Ok. Perms don’t heal, but Didier Drogba does.
Cotê d’Ivoire, bordering World Cup finalist Ghana, was long considered an example of African success. Yet, like many other countries on the continent, Cotê d’Ivoire, once a paragon of stability in Africa, tumbled into political and military turmoil.
Under the benevolent dictatorship of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the Ivory Coast, or Cotê d’Ivoire to locals and Peace Corps volunteers, had one of the most developed and best performing economies in Africa. It was a symbol of religious and political stability in a region that has suffered over the past several decades.
After a coup in 1999, Cotê d’Ivoire began its descent into civil war as religious and ethnic strife tore the country apart. By 2002, all-out civil war between the north and south of the country had erupted with rebel forces taking control of the north. It was also around this time that the national football team, the Elephants, began their slow ascent to their current position as World Cup dark horses. It is particularly shocking how far the Elephants have come considering how in 2000, the entire team was detained by military authorities after being bounced from the African Cup of Nations in three matches. The military claimed the team was detained for their own protection. We imagine in the same way that activists get “detained” for their own protection. They were berated for letting the country down, but were eventually released.
Since then, the Elephants have found respectability as the country and their football team find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum. In 2005, they stormed through the African Cup of Nations to meet Egypt in the final. They were not able to convert chances and eventually lost 4-2 on penalties. All was not lost however, as their performances established them as a legitimate threat heading into the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
During the 2006 World Cup, the Elephants found themselves in the so-called Group of Death along with Argentina, the Netherlands, and Serbia and Montenegro. Once again they made a strong showing, but the Elephants could not escape the group stage. Nevertheless, it was clear to those who watched that Cotê d’Ivoire is not a side to take lightly. Cotê d’Ivoire had arrived.
If the Elephants qualify for the 2010 World Cup, which they are on track to do, the Elephants behind Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Kolo Toure (Manchester City), Yaya Toure (Barcelona) and a slew of other talent, will have a strong chance of progressing to the knockout stage. Drogba, now established as one of the world’s best players, not only strikes fear in to the hearts of the best defenders, but also has brought added credibility to the perm as an acceptable hairstyle. It is hard to imagine today’s Ivoirian superstars being locked up for bad performances in stark contrast to the treatment afforded to those on the 2000 team, many of whom played for European sides. Detained for bad hairstyles? Maybe.
Football has a way of uniting people of a community even if for a month. If the Elephants play up to their potential, they will bring joy to all Ivoirians across pre-existing religious and ethnic divides. The team is comprised of players from the north and south of the country and they know what football success means to their countrymen and women. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.
When the Elephants qualified for the 2006 World Cup, they were greeted upon their return to Abidjan by Ivoirians of all backgrounds and streets decorated in black and orange. After Cotê d’Ivoire’s win against Cameroon in the semifinals of the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Kolo Toure said, “We have a real responsibility because our country is at war. We want to show there is more to Ivory Coast than just fighting, and we know all the country is counting on us to give a good account of ourselves.”
Some may say the idea of football uniting a country is naïve. But civil unrest in Cotê d’Ivoire slowed to a crawl during the African Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifying. There is no denying the Elephants have a tough road ahead of them if they qualify for South Africa, but that is nothing compared to the challenges facing their fellow countrymen at home.
Whether you get a perm is up to you. But we certainly suggest sporting this fine shirt, our ode to the Elephants and the people of Cotê d’Ivoire.
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Booo hoo.
Make goals! Not war! We might see a surprise this time from an African team and why not Ivory Coast? In the Toure brothers and Didier Drogba, we are talking about some of the better players in world football. And those three would easily walk into the England, Dutch, Italian or the French teams. You add Zokora, Kalou and Demel to the mix, you simply have a capable and a competent team international team….
[...] the 2006 African Cup of Nations, the Ivorian team’s electric performance brought levels of civil unrest to a halt in Cotê d’Ivoire. Drogba’s apologetic letter is the refreshing sign of a player who understands what he [...]