Admiring African magic

Last Tuesday was one of those miserable days for me when I learnt about my neighbour’s maid Patuma’s dismissal. The crime: She was found in possession of her mistress’ underwear — a small piece of cloth which was initially large but turned into XXL, not surprising considering Patuma’s big butt.

I always found satisfaction peeping through the small holes of the fence to get a glimpse of Patuma as she either cleaned the windows or mopped the floor while shaking her waist this way and that way. But all that luxury is now gone. However, as I struggled to nurse my frustration in the comfort of my small pad, Senegalese forward Demba Ba provided the timely solace later in the evening when he scored the crucial goal for my beloved Chelsea that winged the Blues into the semi-finals of the Uefa Champions League.

With two goals down, having lost the first leg 1-3 to PSG, not many gave the Blues a chance of turning it all around. And as we watched the pre-match review with my chap Stonard, he told me bluntly: ‘Inu ankolo timu yanuyi singawine, yachuluka ma vertenary’…well I am sure he meant ‘veterans’. But such is the beauty of football that it has given us countless examples of brave men and women who went into battle with the odds heavily against them, but emerged out bruised, yet triumphant.

There are some special moments in sports when time appears to stand still, frozen in the beauty of the occasion, crystallised in the significance of the moment, when nothing else in life seems to matter, that thin line between an explosion of boundless joy or a flood of tears. Didier Drogba did it in 2012, when he inspired the Blues to win the Champions League for the first time and probably that is why I have a great affection for this team-because of its faith in African players-Drogba, Ba, Obi-Mikel, George Weah, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Moses, Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien.

So, here we were and when the clock hit the 85th minute mark, I doubted the mission and then two minutes later, it happened. The fella from Senegal took it upon himself to score that priceless goal. It was all simple and as soft as the cheeks of a newborn and Stamford Bridge exploded into ecstasy. We have our own golden boys such as Gabadinho Mhango and Chawanangwa Kaonga and something tells me if they can develop the same big heart as the likes of Drog, Eto’o, Ba and Weah, then not long from now, we’ll be watching them setting the world stage alight, if not at Chelsea then definitely at any of the modest teams in the EPL. Who said it cannot happen? Glory be to God! loliwe.. Uloliwe wayidudula Hi..Nang’esiza! [The train is pushing!]  .