Once again, one of the biggest events of the year took place trumping all those that passed and are yet to come. The ever so anticipated Simba vs. Yanga rematch was finally held, a match superior to its predecessors for the value of each goal was increased. No longer was this simply a friendly between middle-aged men and some young lion cubs. Rather, the middles-aged men were finally in shape, the cubs numerous this time and faster than ever (of course, our now fit uncles can ALMOST keep up). It was a much hyped event which for the most part ran smoothly, and Yanga come out with a win. Alas, not every ship has smooth sailing. What I saw to be the biggest hurdle in this race was the fact that we East Africans as well as Africans as a whole just do not seem to know how to KEEP TIME.

The players for the event were to meet up at the Angus Glen Community Centre soccer pitch at 3:00 PM on Saturday, June 13, 2015 for a one hour warm up, followed by kick-off at 4:00 PM. I am not a soccer fan so I could care less about participating, but rather being the journalist for the event, I had to be there. Having had to go for my volunteer job, my family was not able to leave the house until 4:30 PM for that was the time I returned.

We then had to drive to pick my Uncle Ocir, a player in the match, who is my first example of latecomers. People like my uncle dwell in downtown Toronto and believe that they do not need to own vehicles for they believe everything they need is accessible by foot or bike, a belief proven wrong for he had committed to the soccer match up in my humble town of Markham. My mother hassled him for his late arrival only to find out he was not the only latecomer.

Upon arrival at the pitch at around 5:00 PM, our eyes feasted upon the barren wasteland that was the pitch. Little to no one was there, only about 5 players from each squad. I was upset the most at the discovery, for it meant my reporting of the game was to be postponed for the match was not as serious as originally intended. The match ended up starting at around 6:00 PM, the time the match was to be over. Luckily, our referee decided to stay longer to see the game to the end which was played by fewer than the required numbers up until about halftime when a few late arrivals joined. To make matters even worse, some team swaps took place, making it even more difficult to know whether the Yanga win was really a genuine win of something made up. Why must we Africans arrive late all the time?

I am leaning more towards the thought that Africans many years ago came up with the idea of being “fashionably late”, an idea later adapted by celebrities. Either that or we Africans are trying to copy the celebs and put upon the fashionably late act. Unless you have a 6 figure salary and have a movie to be shooting or a song to be recording, I suggest that all in our community GIVE UP THIS MENTALITY! Time is put into the preparation of all events and I do not see it fair to be seemingly showing no respect to the organizers by subliminally stating that you don’t care with numerous late arrivals. It would definitely be an embarrassment to be kicked out of a hall because we started our engagement 2 hours late now wouldn’t it?

I know it is generally a tradition Africans worldwide adhere to. It really needs to be changed in my opinion. Since when did it become okay to not arrive on time? I mean, really think about it: I would rather not attend than show up very late, missing all the fun, mourning, singing, laughing, and eating. Especially if you have food and you arrive late when everyone has eaten. Why torture us with good food brought late when we are too full to eat? I know that my own family arrived late at the pitch which makes me sound a bit hypocritical but this isn’t a habit or something we generally enjoy.

Please my community (my uncles and aunties alike), if you will not remember a single thing I wrote in this article, “go to work consistently late for 5 days in one week, and come and tell me you still have the job”, and remember this: no one likes someone who comes late. Now, when the next Simba vs. Yanga game takes place, I expect EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU LATECOMERS TO BE ON TIME! Understood? Good. Tune back in next time for some more insight into the world of Simba and Yanga.

Your Reporter

Angelous.