CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Justin Mendy, Senegal, 6 May 1998
THEME = SPORT
The Third African Francophone "Sports Meeting for the
Handicapped" (JAPHAF)
has beaten all records. JAPHAF is now a leader in sport for the handicapped
and a positive factor in their struggle against being left on society's sidelines
(cf. ANB-BIA, number 341, page II)
For five days (23-27 April 1998) more than 150 African athletes and supporters from 14 countries, plus 7 French and 2 Swiss, lived and worked together, "sharing their talents, their sweat, their tears, to further the cause of sport for the handicapped", as Djibril Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso), president of the international committee organising these games put it.
In the medals' table, Burkina Faso, fielding ten athletes, came first with ten medals (8 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze). Then came Senegal with 12 medals (2 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze). Athletes from other countries obtained the following medals: Mali - 8; Mauritania - 2; The Central African Republic - 4; Benin - 4; Cape Verde - 1; Guinea - 3. (Editor's note: The classification is made according to the number of gold medals received, followed by silver and finally bronze). Guinea-Bissau and Niger sent technical assistance teams.
The Dakar (Senegal) Games marks a turning point in the development of this kind of competition for the handicapped. They started in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in 1994 with six countries taking part; two years later they were held in Cotonou, Benin, with seven countries taking part. This year, the number of countries involved in one way or another has doubled.
Quantity has been accompanied by quality. For example, Issaka Kaboré (Burkina Faso) attained a weight-lifting record of 135 kg (he's already got a medal from the Atlanta Paralympic Games). Better results could have been achieved by the athletes in other disciplines, if equipment such as wheelchairs and tricycles suitably adapted to this kind of competition had been available.
People from many parts of the world were struck by Kaboré's courage in achieving his double success. Especially organisations such as Handicap International (A French NGO) which has supported the Games since they started. Seeing the way JAPHAF is taking shape, countries such as France (through the good offices of its Aid and Cooperation Fund with special reference to Sport - FAC/SPORT) has undertaken to play an even greater role in the future. This was formally announced by Mr Patrick Ségal, France's representative at the Games. Further assistance seems to be on the cards with Switzerland guaranteeing financial help to the tune of 4 million CFA francs and the French- speaking community in Belgium - sports equipment to those athletes who show promise.
The Francophone Conference for Sport and Youth (CONFEJES) made it possible for a number of delegations to come to Dakar for the Games. The Conference also supplied the professional assistance of two specialists in sport - one from Belgium and the other from Canada. Moreover, CONFEJES has undertaken to train leaders who will encourage sport for the handicapped throughout Francophone Africa.
Locally, many private businesses, especially French ones in Dakar, made substantial financial contributions to the Games. The same goes for the Dakar City authorities and two neighbouring local authorities.
Mr Djibril Ouédraogo said that all this support, even if it is still not enough, enabled the Dakar Games to be a true "celebration of Africa's handicapped youth. This is totally in line with JAPHAF's aim which is to enable handicapped people use sport as a therapy. The handicapped must come to realise they can do the same things as other people - they can take a full part in society. They must be able to avoid complete dependence on others."
Over and above any sports successes, there were moments when it was possible for the athletes to share experiences with their colleagues coming from various countries. They were able to encourage one another in the knowledge that in spite of their physical handicaps, they are just as good as other people.
Because we haven't any detailed statistics for Africa, we have to fall back on those supplied by the UN which reckons that 10% of the population in each country is handicapped in one way or another. However, many experts think this percentage is much higher in Africa. JAPHAF flings down the gauntlet in front of African governments on this very issue.
The president of the international organising committee, Mr Ouédraogo, didn't mince his words when, at the closing ceremony on 27 April he explained why such Games must take place. He declared: "Most African governments have decided during the Third Millennium to prioritise the struggle against rejection and poverty. This means that simply uttering pious declarations of intent or limiting oneself to charitable works, is no longer enough. Such declarations must take the form of integrating handicapped peoples' problems with national priorities, especially those pertaining to equal opportunities and the protocol concerning childrens' rights. In other words, handicapped people must be accorded their rights and dignity in every aspect of the society in which they live".
The various member-federations said they are determined that the needs of the handicapped - sociological, physical and cultural - must be made known in a world which cares little for the skills which the handicapped have to offer, or for their needs. JAPHAF echoed this wish. Mr Ouédraogo hammered home the point: "While sport is a means of re-education for the handicapped, it also enables a handicapped person become aware of what he/she can do. It also speeds up the whole process of integrating them into society in general. That's why the UN has targeted sport as one way in which equality can be achieved.
The Dakar Sports Meeting has brought to the forefront (yet again) the fact that the handicapped are still on the peripheries of society. 80 Senegalese organisations were contacted before the Games and asked for their support. None of these did anything in the way of offering practical help, whereas a number of them owe a major part of their success to sport. The Media, apart from some individual cases, did nothing to publicise the event and didn't do much by way of reporting what had taken place. Most of the people present were children, apart from officially invited guests at the opening and closing ceremonies - and some of these didn't even bother to turn up - sending representatives!
However, certain local authorities did offer considerable support. Dakar municipality headed by its mayor, Mr Mamadou Diop, is an outstanding example. He's giving a great deal of help towards the National Sports Federation for Handicapped People (Handisport) and to the handicapped in general. This is greatly appreciated.
The government took a step forward in the same direction by offering generous subsidies for the Dakar Games. This follows on what President Abdou Diouf had to say on 31 December 1997, when speaking about the handicapped. We've also got the testimony of Mr Sani Hagne, president of Handisport Senegal. He says that Mr Ousmane Pare, Minister for Youth and Sport is taking a practical interest in Handisport -Senegal, and is ensuring it is indeed an integral part of Senegal's sporting movement. Since April, Mr Sani Hagbe has also been deputy secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee for Sport in Senegal. This is the first time that sport for the handicapped has found its place within the existing structures of Senegal's Olympic Movement.
Djibril Ouédraogo made the following appeal to Africa's governments and civil society: "Your promises and declarations about supporting sport for the handicapped must be translated into positive action. This means - on-going support for the national federations of handicapped persons".
As we have said, a large number of people, both athletes and back- up supporters came from many countries. The next Games are going to be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and it's possible more than 30 countries, not all of them French-speaking, might send participating delegations. Already in Dakar, representatives came from Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau (where Portuguese is still widely spoken). Now, Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria (all English-speaking) have asked if they can join JAPHAF, and their request has been granted. On 26 April, the International Committee's General Assembly decided to welcome all African countries to the Games, which will, however, keep their Francophone specificity.
The General Assembly also decided to send a delegation to the General Secretariat of the African Confederation of Sport for the Handicapped, in Cairo, to see whether this Confederation will open itself up to the rest of Africa and so break its monopolisation by some North African countries.
It's clear that the JAPHAF sports meetings are now an established fact in the development of sport for the handicapped in Africa and throughout the world.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement