The Post-Slavery Futbol Helix: Notes of a "Confused Haitian"

I made the error of telling them that Haitians are strong supporters of Brazil and many have adopted Brazil’s team as their own—an admission that led to my friend’s dad declaring “Haitians are CONFUSED.” Ghana-mania was now in full effect as the Ghanaians not only had a victory to celebrate, but a new whipping boy, the “CONFUSED” Haitians of the world.

The above line is from a post from my original blog, The Nightshift Chronicles.  This post was a meditation on futbol and the post-slavery legacies of Africa’s diaspora.  I have been thinking about this entry a lot over the last few months because the friend who’s father was teasing me during Ghana’s World Cup match against the United States in 2006 was recently re-diagnosed with cancer.  Since his diagnosis the few days spent in their California home during my first visit to Los Angeles in 2006 has taken on greater meaning.  Fond memories of coming downstairs every morning for about a week and finding him in front of his tv watching CNN or a similar news program before going to work. 

While in the midst of that trip, I thought that a lunch at Malibu’s famed Moon Shadow restaurant or my first trek along the Santa Monica pier would prove to be my most cherished memories of this first visit to LA, but with each passing day, it’s the brief early morning conversations about the day’s news events and this legendary USA – Ghana matchup that prove most memorable. 

Three years later, I’m sure my friend’s dad is still watching the news every morning as he recovers from this latest round of chemotherapy–and I bet that he’s not short on words for the shenanigans taking place during this health care debate. 

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