Xinhua News Agency, Parakhu, May 26 Newsletter: “Village Supermarket” focuses on the sector of the “Platinum nation” of Africa
Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhou Chuyun and Sun Yi
At the top of May, the wet season arrived in Benin. The scorching and humid climate and rains didn’t dampen the passion of the villagers close to Parakou City to observe the primary remaining of the “Village Super League”. Brutal battle and dramatic efficiency received over the viewers.
On the afternoon of the twenty fifth, close to the location of Benin’s China-assisted Benin technical help venture in Beautiful City Village, Parakou City, as the ultimate whistle blew, the Dam Village staff beat their opponents 1:0 after greater than 90 minutes of violence. within the battle and received the championship trophy.
Mohamed Gbeha, a neighborhood cotton farmer, got here on a motorbike to observe the ultimate and assist his hometown staff. He mentioned fortunately: “The recreation was very thrilling! Thank you to the Chinese venture staff for organizing this soccer league for us!”
Benin is likely one of the largest cotton producing nations in Africa, and Parakou is a vital cotton producing space within the nation, referred to as “white gold”, it’s the foremost supply of revenue for a lot of native farmers.
Benin’s Benin technical help venture has been in Parakou for ten years. The consultants are dedicated to selling cotton cultivation expertise, offering agricultural equipment, technical steering and agricultural gear help, and coaching native agricultural consultants.
Long-term technical help has helped the venture staff to develop deep friendships with native residents. When the venture staff came upon that the residents’ soccer discipline was occupied, they determined to make use of agricultural equipment and scrap supplies to construct a daily soccer discipline for them close to the settlement.
“The objective was welded and it was accomplished by us and the native employees. We additionally dug water channels close to the stadium to raised deal with the stadium through the wet season.”
When the place known as “Friendship Football Field” was opened, it grew to become the primary place of selection for the villagers of Dolbheni Eliheni and close by villages to play soccer. Especially through the sluggish season, residents typically maintain spontaneous soccer matches right here.
“Football has a great native background, and every village additionally has its personal staff. We got here up with the thought of studying from the home mannequin of the ‘Village Super League’ and establishing the same league right here.”
In March 2024, the venture staff organized the primary “Village Super League” with the assist of native residents, bringing collectively 12 groups from 6 close by villages and Parakul University. The gamers included novices comparable to cotton farmers, tractor drivers, carpenters and college students. Football lover. The competitors adopts a league format and is held on weekends.
“In the start, there have been just one or two sides of the stadium with spectators.” On the ultimate day, the place was crowded with folks from throughout, about 700 or 800 folks watching the sport.
After the finals, the venture staff specifically organized an award ceremony to offer medals and trophies to the primary, second and third place staff in addition to “Best Goalkeeper” and “Best Goalkeeper”. The high three groups every obtained a sheep, symbolizing the great needs of the “Three Yang Kai Tai”. “In the start we didn’t put together trophies and medals, pondering that materials awards will probably be sufficient.”
Akilu Ates, the cotton manufacturing supervisor of the venture staff, proudly mentioned that he was concerned within the development of the stadium and the group of the league. “After the stadium was constructed, the villagers have been very glad. When the Chinese consultants and I proposed to carry the ‘Village Super League’ with different villages, we bought one reply from them.”
“Village Super” additionally included particular theater performances combining Chinese martial arts and Benin dance throughout intermission. The organizers of the occasion hope that with the mannequin of “technical help + large metropolis”, the bottom of the venture is not going to solely be a frontier for educating Chinese expertise, however can even function a platform to unfold Chinese tradition and promote friendship between the 2 nations.
Yves Koba, head of Beautiful City Village, praised the “Village Super League” for selling communication and friendship between native villages. “The ‘Village Super League’ soccer recreation spreads pleasure within the hearts of the villagers and makes us united. I hope it’ll proceed to be held, and I want my village will get higher outcomes subsequent yr.”
Shouxiaoyong mentioned the subsequent step is to pick the very best gamers within the league and kind a staff to compete in China. “We hope that the African ‘Village Super League’ held right here can depart Africa and take its finest groups to China to compete and write a brand new chapter within the friendship between the 2 nations.”