A unity of identity
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Early Tuesday morning, anticipation consumed me as I approached the Golden Jubilee Games Village. The Opening Ceremony of the Games was an hour away, but even from a distance, a distinct roar of voices could be heard; its volume and energy engulfed me as I entered the Pavilion.
A parade of voices around the perimeter of the hall cheered: “AF – GHAN, AF – GHAN.” Figures clad in red and blue stood atop tables and chairs shouting “U-S-A, U-S-A.!” At the centre of the dining area, the Indian team danced to the beat of muikos (wooden spoons) banging against sufurias (metal cooking pots), heightening the spirit of the entire space. The Kenyans filed into the Pavilion behind a marching band. In all directions, every athlete cheered their national chant — until suddenly something changed.
The Afghanistan team proceeds in the athletes' parade during the Opening Ceremony of the Games. Photo: Ejaz S. Karamali
Teams stopped cheering for their own, and instead took up the cheer of a neighbour. In a show of unity, the Canadians and Americans began exchanging flags, and it felt as if the dividing colours of all the teams’ uniforms had dissolved. Indeed, the athletes had looked beyond the differences of nationhood, and saw, all around them, one community.
This wave of unity has been a recurring phenomenon throughout the Golden Jubilee Games. It harnesses energy from the competitive spirit of sport, and crests spontaneously, at unexpected moments.
Often, it is accompanied by music. During a lunch on the lawn outside the Moi International Sports Centre, a Pakistani athlete began playing the flute. All around him players from other teams and sports joined in with clapping and dancing. That evening, at a football match between Kenya and the United States, it was a Canadian who led the drumbeat of the Kenyan cheer.
Members of the Jamat dance at the Tajkisitan tent in the International Bazaar. Photo: Zahir Daya
It is clear that as the week has progressed, the national and cultural barriers of over 1 200 athletes have progressively melted. During a recent International Bazaar event, Syrian athletes enjoyed a coffee with the Tanzanians in their tent. A few feet away Tajiks and members of the Kenyan Jamat danced to a live rendition of the popular Hindi song Aye Mere Humsafar.
Friday evening, the Jamat gathered at Stone City for Celebrating the Games, a film featuring key moments in the Games thus far. The audience’s engaged and emotional reaction to the film made it abundantly clear that the Golden Jubilee Games is greater than a mere sports tournament.
The intensity of play during these Games leaves no doubt that this is a serious competitive sport event. But what has been most striking during these Games is the strong sense of brotherhood among players from all countries. Scoring and winning are very important, but the athletes have demonstrated over and over again that in the Ismaili value system, the unity, fraternity and ethical imperative of our faith trumps the competitive dimension of this event. Everyone here is revelling in a generosity of spirit.
