Comments on: Where Has All the Magic Gone? Juju, Africa, and Superstitions in the Game

By: Robert Brown

Robert Brown — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:04:08 +0000

Interesting article. I guess superstitions are always present, but in the US not quite as strong as in African
countries I too appreciated the Solomonesque to the ball problem. Where does that kind of wisdom come
from?

By: Mediating South Africa 2010: Parting Thoughts and Sources | Pitch Invasion

Mediating South Africa 2010: Parting Thoughts and Sources | Pitch Invasion — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:50:09 +0000

[...] on youth academies and player migration, on the idea of sports as part of development, and on magic and superstition), several pieces related to January’s African Nations Cup in Angola (on China building stadiums, [...]

By: EricJ

EricJ — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:12:02 +0000

As a former Anthropology student I absolutely love this piece. Thank-you for writing it!

By: David Keyes

David Keyes — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:07:40 +0000

I love the Solomonesque compromise!

By: Where Has All the Magic Gone? Juju, Africa, and Superstitions in the Game « Scissors Kick

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:24:17 +0000

[...] Where Has All the Magic Gone? Juju, Africa, and Superstitions in the Game “Amidst all the tragedy, politics, business, and even bits of sport that have made news from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, I’ve been intrigued by something conspicuous primarily in its absence: there have been virtually no stories of the juju / muti / witchcraft commonly used to exoticize the African game. Confederation of African Football (CAF) administrators must be pleased. In the midst of several embarrassing incidents during the last decade, most notably the arrest of Cameroonian coaches (one of whom was German) during the 2002 Cup of Nations in Mali for ‘trying to place a magic charm on the pitch,’ CAF has worked hard to ‘modernize’ the image of African soccer. As a CAF spokesperson noted after the Mali episode: ‘we are no more willing to see witch doctors on the pitch than cannibals at the concession stands. Image is everything.’ ” (Pitch Invasion) [...]