Love it or hate it – and I have been known to do both on occasion – Abidjan
is a city that pulses to its own vibrant beat. Part of what gives it its vibe
is the fact that Abidjan is a city of immigrants, who’ve left their home
countries in search of a better life. That said, they remain proudly Burkinabé
or Lebanese, and one barely need scratch beneath the surface to see that the
city is full of people with mixed allegiances. Come World Cup time, everyone
gathers around the national team and cheers them on with high hopes. What
looked like every man woman and child was decked out in an Ivorian jersey, and
for a couple of weeks, everyone morphed into diehard soccer fans, and all of
the old tensions were forgotten.
The incredible display of national and regional unity, has made watching
the World Cup here particularly special. I have watched matches in Lebanese
bars, in Ivorian maquis, and in my office building. Once it became clear the “Elephants”
would not advance, everyone started cheering for other teams – primarily the
remaining African ones. Slowly, but
surely, you could feel unity exit stage left, as multiple allegiances began to
reappear. So much so, that no one batted
an eye when I cheered for the US to beat Ghana, and a local taxi driver said he
was supporting France because his brother lived there. This place reminds me of
how much we are all connected to one another in ways that we often forget. Here,
somehow, it all works. And that’s what
makes this place special.
Update: When I got home last night, I saw my building's security guard staring intently at a TV screen, watching the last minutes of the Germany Algeria game. He looked up at me and said the French equivalent of: --Welp, there goes the last African team...
Update: When I got home last night, I saw my building's security guard staring intently at a TV screen, watching the last minutes of the Germany Algeria game. He looked up at me and said the French equivalent of: --Welp, there goes the last African team...
