Africa Cup of Nations: Politics and Power
How does football impact Africa?
Buster Kirchner, a student at the Centre of African Studies, has recently participated in a podcast titled ‘Field of Dreams: the politics and power of the Africa Cup of Nations’ produced by the Nordic Africa Institute. The podcast explores the political and economic ramifications of the cup with a host of experts who seek to explore the Cup in depth.
Kirchner explains in the podcast how football, specifically in the Zambian context, is often very closely tied to religion. In 2017, the Zambian team utilized a slogan, which translated to English means, 'football with God'. This slogan became incredibly popular and was printed on t-shirts and other merchandise. To this day, Zambian fans still utilize the phrase demonstrating how Zambia, being a self-proclaimed Christian country, can translate religion into sports.
To learn more listen to the podcast here; in English.