Simple yet classy opening ceremony for Total U20 AFCON

“You are young and full of energy. You are the future star so don’t be afraid.”

Poetic and affirmative to the occasion, this was the theme song at the opening ceremony of the Total Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Mauritania 2021 as the curtains on Sunday night opened for the three-week youth tournament that will be staged across two venues in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou.

Performed by renowned Mauritanian artistes El Hussein Zubeir, Ceepee Layb and Warda Hamadvail, the melodious sounds of the song titled Thaber w anjah, loosely translated to mean “persevere and you will succeed” swept the hearts of the delegation present at the stadium.

Though played behind closed doors with no fans allowed due to the restrictions enforced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the message of the song reverberated across the length and width of the stadium, giving the tournament the starting bounce it deserved.

The four artistes were backed by a beautiful dancing troop comprised of 10 different teams from across Mauritania with their performances also looking to showcase the four different cultures of the host nation; the Fulani, Sonike, Beidan and the Walof.

They moved, danced jumped across the length of the pitch as they showed different Mauritanian dances and cultures, much to the delight of everyone present.

“We are really honored to participate in such a big event. This is the first time that Mauritania is hosting such and for us it is a big honour to perform at the opening ceremony. It was a bit stressful for us preparing and getting everything in order but at least now we are pleased and proud that everything has been a success. We hope that the people coming in here will enjoy Mauritania,” said Malika Diagana who had the task of co-ordinating the 10 groups into one massive team.

Musician Zubeir, part of the team of four who sang the theme song also expressed pride in being part of the opening ceremony.

“We are happy to be part of history and performing today was a huge honour for all of us,” he said.