Personal Narrative: How Soccer Changed My Country

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I am a proud Catholic African young lady, I belong to a united humanity that strives for equality, peace and social justice. Growing up in an African household I was taught to respect other’s identity, views, religion and the importance of solidarity through faith, hospitality and soccer. The tropical sky, and beach as clear as the gems of the Mediterranean, the palm trees and silken sand in between my toes. The gaiety and loud famous Ivorian dancehall music de “coupe decalé” burst on every corner of the road for the anticipated soccer match. The banana fritters and fried fish smell enchanted every child playing soccer on the dirt road field that is now the center of it all, a battlefield. Politics and man’s greed over power divided my country, the “jewel of west Africa”, The Ivory Coast. In …show more content…

Soccer gave my country hope, and a revelation of the gruesome killings of my people. The vast get together of unknown faces, friends and family members from various backgrounds coming to watch and support The Elephants, brought me joy and warmth, it was almost like an escape from all the negativity and warfare around me; I was finally back to my normal childhood. Political animosity, poverty, and religion were all left outside of the arena, and the gates of the communities when The Elephants, my saviors played and qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Captain Didier Drogba whom I admire, plead to the combatants and President Gbagbo to lay down arms and end the civil war, which later took place. Many don’t see the wonders sports can do to a nation, but I do. My country is a perfect example of how soccer united all tribes and religions, rich and poor to become one and coexist without borders, it gave me hope and the strength to forgive and forget the tragedies that took place in the past. The Elephants are a flawless illustration of a diverse group of civilians that come from various ethnic backgrounds and religions, an embodiment of what the country needed to aspire to be,

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