Two hours before the start of the festivities, the Nelson Mandela Stadium officially opened its doors for the 2022 eidtion of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) with an enthralling cultural display that put hosts Algeria on the continental spotlight.
Fans were welcomed by the sound of “Viva l’Algérie” a song by Dounia and Mahfoud which has become very popular in the north African country.
In true African style, the African beat made the Algerian fans, who came in droves to watch the opening match, very happy.
From Khaled’s famous hit “Didi” which popularized raï in the world, to “Dana Dana” by Cheb Rayan, the whole stadium was singing in unison.
Then came the band of the Republican Guard which saw the men of the military regiment stand at the edge of the lawn to sing the Kassaman, the Algerian national anthem for the 40,000 fans in attendance to also join in unison.
The president of the Algerian federation, Djahid Zefizef was the first to speak during the ceremony where he officially welcome Africa to the beautiful nation. “Algeria welcomes all of Africa”.
In a suspenseful build up, a video retraced the work of the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela before Zwelivelile Mandela, grandson of Madiba, was welcomed into the stadium by fans who chanted the name of “Mandela”.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe also emphasised the role football plays in uniting the people of Africa before the Algerian Prime Minister H.E. Aimene Benabderrahmane declared the tournament open.
The Nelson Mandela Stadium – the venue for the opening match – was taken through a superb spectacle, a journey through the cultures of Algeria. The show also paid tribute to the Tuaregs, this Berber and nomadic people of the central Sahara found in Algeria, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Chad, and even in the far north of Burkina Faso.
People of great history, cradle of many civilizations, Algeria also paid tribute to South Africa with the presence of the singer Khesswa accompanied by the Algerian artists Fethi Tabouche – and Tikoubaouine, for the official CHAN anthem , soberly titled “Marhaba”, which means “Welcome” in Arabic.
Like the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, Congolese musician Faly Ipupa as present and this time his compatriot Dadju was present. The multi-award-winning artist warmed up the stadium with his hit song “Mon Soleil” before being joined by local act, Soolking, for a well-paced duet.
The local musician from El Hammamet closed the ceremony with the hit track “Suavemente” that made him popular.
The events ended as fans waited and chanted for the start of the opening game between Algeria and Libya.
