Yaounde – “We’re really happy with the beautiful moments that Inter Campus has brought into our lives; thanks to this important project for the development of pathways in Resilience through the medium of football, we have been allowed to meet our African colleagues and friends in person for the first time, following almost two years of online meetings and remote working,” explain Gouveia Caquezo, Manuel Quarta and Mateus Songue, representatives of Inter Campus Angola.
“For us Angolan coaches, this was the first trip away from our land, far from our families of origin yet close to our African Nerazzurri family. It was a unique experience in a country where nobody spoke Portuguese; while difficult initially, it made us realize that language does not influence or limit activities with children on the pitch. We conducted training sessions with children from the Cameroonian hubs of Douala and Yaounde, and it was useful to be able to share experiences and ideas with other coaches from other countries (Uganda, Cameroon and Congo), getting to know other cultures and learning to respect and appreciate them through common experiences.”
The theme of Resilience in children, their development, and their educational pathway towards adolescence and adulthood were addressed together during this trip to Cameroon. Each delegation brought their own point of view and experience, respecting those of others with the common goal of finding a learning path for children through football. “We believe that aspects such as optimism, trust, giving and perceiving support among peers, tolerance, and managing emotions can help African children in this difficult period, in which many social relationships have been limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Gouveia, who recounts some special moments from the meeting: “When we arrived in Yaounde, we were invited to eat at a restaurant and experienced a cultural exchange at the table among the various delegations present: we were very surprised to discover that in Cameroonian tradition one eats with their hands, especially the most traditional dishes… We also attended a musical show where one of the most famous singers in Cameroon performed live: it was moving to discover local traditional dances, songs, and music. Furthermore, we participated in the Friendship Circle: a typical experience within the African educational sphere where every coach spoke about the positive outcomes of the children’s and coaches’ journey within the Inter Campus project and the consequences on everyone’s lives; then each participant shared their own experience regarding Inter Campus in their own country, and despite the different languages, we managed to understand each other and share aspects of our cultures and how the Africa Grant is helping us.”
“Finally, we taught the Cameroonian children a traditional dance from Angola; it was wonderful to see the children dancing and singing in Portuguese, proving the extraordinary strength that African culture possesses!”