Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Africa Cup of Nations: Soccer Tournament Offers Joy Amid Coups and Covid” by Ruth Maclean and Brenda Kiven
The recent Africa Cup of Nations, an annual soccer tournament among African countries, was a time of celebration and solidarity for many people across the continent who are currently enduring security, economic and political crises.
In this lesson, you will learn about how people in these countries have watched the games and come together in celebration. Then, you will 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 dealing with right now: the coronavirus pandemic, military coups and war. Take some time to learn more about the issues facing three of the four countries that made it to the semifinal round 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 current events or politics?
Then, complete the activities below to gain some more background information. If you are in a classroom 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 learned with others in your group.
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. Why is Ruth so careful about her support of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament?
2. Why is the tournament this year particularly meaningful to people in some African countries?
3. Why was the tournament this year described as the “year of the underdogs”? What happened to fan allegiances as 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 fans celebrate their team’s win? Does this remind you of a time when you gathered with your own community for a sporting event?
5. How did the crisis in Cameroon begin? What have separatists said publicly about the games? How is that different from their private engagement with the games?
6. What are some of the things that make Afcon special and different from other major sporting events?
7. According to Mohamed Salah, Egypt’s star player, why was winning the Afcon trophy so special?
8. How are the lives of the men who paint S-E-N-E-G-A-L on their chests different from the lives of the players they are supporting? How do the examples in the article illustrate that difference?
Going Further
What is your reaction to the featured article? Would you have liked to attend one of the matches in the tournament? Have you experienced the kind of unification and solidarity around sports that is described in the article?
Write about a time when you saw sports bringing together people in your school, town, state or even nation.
Have you ever rooted for an underdog team and celebrated an unexpected win? Have you ever had a big win playing a sport that united your school community? Or, have you experienced a big loss and noticed how losing brought people closer together? How did the event unite your community?
Once you have decided on a specific moment, you can use these questions to guide your writing:
Where were you as you were playing or watching the game?
Who were you with? How did the other people feel about being there?
What was it like to play or watch? What were important moments in the game?
Did you celebrate a win at the end? Or were you mourning a loss? Describe how you felt and the effect the win or loss had on your community.
Share your writing in the comments section of this lesson or with your classmates.
Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.
