Go Flames! Go!

I felt so proud to be a Malawian on that unforgettable day in January 2010, when I accompanied my beloved Flames to Angola’s capital Luanda for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after 26 years in the wilderness. 

Images of that Boeing 767 plane soaring into the still night like a giant bird and then disappearing into the horizon, taking the boys on their historic journey for a dance with the football heavyweights of the continent remain vivid in my mind.

These are special memories that will forever remain in the minds of all those lucky to see the drama when it unfolded.

I was not in Malawi when the tournament started. I was in Angola, but I got wind of the stories about the incredible days when people, coming back home from work, would be seen running in the high density locations, old men and women, to try and watch the Flames live on TV.

I also still remember when the journey started in 2008. This was when the Flames defied all odds to beat the then African champions, the Pharaohs of Egypt, courtesy of Chiukepo Msowoya’s last kick of the game.

Remember that excited young fan who ran around the stadium in a dirty, tattered underwear, dancing jigs of celebration as the nation celebrated the win that rolled the dice for the campaign? And even my neighbour’s maid Malita gave in willingly. Boy! Oh boy!

Of course, Ghana are not Egypt, and our team’s image might have been battered in the recent past. But why can our boys not erase the psychological barrier and have the belief that they can do it against the Black Stars?  Remember that we beat Egypt after they had not lost to an African team in two years?

Self-belief brings confidence and this, in turn, nurtures success. I saw it in the Peter Mponda-led squad that qualified for 2010 Nations Cup finals in Angola but I wondered whether the guys will have that special quality to believe in themselves on Saturday.

I did not see any supernatural performance from the Flames side of 2008-2010. What I saw was determination to win and a free spirit to fight right to the last man standing. Why can’t the guys do the same on Saturday? Of course, we are minnows, but this is football and such is its beauty that you never know what is going to happen in the end.

By the way, where are all the sing’angas? Where is my man called Mainga, who was known for concealing his former wife’s ‘jewels’ so that her new hubby could not have ‘shushu’? I am sure he can help conceal the Flames goal. Uloliwe..Uloliwe! Uloliwe wayidudula hi…nang’esiza! [the train is pushing!]