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Showing posts with the label Tanzania

Young Africans and Simba: rivalry, witchcraft and dominance over Tanzania

Football in Tanzania is a pretty simple environment: you're either a fan of Young Africans, or you're a fan of Simba. The two clubs have shared 47 of the 61 Premier League titles awarded since the independence of Tanzania, and to the same extent they also share the football fans over the country and even in areas across the borders: both clubs have fans all over Eastern Africa.   Simba defenders tackle a Young Africans player [thecitizen.co.tz] Young Africans, who are more commonly just called Yanga by their fans, were formed in 1935 by Dar es Salaam residents who decided to form their own football club and compete in a league full of non-African clubs. Ever since its birth, Yanga has been a symbol of the anti-colonial movement, becoming associated with Tanganyikan nationalists and freedom fighters. The club was so representative that a political party (Tanganyika African National Union, TANU) even adopted their traditional yellow and green as their own colours. At some point i...