The roar of vuvuzelas, the rhythmic pounding of drums, and a ray of colors decorated the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on the opening day of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
This happened to entertain tens of thousands of Tanzanian fans who turned up in spectacular fashion to cheer their beloved Taifa Stars team against Burkina Faso team.
The 60,000-capacity stadium named after Tanzania’s third president was transformed into a canvas of national pride, innovation, and unbridled football fever. As hosts Tanzania prepared to face Burkina Faso in the tournament’s opening match, the fans outside and inside the stadium gave a performance as electric as the players on the pitch.
Long before the first whistle, a sea of supporters many draped in green, yellow, black, and sky blue snaked into endless queues that wrapped around the stadium.
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The mood was carnival filled with songs, ululations, traditional dances, and spontaneous chants filled the air as fans braved the scotching sun to get their place in the stands.
What truly set the day apart was the creativity and cultural pride that Tanzanian fans brought with them.
Some had painted their entire bodies in the national flag’s colors, with blue base coats and yellow shoulder linings, matching the Taifa Stars’ kits.
Others opted for full-body art brown paints smeared from head to toe, with ragged sisal skirts and shorts, echoing traditional warrior attire.
Scarves bearing the Tanzanian flag were tied around necks or foreheads, and in their hands, fans waved flags in one hand and earthen pots in the other, a symbolic blending of heritage and football pride.
One fan stole the spotlight dressed as a giant cockerel, strutting and flapping across the stadium entrance clucking in time with drumbeats.
Another had constructed an elaborate graduation gown and mortarboard, painted in the national colors, symbolizing Tanzania’s dreams of rising to new heights.
Even more inventive was a group of young men who carried a miniature house plan, painted green, black, yellow, and blue. “This is our dream for Tanzania. A home, a future, and football to unite us,” one of them said.
Some powerful slogans like “Watoto wa Samia”, a nod to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s popular youth programs, was emblazoned on some fans who opted to paint on their bodies. Other messages like “Samia Kazi na Utu” and “Kapu la Taifa” (The National Basket) could be seen waving high, symbolizing national unity and abundance under her leadership.
From the outside, fans created such a spectacle that it drew in foreign media and CHAN officials alike.
A troupe of local dancers and drummers entertained the waiting crowd, many of whom had arrived as early as 6 a.m. Entire families sang together, and even toddlers had tiny flags pinned to their backs or painted cheeks.
Inside the stadium, the energy reached fever pitch as kickoff approached. Waves of sound crashed through the terraces as vuvuzelas and whistles filled every pause in the pre-match program. Chants of “Taifa Stars! Taifa Stars!” echoed in unison, as the national team emerged from the tunnel.
Hoewver, their efforts yielded two goals from Adbul Suleiman and Mohamed Husseini to give them a head start in the tournament.