Hello,
It’s Nathan and personally I’d like to take a step back from the conflict and would like to hone in on a different aspect of the country. In this country that has been war torn for about 35 years there is a new sport sweeping the nation. It is bringing hope to every corner and is astounding in the support it has been getting. This new craze is the sport of cricket.
But first I must talk about the 1995 Rugby World Cup held in South Africa. The Rugby team was used as a uniting force to bring the entire country together for a single cause. The country at the time had just come out of black inequality with a new president, Nelson Mandela. It was in a time of change in which power was constantly fluctuating and there was much fear between both the whites and blacks of the country. But the world cup had the power to bring the entire country together and in the excitement of the cup all ideas of fear were forgotten for the cause of cheering on the team to victory. And that is precisely what happened, and the victory celebration had broken the color barrier as well.
Similar to this experience, the Afghanistan cricket team has the same potential. Living in a war torn country and a place where every citizen lives in fear, the team can be seen as a uniting force. The Cricket World Cup is set to take place this year starting in Late February and throughout March. The home country is India with the finals being held in Mumbai; however other matches are taking place throughout surrounding countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. As of this moment Afghanistan is still in the process of attempting to qualify for the cup, but the Afghan team has been soundly beating other teams that have already qualified for the cup like Bermuda.
In 2008 the team was created and since then the country has been focused on this gleaming light. And a film crew is following the team in order to create a movie titled, “Out of the Ashes.” The title of the film is able to capture the true meaning of the team, that this team creates the hope necessary for the rest of the country to rise out of the ashes into a nation of peace and justice. At about 1:12 in the trailer below you can see the children of the nation playing cricket and the hype created for the upcoming cup. A far cry from the national team having trouble finding cricket balls for matches in their first tournament.
The members of this time have an opportunity. Even if the players do not know the magnitude their impact can create the people do. They have the opportunity to do something for the country. Something no amount of peacekeeping conference or talks can do. They have the ability to truly unite the country for one common goal and obtain complete support no matter the religion or ideals one may have. The only question left is what will the players do with this opportunity?
Nathan Gleason
On a side note there is even a Women’s team, which is set to compete in the 2011 Elite Asian Cup. This would be beyond the realm of treachery under the Taliban rule and is an example of how far the country has progressed.
Interesting how some things' significance is magnified in war torn countries. Things that bring communities together are as much of solutions to insurgency as any type of peacekeeping.
ReplyDeleteI remember, back when I was researching Sierra Leone, finding a lot about refugees using music as a means of expression and how it helped to unite people. I believe it was a film called "Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars".
But I mean this looks like an interesting movie too!
Hey Nathan,
ReplyDeleteI think it's a really interesting point that you make about cricket potentially acting as a uniting force within the country. My question to you is whether it can act as long-lasting uniting force, or will it only bring the people together temporarily? Also, do you believe that a long-lasting effect is even necessary? Do the people only need something that will give them unity for a short while in order to start turning their situation around?
It may not act as a long lasting uniting force, but you have to start somewhere and any small victory is a victory in itself. It may not be necessary for it to be a long-lasting uniting force, but if for a short period of time it can create some hope.
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