MIAMI (AP) — A photo of Vinicius Junior celebrating a goal with his fist in the air was posted near the entrance to an art exhibit, right next to an acrylic piece depicting a woman’s dreadlocks floating in the air as she runs toward a soccer ball.
replica of fifa world cup The trophy was encased in glass nearby, surrounded by images, paintings and flags that recorded generations of African football dreams and stories. All of this is part of an exhibition celebrating Africa’s deep connections with football during the World Cup.
“This is the essence of art,” said Alphonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, a foundation that showcases African and diaspora art. “Art has always been a platform for promoting peace and understanding and giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. “This is a necessary part of what we feel we need to do for AfriKin.”
Brooks, a longtime sound engineer turned art curator, spent about six months putting together the exhibition, titled “Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage,” which opened in Miami ahead of the exhibition. The beginning of the world cup. The collection, created by more than 50 artists from 25 countries, traces the game’s role in the continent’s history, celebrating the game’s most influential figures, from the late Pelé to French star Kylian Mbappé.
All ten African countries participating in the World Cup will be represented, celebrated and given special respect. Cape Verde. A small nation off the west coast of Africa pulled off one of the tournament’s most surprising upsets. In a draw with Spain In his World Cup debut. Afrikkin will hold a ceremony in honor of Cape Verde on Saturday night before playing Uruguay in the group stage in Miami on Sunday.
With tens of thousands of fans flocking to Miami for the World Cup, Brooks and participating artists wanted to create a space for the African community to come together and celebrate their culture during the tournament.
“Miami is a huge melting pot,” says Tasany Durrett, a 31-year-old Orlando-based artist. “We have Latinx[residents]we have Haitians, we have Caribbean people, we have so many different influences. And now we have this voice and we have this platform. Why aren’t we talking about it?”
A beautiful game, a “beautiful spirit”
Mr. Brooks was born on the island of St. Maarten in the Dutch Caribbean and moved to Miami in 2008. His love of the game stems from its humble roots in Africa, where he remembers young children kicking soccer balls and any circular object they could find in school hallways, living rooms or concrete streets.
“This is where the phrase ‘the beautiful game’ comes from, because all you need is a beautiful spirit,” he said.
The exhibition reflects its simplicity with a window into the intimacy of a neighborhood pitch, as well as a nod to the global scale of a sport that unites people of different backgrounds, races and languages.
Bamaji Tal, a Columbus-based artist from the West African country of Togo, tells the story of the gourd, a large wooden gourd that has deep cultural meaning in Africa. The fruit is used for meals and compacted to make bowls and containers for carrying water and food, but it is also a cultural symbol of community and hospitality.
Thor has a gourd floating in the background with the flags of each country participating in the World Cup. For him, the fruit’s history aligns with the tournament’s unifying spirit.
“The gourd has become something that brings us all together,” Toll said. “And I think this Cup, this World Cup, is a celebration that brings us all together.”
Another artist, Durrett, who is also a chartered architect, celebrates black women in soccer with a pair of acrylic works, including one titled “A Beautiful Game” of a woman headbutting the ball.
She began drawing figures as a therapeutic method many years ago and is passionate about highlighting underrepresented communities.
“I hope people see the stories told through the artists,” said Durrett, who primarily creates canvas works in single lines. “And I hope they see themselves in these stories.”
“Hidden Africa” during the World Cup
The exhibition, which Brooks calls “Hidden Africa,” also includes other countries such as France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. He came up with this term to describe teams that included players of African descent who were born or raised in European countries.
He hopes to show the connections of the African diaspora across the tournament field, while also sparking conversations about identity, immigration and the many factors that can influence the choice of players to represent which country.
“I’m not just showing off soccer and putting up pretty pictures and goals,” Brooks said. “No, we want to create stories that people can actually come and read and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this.’ People should learn from the exhibition.”
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
