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| Game of "petit poteaux" (small goal) around the corner every evening, no matter how dusty |
Forget Ebola, Boko Haram, Charlie Hebdo demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, the Islamic State, even the harmattan winds blowing thick white clouds of dust down from the Sahara across the subcontinent: it's time for CAN, la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, or the Africa Cup of Nations. Football (soccer) is a big deal here, so this should be an entertaining month, especially if Cote d'Ivoire does well.
Ivoirians are a bit fatalistic about their team, kind of like the English. They have had some great players in the past decade, like Didier Drogba (Chelsea) and Yaya Touré (Man City), but they never managed to pull together for the big tournaments. The last time they won the CAN was in 1992, and they have lost the final on penalties twice since 2000.
I went to the market yesterday during the second half of the opening match (hosts Equatorial Guinea tied Congo 1-1) and every stall that had a tv or radio was tuned in to the game, with a little crowd of people gathered to watch/listen. Meanwhile in the evenings, in every vacant lot or open space the future young national team hopefuls are out practicing.
Cote d'Ivoire's first match is on Tuesday, against Guinea. Allez les éléphants!
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