The Amapiano Derby: Originator vs Moderniser… AFCON 2023 Semi finals: ????????NIGERIA VS ????????SOUTH AFRICA

By Kunle Osisanya, fdc

As the AFCON 2023 soccer match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa comes up on Wednesday 7th February 2024 at Bouake in Cote Divoire, soccer fans across Africa and the rest of the world have dubbed the encounter the ‘Amapiano derby’.

There is no disputing the origin of Amapiano, which is a musical genre originated from South Africa, which contains a heavy infusion of the piano or keyboard sounds on heavy percussions. The vibrant Nigerian Afrobeat music industry soon infused Amapiano and the result has been several global block busters. These include ‘Unavailable’ by Davido, ‘Gwagwalada’ by BNXN, ‘Abracadabra’ by Rexie containing the rhyme ‘….blue jersey, I’m not Chelsea, Gunners la wa, no testing…’. Also we have ‘Amapiano, steadily, heavily’ by Asake as well as the exceptional ‘Ojapiano’ by KCee amongst others.

The global success of Nigerian Amapiano made some international music stars inadvertently ascribe the genre to Nigeria which led to vehement protests by South Africans, even though music enthusiasts outside SA may not be able to name a single South African Amapiano star.
This vehemence seems to be a common denominator in the attitude of many South Africans towards Nigerians.

Since the end of the unfortunate apartheid era in South Africa and the introduction of majority rule, SA became an attraction for many Africans to settle and do business, including Nigerians. While many Nigerians expected to be received with open arms, instead, allegations of domination of businesses, drugs pushing, winning beautiful South African ladies became rife. Even many South African celebrities, such as the late AKA were vehement in pushing these naratives. It was so bad that international musical legend Lucky Dube lost his life in SA, because his assailants mistook him for a Nigerian.

To worsen matters, Nigeria has regularly overcome SA in soccer matches with the boisterous celebration by Nigerians not helping matters. In 3 AFCON finals meetings so far, Nigeria was victorious 2-0 in Lagos 2000, 4-0 at Tunisia 2004 and 2-1 at Egypt 2019.
In return, many Nigerians tag many South Africans as unappreciative of her role in the anti-apartheid struggle and disrespectful. Also, while Nigerians may comfortably engage Ghanaians or Camerounians in friendly banter on social media, South Africans are seen as toxic and too hostile for such. Therefore, Nigerians jump at every opportunity to reciprocate the perceived hostility.

It is against this backdrop that the meeting between both countries at AFCON 2023 appears to be more than a mere game of soccer.

However, my hope is that this would be an opportunity for some form of reconciliation. Soccer fans from both countries and supporters elsewhere, should remember that sports is not a do or die affair. Only one team can emerge victorious to play in the finals and I pray that fans and citizens of both sides would be magnanimous enough in accepting the outcome, in the spirit of sportsmanship and to congratulate each other thereafter.

I conclude with Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, ‘If music be the food of love play on’. What Amapiano has joined together, let no man (originator or moderniser) put asunder.