Gabon has been hosting the 2017 African Cup of Nations, but, notwithstanding the open nature of the tournament, fans have not warmed to the matches. Opponents of President Ali Bongo had called on the Gabonese not to attend games to protest the recent political crisis. The boycott’s chief proponent is opposition leader Jean Ping who claimed to have won the 2016 presidential election despite the Gabonese highest court validating the re-election of Ali Bongo. The latter’s family has ruled the country for half a century. Ping rejected the results and said that he will not back off.
In the host country, there has been neither an outright boycott nor real enthusiasm for a tournament organised at a reported cost of almost $800 million. In October, funding for health and education services were cut. At the opening match, the stands of the 38,000-capacity Stade de l’Amitié in the capital Libreville were filled at 80-90%. Matches not involving the host nation have been poorly attended, a normal occurrence at African Cup of Nations tournaments. The large presence of Senegalese, Burkinabe and Malian expats has mitigated that tendency somewhat.
Darius Meke, a photographer from Cameroon, has been covering the tournament in Gabon the last few weeks. He captured for Scroll how Gabonese fans have experienced Africa’s biggest football tournament. Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Egypt are the teams in the last four. The tournament will culminate with the final on February 5.
