USA vs. Ghana: Ghana carries the hopes of a continent on its shoulders
(Read article summary)Ghana's Black Stars are Africa's last remaining team in the World Cup. A win against the United States would take them through to the quarter-finals.
Johannesburg
There is something fitting about Ghana carrying the hopes of a continent on its shoulders.
The Black Stars are flying the flag for Africa as the continent's last remaining team in the World Cup. A win against the United States in Rustenburg would take them through to the quarter-finals, equaling the achievement of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.
Off the pitch too, Ghana has become a flag-bearer for a continent.
Elections held in 2008 ran smoothly despite the government candidate losing by the narrowest of margins. There was no attempt to rig the vote, nor was there a refusal to hand power over to the opposition – a marked contrast from the higher profile elections in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe which were all deeply flawed.
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Ghana has always liked to see itself as a shining example to the rest of the continent.
It was the first sub-Saharan country to win independence, in 1957, and its first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was the father of pan-Africanism. He also understood the power of sport, and particularly football, in promoting those ideals. Nkrumah created Ghana's first national team, personally christening them the Black Stars, and he was a big supporter of the Confederation of African Football.
