Allegiances

The World Cup culminated today. I can’t watch it where I live but I was out getting food during the final and there was some Swahili coverage on the radio. During a penalty shoot-out, it’s not quite as suspenseful listening to foreign language commentary and refreshing the Guardian live feed every five seconds. Penalty shoot-outs are not good fodder for text feeds.

I hear mixed feedback from Tanzanian friends and colleagues as to which team(s) they have been backing in the World Cup. Certainly in the early stages there was broad support for Ghana and Senegal. Many then favoured England due to historical ties and France as many players in the team are of African descent. Morocco produced the greatest controversy when the team celebrated its progression through the competition as a win for the Arab Muslim world, angering African Christians. In the end a minority of Tanzanians were interested in Argentina’s victory although the occasional Messi shirt can be spotted in the city. The allegiances were more interesting to me than anything happening on the pitch.

This chap was selling samosas in the neighbourhood.