Unity Cup: Ghana vs Nigeria

The stage was set for a grudge match. The Jollof rice derby. A West African rivalry reignited in West London. The garish yellow of the Ghanaian uniform, adorned by the golden hour sun, was ever primed to clash with the cool and casual white and green elegance of the birds from Naija. But as fans flocked to the G-tech stadium, a decidedly more concordant nature blossomed in the air. Just like the local procession of planes, flying by endlessly to and fro above Heathrow, so too did the fans of both Black Stars and Super Eagles ride the winds of excitement harmoniously, heads in the clouds, all hoping for a great game. And a great game it was. They say ‘when elephants fight, the grass suffers’, an old African proverb. But on this occasion, all inside the grounds were jubilant at this impassioned reuniting of two old rivals, the best of enemies. And they cheered together and jeered together, stomped their feet and tooted vuvuzelas with no less passion than they would a real trunk. And when the game was over and Nigeria was declared the winner, the diaspora merged into a singular crowd. Music erupted, dance swiftly followed.  And so when Igbo danced with Asante, and Yoruba danced with Ga, all the yellows, the whites and the greens became indistinguishable from one another, unified by Black. The parade continued on long after the game as saxophones, trumpets, drums, and all manner of improvised percussion played the soundtrack to a crescendo of oneness. What was billed as the Jollof rice derby had become the Jollof rice jamboree. This Unity Cup game had certainly lived up to its name.