The struggle continues in Gabon
Welcome, Africa! That is the clarion call on the lips of all Gabonese, even those who initially opposed the hosting of the 2017 AFCON tournament in that country and protested vehemently. Indeed, we have come to realise that in recent times, countries that thrill the African continent at such football gatherings are those who happen to test their abilities for the first time in their lives.
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Cast your mind back to the 2013 tournament that took place in South Africa and remember when that small enclave called Cape Verde made their first entry into the fray and did so well.
In their Group A, they stood stout with the host nation and drew 0 - 0 and in the next match forced a 1 - 1 draw with Morocco and ended up beating Angola 2 - 1 to qualify for the quarter-finals where they were stopped 2 - 0 by the Black Stars of Ghana.
That was how far a new entrant recorded their maiden attempt. They found the game interesting and forced another qualification when the competition went to Gabon/Equatorial Guinea in 2015, and imagine what they did in Group B (the group of death) where they battled against Zambia (the 2012 champions), DR Congo (two time champions) in 1968 when they were called Congo Kinshasa and 1974 when they were called Zaire by Mombutu, and Tunisia (champions in 2004).
Over there, it looked as if the dream of Cape Verde had been fulfilled and decided to make "hey" while the sun shone. They drew 0 - 0 with Zambia, went ahead to draw 1 - 1 with Tunisia and ended the struggle with another goal-less draw with DR Congo.
In fact, Cape Verde drew a lot of fans to the stadia and infront of television sets with their special brand of football. I was personally enthused with their effort and hoped that they would qualify for the current games, but it did not happen.
This time round, Africa is welcoming Zimbabwe who entered Gabon with special motivation by their 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe and looking at their first touch in their opening encounter with the 1990 champions, Algeria, one could not help acknowledging their readiness to surprise everybody.
Of course we live to see what Zimbabwe will offer as they meet Senegal on Thursday, January 19 at Stade de Franceville, and their last Group B match against Tunisia who lost their first match against Senegal.
Whatever happens, I must say the Mugabe boys are a new revelation, especially if they manage to advance to the quarter-finals. Yes! the question still remains unanswered as to who has what it takes to be crowned African Champions in the 2017 tournament?
I had the privilege to watch the opening match between the host nation and Guinea Bissau, and I had cause to believe that when an African team struggles for so long to be in the competition, they do well to impress all lovers of the game.
Guinea Bissau seem to be on their way to making an impact, if even they do not reach the finals. Remember what their close friends, Equatorial Guinea did in the year 2012 when they forced their way to the match which determined the third position and they lost 2 - 4 to DR Congo.
This is a particular occasion when the bookmakers and observers have cause to look closely at Senegal, looking at the way they fought so hard to beat a strong Tunisian side 2 - 0 (the first win recorded in the tournament) since the opening match last Saturday.
Tunisia, the last quarter-finalists were originally tipped to showcase a special brand of football, but Senegal led by their talisman, Sadio Mane, showed their real character as hard tacklers with power to mesmerise every opposition. We are waiting to see what they can do against Algeria and Zimbabwe in their Group B to determine how far they can go.
In this tournament, the real action will surely be at the newly-built Stade de Gentil which hosts Uganda, Egypt, Mali and Ghana. The point still remains that the seven-time African champions, Egypt pose danger to all contestants despite the recent political turmoil that engulfed the ancient country.
In actual fact, if one is to predict which country would move to the quarter-finals in Group D, the finger would surely point at the Black Stars and the Pharaohs.
People were wondering at the type of preparation made by the Black Stars before they enplaned from Dubai to Gabon, as compared to others who played high profile trials with strong opponents.
Well, coach Avram Grant has assured every observer that the preparation was adequate enough to ensure success.
Somebody might wonder if that 35-year thirst for the cup would be overcome in the current exercise. Well, during that period there have been interesting episodes with the Black Stars rising to the occasion to reach the final, but as if lacking that spiritual backing, always fell out at the tears of their followers with all their hard prayers.
How come that the Black Stars took a two-goal lead in the penalty shootout during the last grande final against Cote d'Ivoire, but like a bolt from the blue, fizzled out in their final delivery and allowed their opponents to clinch victory by 9 - 8. Who said the Elephants did it with their physical strength?
As we struggle to overcome the 35- year drought for the Cup, there is that deadly belief that there is something beyond what the eyes can see!
It is still a fact that a land without its God-ordained natural name will suffer! Are you still arguing?