Reflections of the Impact of Ebola on Sports in the African Continent in 2014
By: Lango Deen Sankoh
It’s 2015 already and to borrow a phrase from the British queen, 2014 is not a year on which we shall look back at with undiluted pleasure.
No doubt, it was a horrible closing to 2014 with the number of people infected by Ebola rising over 17,000, and the death toll reaching almost 7,000, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In this wrap-up, we review headline news that captured the worst of times. But first, here’s one of the best.
‘We’ve got Your Back’
At the draw for the 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations held, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital city, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) joined the launch of Africa United, a health communications campaign to help stop the spread of Ebola. The campaign supported by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation was driven by Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba, a British actor, producer, singer, rapper, and DJ.
In the popular British tabloid, The Mirror, Tyrone Marshall wrote that the Africa United campaign has the backing of English Premier League football stars such as Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, West Ham's Carlton Cole, Tottenham's Andros Townsend, as well as Patrick Vieira, Fabrice Muamba and Kei Kamara.
The campaign broadcasts information on the disease and how to stop it from spreading, in English, French and a number of local languages. Marshall wrote:
“In one of the videos the footballers pay homage to the frontline health workers operating in the area by wearing their names on the back of their shirts instead of their own.”