FOOTBALL PEACE
JOE ARIMOSO SJ tried football to solve some of the frustrations of local young people -
did it work? - Read on...
With the general election drawing near in Zimbabwe, we know that we will probably face another violent phase during election time. Even though the opposition party has weakened (largely because of the laws that seek to throttle the freedom of the press), violence cannot be ruled out. It’s just the nature of elections here! During the last elections, forced meetings, beatings and general disturbance of the peace by rowdy youths were common. Besides being coerced, these youths get a meagre payment for such violent operations.
Perhaps one would sympathise with these local youths, who are an easy target to employ, for harassing of fellow villagers for belonging to the wrong party, or for failing to comply with the party wishes. Makumbi Mission area has no source of such entertainment (all there is are a few shops and a beer hall). Moreover, most of these young people have no jobs, except the seasonal cultivation of fields which, in fact, belong to their parents. Because of this I felt the need to find something that would draw the local youths together for a noble cause. The easiest type of entertainment here is football. So I launched a football team with the members of St Alois guild and called the team the Gonzaga Giants (from St Aloysius Gonzaga - the patron saint of youth). But soon we opened the doors to anyone interested, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In no time we had about thirty youngsters turning up to register with the team. With the help of fellow Jesuits in my community we were able to obtain a full set of soccer kit and three footballs. The arrival of the soccer kit attracted more young people and I was struck by the amount of talent we attracted from surrounding villages.
However, Gonzaga Giants are not the only team around. We have other small teams in the neighbouring area. But what makes the Giants different?
It is the fact that this team was created not just for entertainment. It was envisaged that it would provide a meeting point for young people to help them cultivate Christian values in the midst of a society that is permeated with a culture of violence. So rough play, retaliation, harbouring of grudges and shouting at the referee is discouraged at all times. As a coach, I don’t hesitate to substitute anyone who behaves like that in our team. I have also tried to help them appreciate that the main point of each game is not to win, but to enjoy and to make friends with the other team. I do admit that it has been a little difficult to remove completely that spirit of negative competitiveness. However, the consolation is that all the team members respect me both has their coach and as priest. Gonzaga Giants have therefore, grown both in discipline and good football; that is why so many teams want to play us. Some teams even walk distances of up to 7 kilometres just to play Gonzaga, and we win most of these games! But kicking a ball is not enough for the youngsters who are struggling to survive in these turbulent times, so we plan to start a money generating project for the team members, most of whom have minimum education and come from poor backgrounds. This will also help reduce the rate of crime in the area - especially because cattle rustling is rife here.
But then, next year the elections are coming and violence is looming! So what happens to Gonzaga Giants? Are we going to disband the team and let any party employ the youngsters to terrorise kith and kin? Will Gonzaga Giants maintain their dignity and discipline of non-violence and refuse to comply with any kind of violence against innocent people? Only God knows!
did it work? - Read on...
With the general election drawing near in Zimbabwe, we know that we will probably face another violent phase during election time. Even though the opposition party has weakened (largely because of the laws that seek to throttle the freedom of the press), violence cannot be ruled out. It’s just the nature of elections here! During the last elections, forced meetings, beatings and general disturbance of the peace by rowdy youths were common. Besides being coerced, these youths get a meagre payment for such violent operations.
Perhaps one would sympathise with these local youths, who are an easy target to employ, for harassing of fellow villagers for belonging to the wrong party, or for failing to comply with the party wishes. Makumbi Mission area has no source of such entertainment (all there is are a few shops and a beer hall). Moreover, most of these young people have no jobs, except the seasonal cultivation of fields which, in fact, belong to their parents. Because of this I felt the need to find something that would draw the local youths together for a noble cause. The easiest type of entertainment here is football. So I launched a football team with the members of St Alois guild and called the team the Gonzaga Giants (from St Aloysius Gonzaga - the patron saint of youth). But soon we opened the doors to anyone interested, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In no time we had about thirty youngsters turning up to register with the team. With the help of fellow Jesuits in my community we were able to obtain a full set of soccer kit and three footballs. The arrival of the soccer kit attracted more young people and I was struck by the amount of talent we attracted from surrounding villages.
However, Gonzaga Giants are not the only team around. We have other small teams in the neighbouring area. But what makes the Giants different?
It is the fact that this team was created not just for entertainment. It was envisaged that it would provide a meeting point for young people to help them cultivate Christian values in the midst of a society that is permeated with a culture of violence. So rough play, retaliation, harbouring of grudges and shouting at the referee is discouraged at all times. As a coach, I don’t hesitate to substitute anyone who behaves like that in our team. I have also tried to help them appreciate that the main point of each game is not to win, but to enjoy and to make friends with the other team. I do admit that it has been a little difficult to remove completely that spirit of negative competitiveness. However, the consolation is that all the team members respect me both has their coach and as priest. Gonzaga Giants have therefore, grown both in discipline and good football; that is why so many teams want to play us. Some teams even walk distances of up to 7 kilometres just to play Gonzaga, and we win most of these games! But kicking a ball is not enough for the youngsters who are struggling to survive in these turbulent times, so we plan to start a money generating project for the team members, most of whom have minimum education and come from poor backgrounds. This will also help reduce the rate of crime in the area - especially because cattle rustling is rife here.
But then, next year the elections are coming and violence is looming! So what happens to Gonzaga Giants? Are we going to disband the team and let any party employ the youngsters to terrorise kith and kin? Will Gonzaga Giants maintain their dignity and discipline of non-violence and refuse to comply with any kind of violence against innocent people? Only God knows!