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West Africa's World Cup 2010 so far...

On to the next Round (of 16) in The 2010 FIFA World Cup and it seems only one African team will be left standing - 

Ghana's Dede Ayew (L) and John Pantsil
celebrate qualifying for the next round despite losing to
Germany, Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg
June 23, 2010. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Ghana keeps Africa's flag flying

Ghana were leading their group by a small margin but despite their 1-0 loss to Germany they are through to the final 16 where they will face the USA.Nigeria faced South Korea on Tuesday where they needed a definitive win and for Greece to lose to Argentina in order to progress to the next round. Their 2-2 draw was not enough to put them through and the South Koreans move on to meet Uruguay in the next round while Nigeria headed home.Cote d'Ivoire's fate also rests on the success (or failure) of another team. The Elephants need to win today with numerous goals against Korea DPR and for Portugal to lose against one of the favourites, Brazil, to have any hope of advancing but the consensus is that their World Cup campaign is over and that Brazil and Portugal will move on to the next round. 

South Africa exited on Tuesday followed by Algeria on Wednesday. Cameroon lost against Holland Thursday thus leaving West African Ghana as possibly Africa's only hope of making a mark on this the first African World Cup. 

More info and expert analyais at the FIFA.com website.

About Zakumi, the World Cup Mascot

The ITK Q&A - NNEKA

We had a ‘virtual’ sit down with Nneka Egbuna, award winning musician (and something of a musical social commentator), before she set off on tour with Nas and Damien Marley and asked her a few questions about her travels and her West African experience:

- Where do you consider home and why? Where I feel comfortable and happy.

- What's the furthest you've been from home?  The furthest..when I am not myself, when I drift away from reality, lie to myself , lie to the music..this has happened many a times.

- Have you experienced culture shock? Where and when? In Germany, this was when I went there for the first time ever, the cold, the mentality, the people, the language, the food, and the style and standard of living..and of course the different things one experiences, both the good and the bad, meeting people and how they embrace something or someone who is different..

- You've just been on tour (in the States and Europe), what are your 3 travel essentials? Sweater, Bible, bag.

- Where have you visited in West Africa and where would you like to explore next? Benin, Ivory Coast ..like to explore; Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea

- Any travel tips/advice/suggestions for visitors to West Africa/Nigeria? Be open, not all of Africa is just negative, corrupt and full of aids and HIV, it might be part of reality, but there is more than that..culture, tradition, good people and talent.

- Hidden treasure - what's your favourite discovery so far? Your go-to place to eat/shop/hang out/escape to? It’s hidden it has to remain hidden, I am sorry can’t share?  And your favourite city in Nigeria/West Africa? My favourite city, for now, is Warri, because it is where I used to live and still is my hometown..place to visit is Abeokuta and Ife the origin of mankind.

- What are the last couple souvenirs you've picked up on your travels? A piece of cloth in Ivory Coast and a chain in Mauritius.

- Who/what is your favourite West African artist/group/track and why? Don't really have one, but I like Keziah Jones and Fela Kuti.

- Inspiration - what have you drawn from your experiences of West Africa/Nigeria? We evolve, change is constant.. it is up to us what we make of it.

- What are your hopes for West Africa/Nigeria? There is hope in the youth and the conscious ones, Africa will stand for itself. What would you like to see more of? (and less of?) In Nigeria, definitely more light and better roads, less cocaine addicts and happy children.

- What's your favourite comfort food? When food is cooked with love and passion you taste it..when it is done well with dedication it always is good no matter where you eat it..one of the places where I had really good food was in Kokodi in Ivory Coast.

- Where has been your favourite place to perform so far? My favourite place to perform was Port Harcourt where my crew and I almost got arrested for performing a song that had to do with the oil exploitation and present plight of the people living in the Niger Delta, and the corruption practised by our governing leaders and high class elites. You could feel and see the people singing their heart desire.

- Any upcoming things we should look out for? I'm on tour with Damian Marley and Nas on the Distant Relatives tour and will be touring Africa soon..coming to Ghana as well this year.

Watch Damien Marley and Nas talk about Africa, the Distant Relatives project and about working with Nneka at questionmarkmag.com

Pictures are from  www.jaguda.com (top) and www.nigeriamusicmovement.com (bottom).

FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 - Music & Drama

As anticipation builds, the drama is unfolding even before the first game of the tournament - a stampede at the Nigeria vs North Korea friendly ( Nig 3 - NK 1) left fifteen people, including a policeman, injured - Ghanaian and Chelsea star Michael Essien bid the Black Stars good luck and departed their Paris training camp after being ruled out of the team after failing to recover from a knee injury leaving Ghanaian's dismayed - Nigeria's team, the Eagles, was stranded in London for about 24 hours after their chartered air craft developed a technical problem.


In it's 80 year history, the World Cup has only been won by 7 countries, none African. Whether this will be the year an African nation raises the cup is a thought not far from any African fan's mind. As Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon's brightest star and Italy's highest paid player, says in his recent TIME interview, "I would like my country to win, but if we fall, I will support any other African team that remains standing and celebrate their triumph with equal joy"


Part of the spirit of the tournament would be lost without music. The Official World Cup song is Waka Waka by Shakira and will be performed with the South African group Freshlyground, at the Closing Ceremony before the World Cup Final on July 11 in Johannesburg Soccer City Stadium. The song has a had mixed reception with many asking  why a song by an African artist was not chosen.





K'naan, Somali-Canadian with his song Waving Flag is perhaps a bit more of what we want - The song was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Taken from his album Troubadour, it has been recorded as several country specific versions and has become something of the unofficial World cup song and we can certainly imagine the rousing chorus being taken up by excited fans in packed stadiums.
 


The FIFA World Cup 2010 Official Album - Listen Up - also features Nneka and Angelique Kidjo, other international artists and numerous African writers, producers and performers. The proceeds from the album will benefit FIFA’s “20 Centers for 2010” initiative and other African charities.
Listen and buy online at www.listenupalbum.com.


Coming Soon - An exclusive interview with Nneka who is currently on tour with Nas and Damien Marley on the Distant Relatives tour. This kicks off our ITK Q&A series.