Even as a casual soccer fan, it is hard for me to watch the World Cup, the most popular sporting event worldwide, without wondering what could be for African Nations. Despite African-born or heritage players on many teams, especially European teams, no nation from Africa has ever won the cup. Despite the events’ widely acknowledged greatest player in its History, Brazil’s Pele, being himself of African descent and forecasting that an African nation would win the cup by 2000, none have even made it to the semi-finals.
But why?
Some will cite a structural reason that is clearly biased toward Europe. There are 54 countries in Africa and yet it is only allocated five slots in the World Cup tournament. Conversely, Europe has 50 countries and gets 13 slots.
Still, others will cite the same ole dog whistle analysis to explain why African countries have not succeeded to the level of its enormous talent and resources; bad governance, undisciplined players…blah, blah, blah. I do not contend that none of those are factors. I actually would agree that bad governance compounds the issue. I only argue that they are not at the root. At the root are the same factors responsible for the continent’s underdevelopment in general and that is the exploitation by foreign interests, especially Europe.
For a point of reference, look at how U.S. baseball pillages Latin American baseball talent…compound that worldwide and that is what you have with European countries and the African soccer players.
To be fair, European countries are not the only culprits. Qatar has recently indulged as well, under the guise of humanitarian motivations with its Aspire Academy, which recruits young African soccer players to their country in their effort to build a World Cup contender.
However, my primary focus is Europe, due to its wider history of exploiting Africa for both human and material resources, and the wealth it accumulated as a result.
That brings us to Serena Williams and the pending Wimbledon Tennis tournament. She has won this tournament seven times, and each time before being crowned is “required” by tradition to do some curtsy to the Queen of England. It strikes me as bowing and I have always had a serious problem with that practice.
The Industrial Revolution would have been impossible without the wealth generated by slave labor. Britain’s major ports, cities, and canals were built on invested slave money. Several banks, to include Barclays, as well the Church of England built their wealth on the slave trade of African free labor. In other words, the ancestors of Serena Williams.
Indeed, as the great scholar Eric Williams illustrates clearly in “Capitalism and Slavery”, you cannot speak of one without speaking of the other.
Please save the tired apologist responses such as, “We cannot rewrite history”. Rewriting history is not the issue. Collecting on the debt is. We validate this right for the decedents and survivors of the Holocaust, as well we should. However, when it comes to African people, we adapt the “let bygones be bygones” approach. This mindset was on blatant display when the British offered to “lend” Nigerian art back to Nigeria…art it stole during the colonial era.
Let that sink in for a moment.
That is like a crackhead carjacking you and then offering to lend you your own car.
I know that Serena refusing to bow to the Queen of England will not address the massive debt owed to African people by England. I just want the issue raised in the consciousness of the world and she would have the platform to do just that.
My thinking on this issue was greatly influenced by a dear friend and mentor who passed away last Saturday. Macheo Shabaka introduced me to the concept of Pan Africanism, which insist that we of African descent, regardless of where we were born, are still Africans, and obliged to act on her and her people’s behalf. If we don’t, who will? Were he still alive, he would agree with me when I say that Serena Williams should not bow to the Queen of England. In fact, the Queen and all of England should bow to her and all of Africa and her peoples.
