This sunday, Emmanuel, Beatrice’s son who is home for vacation now, and I leave the house after lunch to watch a basketball match at the stadium. It is the match Richard told me about. On our way, we talk about music and movies - which he is interested in -, facebook - which he doesn’t like - and school. Emmanuel says he likes his school, even if they have to get up at 2am or 3am to study for exams if they want to be good. It is the best school he could go to. In the governmental schools, the food is not good. The stadium is not far from our area and we get there after a 45-minutes walk. Some guys are already queuing at the security check point. I am glad that the man there only checks my bag and doesn’t search me like the boys.
The match has not started yet, but the players are warming up. The first team are the girls under 18, Rwanda versus Kenya. I can see Richard among the people next to the field and he recognises me as well. The game starts. Some guys close to where we sit support the Rwandan teams with a drum and vuvuzelas. The Rwandan trainer, a white man, shouts at his team, trying to be louder than the fans. The teams seem equal to me. Rwanda leads, then Kenya seems to gain the upper hand. After the first half, a group of even younger basketball players entertains the fans. Two boys compete in being the fastest in putting on giant clothes and scoring a goal in this troublesome outfit. Slowly, the stands are getting crowded. More and more people arrive, mostly students from secondary school who are now on vacation. The second half does not go well for the Rwandan team. Although they score a lot, the Kenyans are always some points ahead of them and in the end, they win. The Kenyans didn’t bring a lot of supporters with them and therefore, the cheering is not exactly exorbitant but the teams leave the field rather quietly.
The next match is between the boys under 18, also Rwanda versus Kenya, but at first, they have a break. The screen that shows the scores now sends music videos. I recognise Justin Bieber, but not the song. The lyrics cannot even be heard and I wonder if they are playing a different song altogether as there is much more rhythm and bass as I think there should be. A tall girl passes and Emmanuel tells me that she is a singer. There are so many artists here and they are known and apparently popular. Beatrice has told me that a singer from Senegal now is minister of culture there without ever having seen a university from inside.
For the boys’ teams, their national anthems are played and everybody rises. Each name is called one by one to introduce the teams before the match starts. The stadium is now full to the bursting-point, especially our side. The security guys send the arriving spectators to the other stands. The boys play extremely fast, much faster than the girls. Goals are scored one after the other and mainly by the Rwandan team. They soon are way ahead of the Kenyans. Every score is acknowledged by massive cheering from the crowd and even louder noises from the vuvuzelas. The Rwandan team is clearly dominating. The Kenyan players try to score from time to time, but for some reason, the ball just doesn’t hit it right. In each break, the trainer calls his team together for additional fresh advice. I can see how he points on his chart, drawing out different moves for them. His voice is completely broken by now. At the end of the first half, the score is 15 : 45 for the Rwandan team. Emmanuel and I have to leave, but we are confident that the Rwandan team will win this cup.
