Yesterday, Ghana, the last remaining African team in contention, was eliminated from the World Cup. This was after a entertaining match against the heavy favourites Brazil, that ended predictably where Brazil powered over with a 3-0 victory. This followed the earlier elimination of Togo and Cote d'Ivoire in group standings the week before. It seems, like life in general, these teams just couldn't get a break.
Especially so, since for each of these teams, admission to the pinnacle event of the 'beautifiul game,' meant a little extra sanity into their society.
For instance, the team of Cote d'Ivoire provided a powerful symbol of harmony, given that the country is mired by cultural conflict, the South in disdain of the primarily immgrant Muslim North. Since many of its stars were of this northern background, this was a team that appear to provide an opening towards rational unity. In Togo, many feel that the World Cup likely had an important role in calming the unrest of the current military endorsed presidency - no mean feat, and certainly something worthy of note taking from the likes of the United Nations. And Ghana was contending with an interesting story of soccer economics, in itself an exercise in globalization policy, having teammates earning as much as $75000 a week, and some earing more reasonable fair - just happy to have escape the reality of poverty. Which, by the way, works out to around an average of $380 per year per person for Ghana. $380, also for Togo. $770 for Cote d'Ivoire.
I have a bit of a connection with Africa myself, in that during the last World Cup (in 2002), I was actually in Lagos, Nigeria delivering a laboratory workshop all the while watching their national team, the SuperEagles, stumble early in the tournament. The workshop turned out to be an experience both breathtaking and life altering. Seriously folks, I came out of it seeing the world completely differently.
More recently, I had the privilege of interacting a bit with Stephen Lewis, the UN's Special Envoy to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa. To be specific, I had a 45 minute one on one with him, as a University endorsed chauffeur giving him a lift from the airport to our campus. This was initially a nerve racking experience, given my fear of saying something stupid to a man who was recently considered one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People on the Planet. Fortunately, this was a man who was also gracious and inspiring, and we had a great conversation. I hope to correspond more in the future, and was certainly charged up to get involved generally.
Last week the editors of Seed Magazine, asked us "sciencebloggers" to think of individuals who would be worthy of their "third culture" issue, a compendium of the people who have shaped the global science culture in 2006. In this respect, I nominate Stephen Lewis, and if you don't agree, then I invite you sit with this blog for the next 20 or so minutes and watch the below presentation. I'm guessing it might change your mind.
(Video originally at http://terry.ubc.ca)