Lesson Overview
Featured article: “African Cup of Nations: Football tournament offers joy amid coups and Covid» by Ruth Maclean and Brenda Kiven
The recent Africa Cup of Nations, an annual football tournament between African countries, was a moment of celebration and solidarity for many people across the continent who are currently experiencing security, economic and political crises.
In this lesson, you will learn how people in these countries watched the matches and came together to celebrate them. Next, you’ll write about a memory of watching or playing your favorite sport and how it brought people together.
Warm up
The featured article mentions some of the struggles that several African countries are currently facing: the coronavirus pandemic, military coups and war. Take the time to learn more about the issues facing three of the four countries that qualified for the semifinals of the tournament: Senegal, Burkina Faso and Cameroon.
First, write down what you already know about these nations: can you locate them on a map? Do you know the food, art, culture or innovation they are known for? What about their news or their politics?
Then complete the activities below to get more background information. If you are in class and in small groups for this activity, assign one of the countries to each person in the group. Then, each of you can share what you have learned with the other members of your group.
Questions for writing and discussion
Read the articlethen answer the following questions:
1. Why is Ruth so cautious about supporting the Africa Cup of Nations tournament?
2. Why is this year’s tournament particularly important for people in certain African countries?
3. Why has this year’s tournament been described as “the year of the underdogs”? What happened to fans’ allegiances when Egypt, Cameroon, Senegal and Burkina Faso became the final four countries in the competition?
4. Where did people gather to watch the games? How did the fans celebrate their team’s victory? Does this remind you of a time when you came together with your own community for a sporting event?
5. How did the crisis in Cameroon start? What have the separatists said publicly about the Games? How is this different from their private engagement in games?
6. What are some of the things that make AFCON special and different from other major sporting events?
7. According to Egyptian star player Mohamed Salah, why was winning the AFCON trophy so special?
8. How are the lives of the men who paint SENEGAL on their chest different from those of the players they support? How do the examples in the article illustrate this difference?
Go further
What is your reaction to the article presented? Would you have liked to attend one of the tournament matches? Have you experienced the type of unification and solidarity around sport described in the article?
Write about a time when you saw sports bring people together in your school, city, state, or even country.
Have you ever supported an underdog team and celebrated an unexpected victory? Have you ever had a big victory playing a sport that united your school community? Or have you experienced a great loss and noticed how that loss brought people together? How did the event bring your community together?
Once you’ve decided on a specific time, you can use these questions to guide your writing:
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Where were you while you played or watched the game?
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Who were you with? How did other people feel when they were there?
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What was it like playing or watching? What were the important moments of the game?
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Did you celebrate a victory at the end? Or were you mourning a loss? Describe how you felt and the effect the victory or defeat had on your community.
Share your writing in the comments section of this lesson or with your classmates.
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