By Andrew Mulenga
“Nga
waumfwa ubwite bwa mfumu, wasuke muchinshi muchinshi, wasuke auti Kalombo Mwane
(When you hear the call of the LORD, answer with respect, answer saying Kalombo Mwane),” chants an all-male choir
setting the tone for Eighteam the new
documentary on the football in Zambia, a Spanish and Zambian co-production by writer,
director and producer Juan Rodriguez-Briso of Omnicorp Estudio and co-producer
Ngosa Chungu of Purple Tembo Media.
The lyrics are a mixture of Bemba and Luvale and
this particular song has been sung in the Catholic Church for quite some time
now although a contemporary adaptation has been popularized by singer B M Sampa
on his hit 2009 album “Bola Panshi” or
“ball on the ground” (a Bemba exclamation used on the pitch advising players to
take it easy when facing opponents that are good in the air.)
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| Photo credit: FAZ |
The words Kalombo
Mwane are a Luvale expression of gratitude, thanks and respect, often
reserved for a respectable figure such as chief, king or distinguished elderly
personality. It can also be used in varied day-to-day contexts as an expression
of thanks, accompanied by the traditional clapping of hands and curtsying.
As the film unfolds, it is revealed that this skilled
choir is in fact the Zambia national team, the African Cup of Nations 2012
champions who have adopted the song to heighten morale and invigorate their spiritual
faith while in camp and just before matches, they take it as a devout hymn to
commit their sporting efforts to God’s will.
Fringing on a gloomy dirge and an uplifting spiritual
the song sets the stage for a poem recited by a pensive Kalusha Bwalya (Football
Association of Zambia President and, seen like before, clad in a suite gazing
reflectively upon the names of the players (many of them his personal friends) and
crew that died off the coast of Gabon on the monument dedicated to their honour
at Heroes Acre, and as the acapella and clapping die down, Bwalya poetically
recites a rendition of the tail of the Phoenix, the mythical bird that rises
from ashes to triumphantly fly again. Such is the mood of the film, it lifts
the viewer high and low, undulating from point to point, from grief to promise,
victory and glory.
Nevertheless, according to its directors: "Eighteam"
is a documentary film that narrates the resurrection of Zambia's national
football team after losing 18 players in a plane crash in Gabon in 1993. The
country faces an 18-year road of reconstruction until destiny makes its move:
in Gabon, Zambia becomes African Champion for the first time after a long
penalty shoot-out. Their destiny could no longer be denied: there were 18
penalties.”
Although it is technically segmented into several
brief titles, such as A Golden
Generation, Duty Calls, The Chipolopolo are back, An Era Ends, Weathering the
Storm, What is Your Dream, Destiny Calls and Gear 6, it is loosely segmented into three main parts.
The first takes the viewer back to the Olympics, Seoul
1988; when a little known Zambian side humiliated a star studded Italian side 4
goals to 0 in a clean David and Goliath moment, the Italian side already had
about five players in Italia Serie A from Napoli, Juventus and Milan but were
no patch for the Zambians.
“They had a pattern of play we didn’t expect”,
confesses Lazio and Milan legend Mauro Tassoti in the footage “[…] a football
without burdens or restraint, a natural football”.
“We hardly touched the ball, I must say it was like
the wrath of God” adds Ciro Ferrara his countryman who had about 500 caps
between his Milan and Juventus during his on pitch career.
The footage of the 1988 match also gives a nostalgic
glimpse of a younger Dennis Liwewe in the commentary box. Liwewe is in fact one
of the main contributors to the narrative throughout the film.
Anyhow, in the second part, from the glorious event of
1988 the film nose dives into what is the saddest bit. The Gabon crash, it
takes us into a build-up before the crash, by means of personal accounts from
journalist Chanda Kristensen who was on the plane but has to stay behind when
it changed route. Former Football Association of Zambia boss Simataa Simataa
also gives an exonerating account that reminds us what critical role he too has
played in the history of Zambian football, in the film, it is he that gives a
pointed reminder to the viewers that official findings on the crash have never
been made public.
Bwalya gives an emotional account of how close he
was with the players that perished, with whom he had started his career; he was
scheduled to meet them while playing in Europe at the time. It is Liwewe
however who gives a tearful, operatic speech in some footage when he was seen
on television beckoning young Zambian footballers to take up the challenge of volunteering
for a new national team after Frederick Chiluba declared that the show must go
on after he led the nation in mourning. Roald Paulsen, the coach brought in to rebuild
the team with the help of the Danish government also makes an appearance
sharing how challenging it was to rebuild a team from scratch in 6 weeks.
The third part of the film highlights more recent
events the, AFCON 2012, where Zambia emerged victorious as unexpected underdogs.
But other than focus on the glory itself, it gives a touching insight into the overwhelming
pressure that was on the team. Players, Christopher Katongo, Kennedy Mweene,
Emmanuel Mayuka, Christopher Katongo and Hijani Himoonde share their personally
experiences in fascinating conversations giving us a feel of how it felt to be
in their boots.
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Zambian President Michael Chilufya Sata (3rd L) touches
the trophy with founding President Kenneth Kaunda (2nd R),
Vice
President Guy Scott (R) as members of the soccer team (back)
and former
President Rupiah Band (L) look on,
during a ceremony at the State House in
Lusaka February 14, 2012.
(/Mackson Wasamunu/Courtesy Reuters).
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