Tragedy in the Congo

Horrible news out of the Congo as accusations that a soccer player was using witchcraft (juju) during a match in eastern Congo sparked a riot that killed 13 people, a U.N.-funded radio station reported Monday.

Most of the victims were between the ages of 11 and 16, Radio Okapi said. They were suffocated as panicked crowds ran for the exits during the mayhem Sunday in Butembo in eastern Congo's North Kivu province.

Radio Okapi said police tried to control the violence at Matokeo stadium by firing into the air to protect their commander, who was hit in the head and wounded by fans.

The two local clubs involved were Socozaki and Nyuki System, the radio said.

Dozens of teenagers marched through Butembo's dirt streets Monday in protest, and the regional governor, Julien Mpaluku, paid a visit to the hospital.

Mpaluku said the government was investigating.

He made no mention of witchcraft, but confirmed that soldiers had fired into the air to calm angry crowds.

The shooting prompted panic instead, which became fatal "when the crowds all tried to leave at the same time."

"Most of the dead were children, only two or three were adults," Mpaluku said.

North Kivu has been the epicenter of violence between Congo's army and rebels over the last year which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

MY POV: So sad. My prayers go out to the victims.

Witchcraft Rears Its Head Again in African Football

We talked about juju, the art of African witchcraft about a year ago on this blog.

Back then, we stated that

it has long been common for soccer teams to turn to witchcraft, or juju, to gain a competitive edge. Teams might, for example, summon witch doctors to cast spells on opposing teams. Because of the secrecy surrounding such practices, it's difficult to tell how widespread they are in Africa today.

Today, news that the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) has promised to wage a battle against the use of Juju by member clubs.

"Any team that tries to express or show signs of practicing witch-craft or juju will be penalized, because we do not believe such practice can improve football in our zone," a news release stated.

For as long as anyone can remember, juju has been prevalent in African football and there is no sign of it going away.

Incidences of the use of external forces, other than the true science of football are a common feature in African football.

A vivid example occurred in Rwanda in a league match between club sides Rayon Sport and Atraco.

During the match, one player spent the entire game not only protecting his goalkeeper but also his 'magic stick' that he had planted in the goal.

MY POV: I'm not touching this subject with a ten-foot cattle prod.

But it's certainly an interesting subject and one feature of African football that fascinates me.

Surely there are interesting rituals in Western sports?

In the United States, ex-baseball player Wade Boggs of the New York Yankees used to eat chicken at a specified time every day. Every day, no matter what!
Can anyone think of any other strange rituals from sports?