We interrupt your regular programming to bring you the Africa Cup of Nations…

The women in my household have been cranky over the past couple of weeks.  Their favorite soap opera Marina (a Mexican telenovela dubbed in French) was bumped from its primetime slot by the Africa Cup football (soccer) matches.

Every afternoon and every evening all the men (and a couple young girls) gather around my family’s tiny TV to watch and cheer on their favorite team (Senegal didn’t qualify, so everyone picked different teams).  And it wasn’t just my family.  Every single household in Kedougou brought out their little TVs or radios to watch and listen to the games.

When 20,000 people are all watching the exact same sporting event on TV it is almost like being at the actual match.  You can take a walk down the road and still follow the match because the commentary is blasting in stereo from everyone’s house. The whoops and screams echo throughout the neighborhoods when a team scores a goal.  And if you aren’t by a television when the cheers erupt, you rush to find one to catch the instant replay.

I am not exactly a sports fan, but I enjoyed watching the games with my family.  Although, I have to admit, I am ready for Marina to come back on.  I really want to know if Marina and Ricardo end up together…