Zambia scoops the African anti-xenophobia Youth soccer championship

Thu, 25 May 2017 11:58:41 +0000

By Philip Chirwa

A beaming Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Mr Leslie Mbula, accompanied by some of his diplomatic staff, was there to present the trophy to the “Zambian” team. Among the prominent personalities who witnessed Zambia win the trophy was one of Africa’s current football legends, Didier Drogba of Cote de Voire , who came as a representative of the world soccer governing body, FIFA.

The reader may be forgiven for thinking that I am describing a situation involving a Zambian soccer team and a Somali counterpart; for the truth of the matter is that both teams consisted of two different South African high schools, one representing Zambia and the other representing Somalia.

Zambia scored through strikers Andile Mhlakoema, who slotted in two goals, and Tinashe Xundu. Somalia’s lone goal came in the second half via a penalty through  Sinethemba Ncede. Before the start of the game, Zambian and Somali national anthems were played by the participating teams.

The soccer tournament was the brainchild of the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) as part of its anti-xenophobia campaign following the May 2008 wave of xenophobic attacks during which over 60 people died and thousands of foreign nationals displaced in various parts of South Africa.

The South African government was swift to  condemn these attacks  as they were clearly  inconsistent with  the country’s slogan of “ubuntu” which promotes the spirit of oneness between and among Africans of all races.

In the tournament various South African schools competed against each other under the colours of the adopted African countries. In the case of Zambia, it was represented by Jules High School and Somalia by Malvern High School. Thus throughout the tournament,  the two schools wore the traditional jerseys of the adopted countries.

ADF had nominated Drogba as their anti-xenophobia ambassador.

Mr Mbula, who had a pep talk with the players in the dressing room before the start of the game, congratulated the Jules  High School boys for doing Zambia proud by winning the coveted trophy. He promised to visit them at their school after the school holidays (South African schools closed for holidays on Friday, 26th June, 2009, and reopened on 20th July, 2009).

He was impressed that the boys could sing the Zambian national anthem so well as if they were Zambians. He urged them to keep it up. And true to his word, the  High Commissioner later donated 80 Zambian T-shirts to Jules High School football team  in recognition of their outstanding performance during the  youth tournament.

Initially, the African Diaspora Forum(ADF), in partnership with the Alexandra Community Policing Forum(ACPF), had come up with the idea of hosting a Pan-African Carnival with the aim of preventing  future  xenophobic attacks. To this end, they invited African foreign missions based in Pretoria to participate in this anti-xenophobia project which was scheduled to take place at Alexandra Stadium  in Alexandra informal settlement(shanty compound) on 27th September, 2008.

Alexandra had been chosen for the pilot project simply because the 2008 xenophobic violence originated from there before it spread to other parts of the country.

The specific objective of the carnival was to illustrate the role that  all African countries played in the liberation of  South Africa and to showcase the potential for the dynamic and harmonious co-existence of all African cultures into the future while presenting Alexandra as a symbol for spearheading the reconciliation and healing processes.

At the time, there were 18 schools in Alexandra. Under the arrangement, each of these schools would adopt and represent  three African countries. Kwa-Bhekilanga High School adopted Zambia, Senegal and Mauritius. These were known as Zambia Committee, Senegal Committee and Mauritius Committee, each consisting of 100 pupils and teachers who included the ‘child president’ and his or her ‘child cabinet ministers’.

Kwa-Bhekilanga would  thus send 300 children to the carnival but with each committee dressed in the outfits of the country it was representing. Funds allowing, the child president  and other members in the Zambia Committee would showcase Zambia’s traditional outfits and carry the Zambian national flag.

The High Commissioner, Mr Leslie Mbula,  officiated at the adoption ceremony of the school on 13th August, 2008. An elected child president of Zambia was introduced to Mr Mbula at this function. Her name was Xilura (pronounced Shiluba) Baloyi, then  a  Grade 11 pupil at Kwa-Bhekilanga. She was to be assisted by four “child cabinet ministers” and their role would  be to promote Zambia in terms of its history, culture, education, health and tourism, etc.

According to the programme, each  ‘child president’ like Xilura was to  be accorded all due honours by being chauffeured in an embassy car.

Prior to the Carnival, the pupils and teachers in the Zambia Committee would be provided with material to learn about Zambia and its people so that come the Carnival time, they would have become “experts” on the country’s history, culture, geography, etc.  For example, they would learn how to sing the Zambia National Anthem and  how to perform the Zambian traditional dances.

Participants in the Carnival would include locally-based immigrants from each of Africa’s 52 nations with their embassies, the City of Johannesburg, the South African Police Service, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs representatives from South Africa, Alexandra’s 18 schools, churches and NGO’s, the Alexandra business community, civic organizations, representatives from hostels, youth forums, the Johannesburg Mini City Council, representatives from local and provincial government and corporate sponsors.

On the day of the Carnival, a carnival procession through the streets of Alexandra, culminating at the Alexandra Stadium, would showcase the best visual aspects of all the 52 African nations. Grouped representatives in national dress would parade between decorated floats and respected members of the community to illustrate Alexandra’s cultural diversity and capacity for tolerance of different cultures.

The day was to  be concluded in the stadium with a display of traditional dances, storytelling, poetry and art while traditionally prepared cuisine from participating countries would be available for sampling.

