Basketball match

“That’s Luol Deng” said Samuel, pointing at a man sitting a couple of feet in front of me. We were sitting on plastic chairs in a school yard watching a national basketball game. It was surreal to think that I might be within arm’s reach of an NBA star, with a $71m contract.

But it was certainly possible. He was wearing a Bulls cap and NBA socks, surely that was proof enough! And there is no doubt that Deng has been in the country. So here we were surrounded by a huge crowd scrambling to peer over us. There were no stands – this was literally the basket ball court of a local school. The game had been scheduled for Monday, but when we had arrived at the new basketball stadium we found it under construction. We came back again the next day; a crane was still standing in the middle of the small, outdoor court.

I had given up trying to see the game, South Sudan’s first, against Uganda. It was just by chance that I heard the cheering of the crowd, saw the road packed with cars and discovered the match. I tried to get a glimpse of the players through the wall of tall Sudanese standing on chairs. “Defence, defence!” they chanted as I walked around looking for a gap.

After a while I worked my way to the front where I could get a decent view. The skill of the players lit up the humble facilities. It was a privilege to be there to witness it, no ticket required. Despite the 75-72 loss the flag of South Sudan was being waved proudly on the court moments after the game ended.

It was the second major sporting event for South Sudan. The first had been a soccer match at the new stadium. The match was against Kenya and had also resulted in defeat, 3-1. However, the South Sudanese won’t let anything dampen their spirits. There was no anger, no fighting, certainly nothing like the scenes in Canada not so long ago.

Soccer and basketball are both popular sports in South Sudan. The people here are especially suited to the latter, being amongst the tallest ethnic groups in the world. In 2012 South Sudan will be competing for the first time in the Olympic Games in London. It may seem of little significance in a place where trash piles up in the streets, but what you quickly find when you travel is that people are much alike wherever you go, poor or rich. In Juba they are just as passionate in supporting their favourite team (which I’m pleased to say is often Arsenal), or kicking around a ball in the street as anywhere else in the world.

Maybe the balls are a little more scuffed and the facilities more basic. But somehow that doesn’t seem to matter very much.