THE CONFEDERATION OF AFRICAN FOOTBALL (CAF) AND THE AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS (AFCON) AS EXAMPLES OF AN EFFECTIVE PAN-AFRICANISM: A BRIEF DISCUSSION

Abstract

Pan-Africanism is an ideology that has two basic ideas at its core: “the common heritage of people of African descent throughout the world and the mandate of African peoples to work for each other's interests and well-being everywhere”. Through the years, it was transformed into a mobilizing ideology: a development project and a strategy to achieve political unity in Africa through continental cooperation. This paper discusses, through an analysis and synthesizing of the existing research, how the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) are examples of an effective Pan Africanism in the decades following decolonization. For this, an historical overview of the timelapse from the end of European colonialism and the dissemination of Pan-Africanism within Africa to nowadays is made, showing how both AFCON and CAF have been used for reinforcement of national and regional identities, regional integration and international projection of Africa. The Confederation of African Football was founded in 1957 by only four countries. It gained important political independence over the decades and today is one of the most influential and wealthiest organizations in Africa. Africa's main men's football tournament, the African Cup of Nations, popularly known as AFCON, was also born in the wake of independence on the continent. Played for the first time in 1957 by just three teams — Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia —, the event grew and over the years began to encompass new African nations that were emerging from the emancipation struggle, helping to sow the ideal of Pan-Africanism. Football quickly proved to be an important diplomatic, political and integration tool for the leaders of independent Africa. This could be seen, for example, through the support given by African confederations for the candidacy of Brazil’s João Havelange for the presidency of FIFA.