That was why he was mourned like a global superstar and hero that he was.
The Clay-to-Ali name change involving the late American entertainer reminds one of the tale of one African slave called Kunta Kinte.
Kinte was born around the 1750s in the Mandinka village of Juffure in the present-day the Gambia.
One day in 1767, according to history, while Kunta was searching for wood to make a drum for his younger brother.
Four men chased him around and surrounded him and took him captive.
Kunta was later drugged or tranquilized and he later woke up to find himself blindfolded, gagged, bound and a prisoner!
He and others were put on the slave ship, the so-called Lord Ligonier, for a four-month long voyage to North America.
Millions like him (mostly Africans) were victims of this human trafficking across the oceans, a millennial crime against humanity.
Unlike Mohammad Ali who singlehandedly changed his official name to demonstrate his attachment to the Islamic faith and scornfully repudiating a ‘slavish heritage’, Kunta Kinte had doggedly rejected the change of his African name to a foreign servile one even when he was being tortured and ordered to pronounce his ‘new’ name.
He was forced to say his new name but he kept repeating his traditional African name forcing the slave masters to torture him.
He tried to escape on a number of occasions but was caught and brought back to servitude.
For daring to escape to freedom in the storied slavery days he had the front half of his right foot cut off!
Kunta Kinte remains an African hero who bore his real old name to the grave.
Like Ali he rebelled against the slavery establishment in America and like Rosa Parks and others whose determination, fearlessness and defiance paved the way for the egalitarian society existing in the States today he would always be remembered.
Back home in Nigeria recently the news spread like wild fire of the sudden death of the former Super Eagles Captain and Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi reportedly from heart attack in Benin City!
Keshi had lost his dear wife and mother of his children late last year and he obviously had not recovered fully from that sad event.
Keshi was an internationally-recognised soccer tactician and trainer who had taken his coaching skills to countries like Mali and Togo; he qualified the two West African national teams for the world cup!
He assumed his duty as the Super Eagles coach and gave a good account of himself by winning the Nations Cup of 2013.
He achieved continental fame as the only second African, living or dead, to have won the Nations Cup as both a Captain and Coach.
The first to set the record was the former Egyptian national team Coach Hassan Shehata.
Keshi would be remembered for his passion for the job; passion for football and patriotism.
Just days after the official demise of Keshi was announced another former national team coach, Shuaibu Amodu, kicked the bucket in his Benin city home.
The late Amodu made name for himself during his days as the coach of the Benue Cement Company (BCC) Lions in Gboko Benue State.
From there he rose to become the Super Eagles chief coach and achieved a lot.
He did his patriotic part to reposition the Super Eagles in a difficult environment when working under the NFA (or NFF) management meant unsafe contract, political intrigues and wild expectations.
Those at the helm of the soccer administration body preferred (and still prefer) foreign coaches to the local ones — a preference that gave them some leverage over some contracts and subsequent kickbacks.
I remember watching a live soccer match inside the Onikan Stadium in Lagos in the early 90s involving the BCC Lions from Gboko and the defunct Stationery Stores of Lagos.
Amodu was the head coach then. That was when the football league in Nigeria was on top of its glory.
During that organized period you had great clubs like Rangers International of Enugu, Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri, Julius Berger of Lagos, Ranchers Bees of Kaduna, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Abiola Babes of Abeokuta and Flash Flamingoes of Benin City etc. competing for national honour and glory of the sport.
Today the professional football league in Nigeria has transformed itself into a shadow of herself much like Nigeria itself!
A disunited nation broken morally, socially, economically and politically by the fault of ours.
Things have fallen apart, dear compatriots, and the house is about to fall on everyone’s head!
To Ali, Amodu, