The African Games; a cultural celebration of the continents finest athletes
As the dust settles in Accra, I took some time out to take a look back at a wonderful celebration of Pan-African Athleticism. The African Games (AG), as the name suggests is the premier continental multi-sport event, with this years games being the 13th instalment; hosting over 5,000 athletes from 52 African nations. Despite its initial difficulties causing a delay to the competitions starting date, Ghana proudly hosted across the cities of Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast. I had the pleasure of being back in my homeland Ghana during the tournament and experience the true vibrance of the country on display. All of a sudden, I found myself having these beautiful interactions, like celebrating with my taxi driver as we listened in on Samuel Takyi winning gold for Ghana boxing, over the radio. Even the infamously quiet Cape Coast lit up; as the Central Region’s capital city hosted the womens football finals, the glowing lights from the sports stadium poured into the streets and skies.
As always, the African Games was organised by the African Union in conjunction with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the Association of African Sports Confederations. Having such esteemed partners meant that the event served as both a cultural celebration and an Olympic qualification stage. Riding off of the success of this years Africa Cup of Nations, the Games continued to provide a brilliant platform to celebrate African unity and culture within the context of elite athletic competition. I also came to find that this years games held more events than ever before, making it the most accurate representation of the continents sporting range to date. The competition across all 29 disciplines was fierce, whether it was swimming, rugby or field events each nation found space to showcase their abilities and find their place in the competition. While Egypt emerged victorious, claiming the most medals overall, it was great to see the cross-pollution of veteran talent and relative rookies competing head-to-head, with multiple athletes enjoying the African Games as debutants. The hosts, Ghana did a really good job of providing opportunities for their top university students athletes to compete and put their best foot forward, giving the nation something to get behind.
One of the national highlights was Ghanaian high-jumper, Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah, who confidently defended her 2019 AG gold, all while charming the crowd and supporting fellow athletes. Truly a star in the making, her dominant display garnered the attention of the crowds and commentators, who due to lack of clear scheduling had a tall order following all the events at any point in time. Although Yeboah, comfortably cleared the rest of the field, she actually fell 0.03m short of the Olympic qualifying 1.97m target. Fortunately there are upcoming qualifier that we can expect to see her compete in, to secure her place as in Olympian this summer in Paris.
As we prepared Ghana to compete in the relay we mimicked the 4x100 by performing Mexican waves in an anticipation for another medal-bearing event. Nigerians took gold across both the womens and mens final, but the competition was fierce with photo finishes in both races. They both since qualified for the Paris Games at World Athletics Relays Bahamas ’24 - a competition in which African countries saw plenty of success. It’s been really encouraging to follow these athletes since seeing them compete live. There is an additional joy in the fact that we unify in our successes, setting an example on the global stage.
Those of us in the crowd felt like the real winners, the true spirit of the tournament resided in the warmth and energy that permeated every interaction, the stands were a showcase of Ghanaian hospitality. From infectious smiles that constantly surrounded you, to the vendors offering local delicacies and the live bands performing in the main stand; the spectator experience was second to none. This was most notable in the University of Ghana Stadium; used as the key site for the games, home to the track & field events as well as both the opening and closing ceremonies. Here you found stalls selling food and merchandise all around the stadium, live bands set up in crowd and even spaces outside for the crowds to relax and enjoy each others company long after the main event. In addition, each venue boasted state-of-the-art facilities, exemplified by the newly built 50,000 capacity Borteyman Sports Complex, fit with an olympic sized pool. In addition, tickets to all the events were made free to the general public! The result; everyone that wanted to be there, was there, the crowd created an amazing atmosphere there was non-stop singing and celebrating no matter which event it was.
All in all, the Games served not only as a platform for athletic competition but also as a celebration of African unity and culture. The festive closing ceremony marked a successful conclusion to the event, showcasing the resilience of Ghana and the enduring spirit of African sportsmanship. I’ll be following this essay with a more critical analysis of the marketing and communications around the African Games. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and views on the subject area, feel free to connect with me on Linkedin or email me: eugene.ekuban@icloud.com
Thank you for reading and God bless,
Ekuban, E. (2023
