Ubuntu

What unites us makes us strong, lets strengths become stronger and weaknesses take a back seat. The sport that unites all continents equally is soccer and the effects associated with soccer on the economy, sports, politics and society are not only enormous, but move everyone. In the happiness of victory and in the pain of defeat, which usually spurs and inspires to do even better in the future.

Around the world, soccer is the main way to bring people together for a common purpose. Africa is increasingly becoming the focus of public interest in this regard, and soccer players from Africa are not only the ambassadors of a beautiful game, but the links of their countries of origin to the important markets of this world. A good reason for the Hidden Treasures of Culture GmbH in Berlin and the German Football Ambassador e. V. in 2024 on the suggestion of H. E. Youngor Sevelee Telewoda, the Ambassador of Liberia in the Federal Republic of Germany, to give importance to the significance of soccer for the development of relations of Europe and Africa not only in the field of sports through a special initiative. "Ubuntu" is the idea that moves us here.

But what is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is an African philosophy practiced mainly in the South, based on the communal idea that man is part of a whole and that the individual can neither be happy nor satisfied if everyone else is doing badly. All interested institutions and networkers are cordially invited to take up this idea for mutual benefit and to contribute with their own initiatives.

The Events – Berlin

In November 2024, the first event will start on German territory. This will involve the formation of teams of 3 or 4 men and women competing against each other in penalty shootouts. The teams could, for example, be made up of the in-house teams of the German Bundestag and the German Federal Foreign Office, as well as of Berlin clubs from Hertha BSC, 1. FC Union Berlin, Viktoria Berlin or 1. FC Afrisko - the first African soccer club in Germany. Other special guests could include the Liberian President, World Cup winner and penalty-kick legend Andreas Brehme (patron), and other well-known personalities such as current or former national goalkeepers (Merle Frohms, Kevin Trapp or "penalty-killer" Harald Schumacher, etc.) or players (e. g. Alexandra Popp, Nia Künzer, Torsten Frings, etc.) to attract media attention. A selection of well-known Liberian soccer players could also be flown in to honor the event. The president of the non-profit association Deutscher Fußball Botschafter e. V., Roland Bischof, has already been persuaded to actively support the project in a leading role and with his network. The association's strategic partners are the German Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe Institute.

The Events - Monrovia

At the subsequent event in the capital Monrovia, Liberia will not only host its German friends, but also its neighboring countries Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast, which are to be integrated into the soccer event. To this end, for example, a three-day training camp for young people could be organized, led by a German soccer ambassador with experience in Africa (e. g. former national coaches such as Gernot Rohr, Otto Pfister, etc.). Here, too, it would be a good idea to have small teams of both sexes compete against each other in penalty shootouts. A skill course could also be set up especially for the youngsters, consisting of various stations and emphasizing the playful character. The children could compete against each other and the results would be determined, for example, by a laser system, which could then remain in Liberia (e. g. in a school) as a host gift.

Business & Sport

It is readily known that sports create tremendous economic movements. However, the aim of the initiative is to go beyond advertising and marketing to establish, deepen and advance economic relationships based on mutual interests. On a large and small scale.