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More than 1,000 Africans currently play football for clubs across
Europe while football in Africa remains a hugely popular but
under-funded domestic obsession. Pictures and words by Pieter
van der Houwen
The
beautiful
Game
Football in Africa
n the border between Tanzania and Rwanda sits one of the largest refugee
camps in the world. Working there as a photographer was extremely difficult.
The tension was almost tangible. More than half a million people sought
refuge and safety in the camp, all with their own horror stories to tell. No one was
waiting for a white western photographer to record his improvised existence after the
genocide. Who could blame them?
O
Every day at 4pm you could hear dozens of referee’s whistles blowing, announcing the
many football games about to start throughout the camp. At precisely that moment
each day, the tension around would almost physically evaporate. For a few hours only,
people could escape the trauma of their tough and tedious daily lives.
One day, after watching a very exciting game, I accompanied two young players, both
orphans, back to the makeshift-dressing-room (it was a shed) their team shared. In
perfect French, the younger of the two turned to me and asked, “How is Marco van
Basten?” At that time, Van Basten’s brilliant career had been cut short after an injury.
I was amazed by such a question. This boy had lost both his parents in the genocide,
had witnessed horrors beyond my comprehension, and still he was concerned about
the well being of an overpaid European football star. Was he mad, or was I?