Hello Friends,
I hope you have started your week well. Welcome to the sports edition of the Lughyangu newsletter.
Rumble in the Jungle Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman
On October 30, 1974, a historic boxing event dubbed the Rumble in The Jungle happened at the Stade Tata Raphaël in Kinshasha, DRC (formerly called Zaire). The match pitted the undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman against one of the most celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, Mohammed Ali, who was the defending champion at the time.
The fight was attended by 60,000 people mostly Congolese citizens, who connected more with the Charisma and stage presence that Ali exuded than Foreman. During the match, the crowd constantly chanted "Ali boma ye" which translates to "Ali kill him".
It was also watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time.
All odds were against Ali. Analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, who had defeated Ali previously, had both been devastated in second round knockouts by the heavy-hitting Foreman. According to many people, Ali was bound to lose.
Ali knocked out Foreman just before the end of the eighth round to win the celebrated match. It is during this fight that Ali introduced the rope-a-dope tactic that he used to wear down Foreman.
The golden generation of Nigerian Football
The Nigerian football team of the 1990s is regarded by many as the best in the nation's history. In 1994, the Super Eagles claimed the country’s first ticket to the FIFA World Cup USA, besides winning their second Africa Cup of Nations title in Tunisia. It culminated in Nigeria ranking 5th in the FIFA world team ranking, the highest ever by any African country.
Nigerian entered the 1994 World cup in group D paired against Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece. Despite losing to Argentina in their first match, the super eagles trampled over Bulgaria and Greece to finish top of the group.
However, their stint in the tournament would come to an end in the knockout stages after losing 2-1 to Italy.
In 1996, the national U-23 side, known as the Dream Team, also won Africa’s first Olympic soccer gold medal in Atlanta, beating Brazil in the Semis and Argentina in the final.
The superb form saw the team return to the World Cup in 1998. There was a lot of expectations going into the tournament, and everyone in Africa was rooting for the super eagles. The team comprised of some of the veterans of the 1994 world cup like Jay-Jay Okocha and the best of the young team that had just won Olympic gold like Nwankwo Kanu.
Bull Fighting in Western Kenya
Sport is a vital part of the Kenyan culture, and several indigenous traditional sports have prevailed from the earliest history. A noticeable one is the bull fighting among the Idakho and Isukha people, sub-tribes of the larger Luhya community.
Just for Fun
How Gebrselassie was catapulted to a win with a heavy punch.
Dany Alves epic reaction to racism
Ajwa/Bao - the traditional board game
PROVERB OF THE WEEK
Ulukhuni lunye aluvuthisi into eyiseziko(Ngoni)
Translation: One piece of firewood does not burn a thing on the fireplace.
Meaning: The proverb emphasizes the fact that we need each other to succeed.
WORD OF THE WEEK
Nyamuse (Zande)
Meaning: Love
Example: Nyamuse nga wene hé.
Translation: Love is a beautiful thing.
Visit the site and add a few definitions and help others learn your beautiful languages. Thank you in advance.
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Special thanks to Stephanie for editing this issue.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading. - Mike
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