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What if Cameroon uses AFCON to call for a Football Truce?



Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” Truly sport has a uniquely unifying factor and a chronicle of historical facts have proven this from the Olympics truce in Greece in the 19th century B C to seek solutions to the conflict plaguing the country at the time; In South Korea when athletes from North and South Korea marched together in the opening ceremony of the 23rd winter Olympic games;  sports was used in 1971 to resolve the Chino- America "ping pong diplomacy" ; used by Nelson Mandela  to bring together a deeply divided South Africa during the 1995 Rugby World Cup following his election as the first black president; and the list is long. However, for sport to be a unique unifying factor of a fractured country like Cameroon,  it needs to garner political will, humility and humanity among others. Can we afford this? Can  a Football Truce be observed in Cameroon during this one month period? Let's wait and see! Just soliloquizing

  • Leadership
  • Environment
  • Human Rights
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
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