ABSTRACT
There is not one Africa, but many Africas (North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, South Africa, Horn of Africa). There is Francophone, Anglophone, and Swahili Africa. Each of these regions/linguistic communities has its own sport history and tradition. This book tries to capture the role of colonial and postcolonial history as well as how race relations shaped the meaning of sport in Africa and beyond, i.e., among the African community in Europe and North America. It touches on other global and local dynamics of sport. What makes sport in Africa are those African men and women runners travelling the world to run marathons, or running for other countries such as Bahrain – offering, for example, this small country the possibility to win medals in the Olympics, and for athletes and their extended families (and villages) back home some financial security. African sport is also about dancing, folklores, colors and vuvuzelas. Other aspects worth exploring are the role of Africa and Africans in international sport organizations such as FIFA and the Olympics, and the power dynamics within continental sport federations. To conclude, Africa deserves better from scholars of sport studies from other field of studies. Sport offers so many opportunities to learn about Africa and Africans.
