After attacks, Noida football match brings Indian and African students together

Days after attacks on African students in Greater Noida, a group of Indian and African students came together for a friendly football match on Friday at Sharda University. The 90-minute match was played between two teams, Chancellor's 11 and Embassy 11, which had the same composition – four students from Africa, one each from Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam and Afghanistan, and three from India.
Though there were some naysayers in the audience, there was no negativity on the field, with Indian and African students collaborating to play together in both teams (BCCL/ Lokesh Kashyap)
'Aaj toh pakka ladai hogi'
The lush green football ground and light drizzle made for a pleasant experience for the spectators. While waiting for the match to kick off, some of the more pessimistic ones were heard whispering, "Aaj toh pakka ladai hogi bhai!"
However, the spirit of the participating Indian and African students was far more positive, and could not be dampened by such naysayers. Nabeel Abbas, who played for Embassy 11 and is the captain of the university's football team, said, "It is great that such a match was organized to promote brotherhood between Africans and Indians. Some local residents also gathered at the gate when they learnt of this match. I told my African friends to let me know if they faced any problems."
Najib Hamisu Umar from Nigeria embracing Indian Nabeel Abbas (BCCL/ Lokesh Kashyap)
The match was organised by NP Singh, the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, in association with Sharda University. Among the attendees were Thakur Dhirendra Singh, the newly appointed BJP MLA from Jewar, Manish Sharma, SHO Knowledge Park, Rajesh Kumar Singh, SDM (Dadri), Sharda University staff and several diplomats and embassy staffers.
'Lack of cultural assimilation leads to such attacks'
Okolie Chidera, an MBA student from Nigeria, entertained the audience with a humourous presentation of his Indian experience. Showing off his Hindi, he said, "When I joined the university, one of the students said, 'Namaste, mera naam Rohit hai, aap se mil kar khushi hui.'"
DM Singh said, "There is a lack of cultural awareness, cultural mingling, cultural assimilation and a lack of understanding of other cultures. That's why we need more initiatives like this. This was the first initiative in which we tried getting them (Indian and international students) closer. We will be organizing more such programmes in the future."

The chancellor of Sharda University, PK Gupta, said, "Racism is still prevalent in India, so we need to organize more such programmes to bridge the gap between the Indians and the Africans." After a bit of mimicry and dance, the match kicked off with the DM and the embassy representatives shaking hands and wishing the players good luck.
NP Singh, DM, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Thakur Dhirendra Singh, an MLA (R), wished the students good luck before the match (BCCL/ Lokesh Kashyap)
Ashok Dariyani, director of the international division, Sharda University, said, "We should have more such events to promote healthy communication between Indians and the international community. Africa is the future, it’s the land of opportunities. We should promote a healthy cultural exchange between India and Africa."
(Standing) Erimon Budiriro and Tinashe Munanga, who participated in the match, with other African students (BCCL/ Lokesh Kashyap)
Still a long way to go
Eric Cibanvunya, a student of electronics and communication engineering, said, "This is a great initiative, but there is no guarantee that what happened yesterday will not happen tomorrow. We are looking for a lasting solution."

Alagba Tochukwu Ogeh, a BSc Medical Imaging student and a Nigerian national, said, "I was asked to vacate a house in Greater Noida after the neighbours saw me carrying a crate of eggs. There is a sense of uneasiness among Indians when they see Africans. These experiences cannot be explained – they can only be felt. There is a need for more such sensitization programmes."