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CECAFA’s ‘Development and Friendship': The Youth, Still The Reason To Come Together
Written by Daniel Semere |
  
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CECAFA’s ‘Development and Friendship': The Youth, Still The Reason To Come Together
Written by Daniel Semere |
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What are the odds of seeing the kind of solidarity that brings together people and specially youngsters in a region long associated with conflict, instability, poverty and many other negative and gloomy connotations? Not very much, many would agree But when one witnesses the kind of presentation that was held in the 14th of August at Asmara Stadium for the commencement of the 5th CECAFA tournament under twenty, one should admit that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. No one would be left unimpressed that the much needed solidarity in the region could come from the one area which has been kept in the periphery; Sport. Could there be a more unifying factor? And what’s more, to the most important section of society, that is the youth.
Many of the world’s historic sites have either been discovered or are already known to the world. On the contrary the Eritrean Red Sea is one of the very few places that have yet to be discovered and recognized as historical sites. Red Sea is located in the world’s busiest trade routes around the Atlantic Ocean and its history and possession of various sites make this place unique.
Right after independence, in 1991, the Eritrean government took strong initiatives to rehabilitate all sports activities in general and football sport in particular. And beginning from this time we could talk about the Eritrean football for we are responsible for its development and revival. In 1992 the Eritrean government issued sports policy and strategy targeted towards community by forming different independent federations in all levels; national and regional.
Saturday, 14 August exactly at 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon, national teams of Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar as well as a guest team from Yemen marched around the stadium of Asmara waving flags of their respective countries which signaled the official opening of the 5th Central and Eastern Confederation of African Football Association (CECAFA) under the age of twenty championship match.
An 80 year-old man and a youngster in the middle of his twenties fear death equally, when in reality one has seen enough of the world in his life time and knows that his life span in the world is over while the other has his whole future in front of him, still both fear deaths.
Documents attest that football sport was introduced in Eritrea by the Italian colonialists in early 1930s. At the beginning almost all the players were Italian nationals. It was from 1936 onwards that some indigenous teams began to emerge.
People who translate books they appreciate into local languages so that many people could read it and enjoy and learn from it are loving people”, says Mr. Beyene Haile. Mr. Beyene Haile, the author of many books, said this comment during the launching ceremony of a new translated book at Ambasoira Hotel on Thursday 29th of July 2010. The book “Confessions of an Economic Hit man” that reveals the secrets how the world super powers try to control resources of the developing countries through what they call Economic Hit Men.