The night before that excursion, Ghana played against Uruguay, a key match in the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa.

The Black Stars of Ghana had built up so much hope in the public and in many Africans.

They were the only African team that had not being knocked out yet.

There were even rumors that Nelson Mandela had promised the team a huge sum of money if they progressed to the quarter finals.

The nation resounded with deafening noise, thanks to vuvuzelas in the hands of nearly all Ghanaians. Motors and cars were horning and screeching in jubilant anticipation.

A few months earlier, the Under 20 team, Black Satellites, won the Under 20 World Cup against Brazil. We were now hoping that the senior team would emulate the good example of their subordinates.

Everyone in the neighborhood was glued to their tvs. We closed a bit early from school that day to come home  on time to enjoy the match. The following day after the match was a public holiday. The youth ministry of my church was organizing an excursion to an interesting tourist site in the eastern part of the country. It was a season with lots of exciting things to look forward to.

The national team had excelled in their previous matches and we had faith in them that they were going to deliver.

I remember the world cup song that year 2010, so memorable and inspiring. Brilliant song from the Somali-Canadian artist K’naan.

Wavin’Flag, the title of the song. And that flag of memorable lyrics keeps waving in our hearts till date.

I recall while returning home from school that day, passengers in the bus were discussing the match that was to take place that evening. On the radio, pundits were at their job with various predictions. Those who had gone to bet their monies on the match had their fingers crossed, signing their deepest prayers.

One old lady in the car said our national team was capable of lifting hopes so high and dashing them against rocks.

I thought she was a pessimist.

It all began with the singing of the national anthems. I wasn’t at the stadium but I could sense the tension in the nation and on  TV, for my lips were quivering as I sang our national anthem with the national team. I believed in the Black Stars of Ghana with all my heart.

There was even a priest who took a football to pray for our national team, invoking God’s favor. I never knew God loved football, and that He wore our national colours.

On tele, we were shown spectators at the stadium. Supporters of African teams that had been eliminated were at the stadium to support us. In the Ghanaian fans were fetish priests, confident they could  invoke the gods to put on their football boots and take up their places among the team, striker gods and midfielder goddesses.

The whistle was blown and the mighty match began.

It was a tough match. It even went into extra time.

Then came our golden opportunity.

Suarez hit a ball that was about to enter their net and we were awarded a penalty. A few seconds to the end of the match.

Our captain Asamoah Gyan took the ball from a former captain, Stephen Appiah, who was suffering from injuries and hadn’t started the game with the team.

Silence, as the penalty was about to be taken.

He kicked.

We started jubilating only to realized the ball actually went over the bar.

Unbelievable!

The disappointment, madness, and anger seeped from among the substitutes on the benches, through our fans to the home fans back in Ghana, and evaporated to  fans in every part of the world.

We lost the match when it ended on penalties.

Many superstitious Ghanaians attributed the loss to so many things. The media and public forgot all the good things our captain did in the past for the team. They lambasted him and peppered him with insults and all kinds of criticism.

We even heard his mother’s home was nearly burnt.

Flammable passion, the second name of football.

There was silence nationwide after the match.

The following day, I thought our excursion would be wet with disappointment.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be the best excursion I ever participated in.

The vibes were positive. I made lots of friends, ate to my satisfaction, played all manner of games. And strangely the organizers of the excursion were in the mood to give us colorful times to relish many days after. They took us to an extra place that was not initially on our tour list. A visit to two waterfalls and a trek on a mountain to an umbrella rock at its peak. We drank lots of water from the fatigue of climbing and descending.

That day I saw how good money was. It allows one to buy good times for one’s friends and family.

The beauty of nature was stunning.

We returned late due to a breakdown of our bus on the road. We had to camp by the roadside and take our supper while a new bus was sent over by the transport company to take us home.

Such a colorful moment despite the loss of our national team in the world cup tournament.

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – June 24, 2025

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