Tribal Poetry: The Magical Formula of Music and African Football

The Magical Formula of Music and African Football

The Magical Formula of Music and African Football: Music has been one of the biggest tools for awakening strong emotions since the beginning of time. It is something that is so integrally intertwined with human nature that we have been doing it for more than 40.000 years and the music industry only continues to grow bigger and stronger every year.

Music can evoke feelings of nostalgia, memory, connectedness, joy, sadness and more. The connection between African football and music, specifically, has always remained a key element of the games, such as the ones you can see listed as the premier league todays game on Sportsbet-io.

It can be said that music is the glue that holds together every sporting event in Africa, as dancing and singing are widely considered to be culturally essential elements. This can be seen in traditional anthems filled with chants, indigenous instruments such as the vuvuzela or the talking drum, clapping and cheering singing filling arenas long before the games begin as well as when they are already in full swing.

In fact, music is such an indispensable part of most tournaments that it tends to be one of the warmest memories people form after the tournaments are over, carrying them in their hearts forever. Even today, people still often remember the global hit anthem Wavin’ Flag from prominent artist K’naan which was used to sponsor the 2010 South African World Cup in soccer bought by Coca Cola as their theme for the event, as well Waka Waka, the smash hit from Shakira. Of course, let’s not forget Angelique Kidjo that kicked off the festivities for the event with an extravagant concert.

While it is the players that drive the tournament and passion in the fandom, creating unforgettable events and matches, the music is the age-old nostalgic variable that helps take us back and remember these moments forever, not only visually but sonically as well.

It can be said that African football games don’t have such a fine and overly calculated nature as the games held in Europe do, usually being the exact opposite. This results in games connecting people with the core of our spirit and humanity, bringing us in closer contact with mother nature and our history. The songs often speak of struggles of everyday life and survival, sharing pain, happiness and traditions or they are simply songs about victory and sportsmanship.

The 1996 Olympics is something that every Nigerian in the country remembers and holds dear to their heart, not only because they were champions at many sports, even taking home a gold medal, but because of the legendary music that was created as a result of the Olympics.

This decade is renowned as the rosy 90’s in Nigerian football history as they faced the world famous powerhouse Brazil in the semifinals. Brazil was leading 3-1 and in the whopping 78th minute, a goal from Victor Ikpeba changed the tides of the game. Nwankwo Kanu then managed to score again and thus evened out the playing field.

More impressively, in extra time, he managed to score a golden goal to mark one of the greatest football comebacks in the history of Nigeria or perhaps even the sport as a whole. From there, the famous lyrics emerged from an inspired fan ‘’When Nigeria beat Brazil, when Nigeria beat Brazil, o! Bebeto start to cry…’’. Over two decades later, these lyrics still inspire the team as a way to remember that victory is always possible at any time, even in the darkest and seemingly hopeless moments.

Music is what has always made and will continue to make African football stand out and an integral part of the competitions. It is what incites passion within the fandom, in the stadiums and outside, with fans rallying on the streets, both young and old, singing songs and cheering on their favorite teams and players completely in the moment as if time had stopped.