All participating countries, including Zambia, were expected to support their respective adopted schools in terms of transport and  other  requirements to ensure the success of the Carnival.

It was envisaged that with the support of local city agencies and corporate sponsorship, Alexandra would be left in a state of repair unlike it had ever been before. This, coupled with a new found understanding and tolerance for people of all cultures and creeds, would mean the residents of Alexandra could at last feel justifiably proud of their township, once the home to former president Nelson Mandela as he started his long walk to freedom..

On 4th September, 2008, following the death of  President Levy Mwanawasa,  Xilura was among over 100 Heads of Mission and other dignitaries who signed the  book of condolences which had been opened at the Chancery. In her message, the child president said the Zambia Committee at the school was shocked by the news of the president’s death.  She said she and her school were with the people of Zambia in their prayers as they mourned their departed president.

PRETORIA MISSION HOSTS  LUNCHEON FOR KWA-BHEKILANGA HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS

Meanwhile, on  14th September, 2008, as part of the runner up to the Carnival,  the Pretoria Mission  hosted a highly successful luncheon for 100 South African pupils and five educators from Kwa-Bhekilanga High School.This  was to mark  the  beginning of the interactions with the school which was expected to culminate into  the already mentioned  Pan-African Carnival on 27 September, 2008 at Alexandra Stadium.

The pupils and educators constituted the Zambia Committee at Kwa-Bhekilanga, which had adopted Zambia  as part of an anti-xenophobia campaign. The Committee was led by the ‘child president of Zambia, Xilura, accompanied by her ‘child cabinet’.

Xilura came dressed in a Zambian  traditional chitenge outfit. Also attending the luncheon, which was held at the  Zambian Chancery in Pretoria,  were officials from ADF, ACPF, ZASA(Zambian Community in South Africa) and Zambia Society at Wits University. Popular Zambian traditional dishes, prepared by the spouses of the Zambian diplomatic staff, were served at the luncheon.

Later  participants were treated to a variety of Zambian music, featuring popular hits by  Amayenge, Angela Nyirenda, Nathan Nyirenda,  the  New Cross-Bones, the late Paul Ngozi, Haamoba, Mozegater and Nachil Pichen.

In her opening remarks,  then Acting High Commissioner, Mrs  Catherine Lishomwa,   thanked Xilura and her committee for accepting the Mission’s luncheon invitation. She said  the High Commissioner, Mr Mbula, would have loved to be present but for the bereavement in the family which had prompted him to travel to Zambia.

She said  the anti-xenophobia campaign initiated by the ADF in conjunction with the Alexandra Community Policing Forum was very important as it would go a long way in promoting tolerance and a culture of  oneness between and among African countries. This was why Zambia had agreed to participate in the programme.

Mrs Lishomwa described the  2008 xenophobic violence   as a very unfortunate development  because it was not only “un-African” but also  against the principles of the United Nations which  emphasised the importance of co-existence and respect for human dignity.

The Acting High Commissioner recalled the launch of the SADC Free Trade Area by the SADC Heads of  State and Government which she said was an important milestone in the integration agenda, with the ultimate being  full integration with free movement of people across borders with no barriers.

“This would be an affirmation that we are one people with a common identity and common heritage. It will also be fulfillment of the dream of generations of African leadership in their aspirations for unity,” Mrs Lishomwa said.

During its struggle for liberation, the ANC and other liberation movements operating in the region were based in Zambia for many years and Zambians treated  all the  exiles from these countries as brothers and sisters because as Africans they shared a common heritage and a common culture.

She said that as a land-locked country sharing borders with eight countries,  Zambia could ill afford to have hostile neighbours, hence its support for the liberation movements so that they too could be free.

“We believed that for as long as our brothers and sisters in the neighbouring countries were not free, then we could not consider ourselves free,” Mrs Lishomwa  said

The Acting High Commissioner urged   Xilura  and her committee to fight xenophobic tendencies with all the resources at their disposal because, as future leaders, they needed to learn to live in peace with others. “It’s important that you keep up the pressure. Keep up the spirit,” she said.

And  Xilura apologized  to the international community for the xenophobic violence, saying, “This should not have happened. We express our condolences to all those affected by the violence as well as families of victims.”

She also thanked the Zambia  High Commission for hosting the  luncheon for them, saying this had given them an opportunity to mix with Zambians and learn more about their country and its people. She was looking forward to the day when she would visit Zambia and view the Victoria Falls.

But for reasons not explained, the Carnival was cancelled at the eleventh hour, thereby rendering all the preparations that had been made for the event a wasted effort.

However, undaunted by the failure of the Carnival, come 2009, ADF once again rose to the occasion by hosting another anti-xenophobia project – this time using sports as a weapon. Like in the first project, the new programme entailed various South African  schools adopting certain African countries under whose names they would play against each other in what was dubbed  the African Youth Soccer Championship Tournament.

This time, Zambia was adopted by  Jules Boys High School, which played so well it qualified to the finals of the tournament held at Jeppe Boys High School Stadium in Kensington east of Johannesburg on 27th June, 2009. Its rival in the finals was Somalia represented by Malvern High School also of  Johannesburg. The rest is history…..

The author is a Lusaka-based media consultant  who also served in the foreign service as a diplomat in South Africa and Botswana. For comments or contributions sms 0977425827/ 0967146484 or Email:pchirwa2009@yahoo.com