Behind Eighteam’s Motivations
The Growing Love for Sports
Ngosa Whoopi Chungu
Ngosa Whoopi Chungu is a Zambian Female Filmmaker, Digital Activist, and Ndhlovukhazi Storyteller.
She produced a documentary called the Eighteam, which is a film written and directed by Juan Rodriguez-Briso. It is based on the true story of the 1993 Zambia national football team. The team is commonly known as Chipolopolo – the “copper bullets” and the film follows their journey from tragedy to glory.
2012 – Greatest Story In Football History
Unlike their 1993 predecessors, the 2012 Chipolopolo team was not well known. They entered their competitions as underdogs and had no previous major achievements under their belts. Against all odds, they made it to the finals of the Africa Cup of nations that year that were held in Libreville , the capital city of Gabon. This was where, decades ago, the Zambian plane carrying 30 people took off, only for it to crash minutes later into the Atlantic Ocean, taking the lives of all 18 football players, 12 support staff, and crew.
Now, the city that Zambians remembered somberly was the same place where the Chipolopolo beat Ivory Coast in the finals 8-7 during a penalty shootout. This victory represented more than the breaking through of Zambia as a continental victor. It meant honoring those who had paved the way for Zambian football. For Zambian players, their victory was a sign of providence. It was fate that they should stand tall where their counterparts had fallen.
After the unbelievable victory, Kalusha Bwalya, a surviving member of the 1993 team, stated that, “I am convinced that our dearly departed brothers who lost their lives here 19 years ago have lent us a helping hand.” The Zambian spirit of football was now permanently in the shape of the fallen heroes.
The Zambian story is the only story in the world that has two such extremities. Death and Life.
Much like the original team, nobody believed the Zambian side could achieve thee great victories, until they did.
Their victory was located just a few hundred meters from the plane crash site – a place that simultaneously brought inconceivable heartbreak and incomparable joy.
To this day, the Spirit of Football dominates Zambia. Within the confines of the sport, Zambians gather as one family without regard for gender, social class, or religion. The name Chipolopolo has never only belonged to those who step on the pitch, instead, it has always belonged to every single Zambian. With every victory, the entire country celebrates, and with every loss, the entire country is silent. Such is the power that football has, even transcending all social barriers.
Zambia has continued its fight for recognition on the global stage once more and is slowly achieving this goal. The Shepolopolo (Female national team), and the under 20 are both performing competitively and are making a name for themselves. At the same time, local Zambian footballers such as Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu are excelling in mainstream European leagues. The journey for Zambia has truly began as the world begins to notice the talent and potential that Zambia has.
References
Wine, D., II. (2018, February 21). Black History Month: A nation loses its brightest stars. Stars and Stripes FC. https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2018/2/21/17035074/black-history-month-zambia-plane-crash-1993
Said, N. (2018, September 12). Zambian players pay respects to 1993 plane crash victims. ESPN.Com. https://www.espn.com/soccer/zambia/story/3631726/zambian-players-pay-respects-to-1993-plane-crash-victims&
Zambia players visit crash site. (2012, February 10). BBC Sport. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/16970394
Solace, C. (2021, September 6). Zambian players make good in the Premier League. New Frame. https://www.newframe.com/zambian-players-make-good-in-the-premier-league/
1993 – Zambian Football Team
The 1993 Zambian National team was the best that the country had ever had. For the first time in the countries history, they were attempting to qualify for the FIFA World cup and this seemed favorable for them, after all, in the 1998 Summer olympics, the Chipolopolo boys shocked the world and made headlines by beating Italy with four goals to none. They made it clear that their win was not a fluke. Instead it was a display of complete domination by the Zambian side, announcing their presence to the sports community (Wilson, 2012). The year was filled with promise for not just the footballers, the entire country of Zambia. Possibilities were endless.
So, as the team headed out to Dakar, Senegal for their qualifying match on April 27, 1993, spirits were high. On board the flight were 25 passengers and 5 crew members. Of the passengers, the 18 football players were as follows: Efford Chabala (goalkeeper), John Soko (defender), Whiteson Changwe (defender), Robert Watiyakeni (defender), Eston Mulenga (midfielder), Derby Makinka (midfielder), Moses Chikwalakwala (midfielder), Wisdom Mumba Chansa (midfielder), Kelvin “Malaza” Mutale (striker), Timothy Mwitwa (striker), Numba Mwila (midfielder), Richard Mwanza (goalkeeper), Samuel Chomba (defender), Moses Masuwa (striker), Kenan Simambe (defender), Godfrey Kangwa (midfielder), Winter Mumba (defender), and Patrick “Bomber” Banda (striker).
In addition to the players, 7 supporting staff members and 5 crew members were also present. These were Michael Mwape (FAZ Chairman), Joseph Bwalya Salim (journalist), Nelson Zimba (public servant), Godfrey “Ucar” Chitalu, Alex Chola, Wilson Mtonga (doctor), Wilson Sakala, Colonel Fenton Mhone(pilot), Lt Colonel Victor Mubanga (pilot), Lt Colonel James Sachika (pilot), Warrant Officer Edward Nambote (fitter), and Corporal Tomson Sakala (steward).
Except they never arrived.
References
Editor 2. (2020, April 27). THE CLASS OF 1993: Zambia remembers national team that perished in plane crash | Zambian Eye. Zambian Eye. https://zambianeye.com/the-class-of-1993-zambia-remembers-national-team-that-perished-in-plane-crash/
Wilson, J. (2012, January 18). The day a team died: A tragedy for Zambian football. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/the-day-a-team-died-a-tragedy-for-zambian-football-6291475.html
Our Team Vision
As a group, our vision is diving deep into the research of the Chipolopolo plane crash and the effects it had on the Zambian team in terms of being able to rejoin and how their reputation crashed along with it in the eyes of the public. Additionally, we were open to explore the social, political, and global aftermath of the tragic incident as well. We believe covering this event sheds light on how the Zambian national sports team was initially flourishing until a highly conspired crash largely impacted their nation from entering any sports related competitions.
The questions we planned to focus on answering this project are how the death of the Zambian National football team affected the country socially and how it also impacted the political and general sports atmosphere in the country. We further planned to explore how the sports scene in Zambia was before the crash and how it changed after the incident. On top of that, our group touched upon how the crash affected more than just Zambians but several other countries in order to emphasize the solidarity aspect of sports. Lastly, we also mention the legacy that has remained decades after the tragedy and how the Chipolopolo teams are always compared to the team that passed away.
In this team, we are a trio of women known as Katongo Lungu, Tasmia Belal, & Chileleko Sibayumba. We believe we have achieved in creating a wonderful visionary piece that breaks down the history, the remnants, and legacy of the National Zambian Football Team.