCON
is a real occasion to reveal some of the magic, charm and vigor of African
culture, introduce the Egyptian public
and the whole world to this thriving side of the African nations and encourage
people to tour Africa and get more connected to the world's ancestry land.
Towards a powerful,
sustainable Africa
AFCON is also a good
opportunity to explore the booming business prospects in Africa. The
development opportunities and entrepreneurships in the continent have not been
yet discovered. Unfortunately,
corruption and mismanagement fan the flames of the problem. In the fight
for a better, more prosperous future of
this continent, there is a need to understand the reality of the situation .It
is no longer tenable to sustain the state of poverty, illiteracy and turmoil
sweeping the continent. It is time for grasping the bull by the horn and take
responsibility more seriously in moving forward towards a powerful, sustainable
Africa.
Finally, Africans are
looking for their message that they belong to something to be vibrantly
delivered and heard, their experience to be valued and the previous negativity
to be mitigated. AFCON 2019 in Egypt would be the right time and place to let
the world listen to the African voice.
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