00:00We are finally here back in New York City after spending an entire month in Morocco covering AFCON with BN Sports.
00:06So we have to talk about our favorite moments from the trip.
00:09And for myself, it was really about being in Morocco and connecting with the Moroccan people.
00:14Dima Magre, which you know I have to rep for the host nation,
00:17it generally was such a beautiful moment of self-discovery, being so embraced by these people,
00:21and in the land of hospitality, where I really felt like I was one of their own.
00:25People even telling me that I look Moroccan, all these different places I go,
00:28being in certain places, and they speak to me in Darija as the first language.
00:32And as an African-American who's still discovering their heritage,
00:34I felt like I really did find my people.
00:37And, you know, everybody's telling me to come on back, please, please.
00:39It was an honor for you to be in our country.
00:40So the kindness, the welcomingness from everybody in the nation,
00:44whether it was at the stadium, whether it was at cafes, restaurants, the barbers, the fans, etc., etc.,
00:49making new friends, it generally was a life-changing, beautiful experience.
00:52And I will always love Morocco.
00:54No matter what happened in the final, Dima Magreb.
00:56And thank you so much for an amazing time and an amazing tournament.
01:00Finally, back in New York, my favorite part of this AFCON trip
01:03was just being able to interact with different cultures.
01:05I think specifically the Taranga, the Senegalese fans.
01:09I'm so grateful to experience their hospitality.
01:11Actually, one of my favorite experiences was leading up to a couple days before the final.
01:15We were in the Medina, and I was just celebrating one of the Senegalese fans.
01:19I have my jersey on.
01:19And he had a flag.
01:21We were waving the flag together.
01:22Right after, he just gave me a hat for free.
01:24He didn't ask for anything in return.
01:26He just wanted me to appreciate and take pride in the culture,
01:28even though I'm not Senegalese myself.
01:30And I think that really made me understand just what Taranga means to them
01:33and understand what it means to represent themselves in this way
01:36and their hospitality and, like, their willingness to accept people
01:38from all different parts of Africa.
01:40So for me, that's something I'll always take away, just how special it is
01:43and how AFCON brings so many different people together.
01:45I have many favorite memories.
01:46I'll definitely shout out Mali Tunisia with the penalty shootout,
01:49just the intensity, the suspense.
01:52Football is much about suspense.
01:54But take a step outside of just the football, humanizing AFCON for what it is.
01:59It's the unity.
02:00You know, being a country that's focused on, you know, reminding us of the fact that,
02:04okay, we're one in Africa.
02:05It was beautiful.
02:06You know, whether it goes to the coffee shop, whether you go to the gym,
02:09but I got my smoothie, my acai bro, my bubble tea as well.
02:14Everybody's asking, where are you from?
02:15I said, okay, I'm from Ghana, I'm from New York.
02:17Oh, you're from Ghana, I'm from New York?
02:19You know, though, shout out the fact that Ghana has such a great history,
02:21even though they're not in Africa.
02:22I'll shout out other West African teams, East African teams, South African teams,
02:26Central African teams that are part of the tournament.
02:28So, you know, shout out to Marko for being proper hosts in that way.
02:32And, yeah, it was beautiful.
02:33I enjoyed myself.
02:34My favorite part about this entire trip was just experiencing the passion
02:38of the fans who traveled from all over the continent,
02:41honestly, all over the diaspora, to experience AFCON,
02:45especially the moment where I was at the Congo versus Algeria match,
02:49and I got to stand in front of the fan who stands as Patrice Lumumba
02:54for 90 minutes with his hand in the air,
02:57which is an incredible feat, by the way.
02:58If you just think about standing at a certain position
03:01and holding it without moving for even five minutes, it's very difficult.
03:05So for him to do that for 90 minutes and what it means,
03:08especially given all that the Congolese people have been dealing with
03:11over the last couple of years and, honestly, the last couple of decades,
03:14it was incredible to see in person.
03:17Shout out to Rangel, who took a photo of me.
03:19That photo will be living in my house forever.
03:21But, yeah, honestly, just meeting fans from all over the world,
03:24whether it be the Senegalese fans who traveled and were dancing
03:26for the entire matches, all the Algerian fans who I got to speak with
03:32and hype up pre-game, the Sudan fans who had a lot to say
03:36about what it means to be represented at this tournament,
03:39and then, obviously, all the Moroccans who welcomed us
03:41and showed so much love throughout the entire tournament.
03:44So, yeah, just learning about different cultures, experiencing fans,
03:48experiencing the passion of football in a way that I would have never experienced otherwise.
03:52So, very grateful for this opportunity, and we'll see you at the next one.
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