It was one of those unfortunate incidents, absolutely bizarre, but it cheers my spirits everytime it comes to mind. Even the presiding magistrate in Dowa could not help but laugh in the line of duty as a young man, who was accused of bestiality, gave his mitigation.
Appearing unmoved, the accused asked the court to exercise leniency because he had used a condom and that the act was done with the ‘consent’ of the goat, boy! Oh boy! Unfortunately, these are the stories that define the African ethos apart from famine, disease, witchcraft and political unrest degenerating into civil wars.
But Africa still has good fireside tales. And we still have fond memories of how Liberian George Weah stunned the world in 1995, when he became the first African to be crowned Fifa World Footballer of the Year. And, who can forget the charming story of a selfless man called Nelson Mandela, the global icon who fought apartheid in Mzansi?
Ladies and gentlemen, was it not an African in the name of Didier Drogba who inspired Chelsea to end their lengthy wait to win the Uefa Champions League last year? And our own Queens gave the world a cindirella tale with stunning 33-15 and 27-23 victories over Australia and England, respectively, at the just-ended Fast5 World Netball Series in New Zealand at the weekend.
And boy, it felt so good last week when Barack Obama won his second term as president of the US. I marvelled at the man who has strong African roots.
Aren’t these our own men and women? And if there is something special about them, it is their never-say-die spirit, a rare quality which along the way enabled them to rise from the ashes and scale dizzy heights.
There were no supernatural acts from these guys, but determination to win and a free spirit to fight every inch of the way. Why can’t the Flames and the rest of our athletes draw inspiration from these guys? Why can’t an African team have the belief that it is possible to win the World Cup?
It is all about self-belief. It brings confidence and, in turn, nurtures success. Yes, poor as we are, we can still defy the odds somehow, can’t we? Shout with me ‘Yes! We can!’ Come on Flames! Come on Queens! Come on Africa! To God be the glory! Uloliwe.. Uloliwe wayidudula hi..nang’esiza! [The train is pushing!]
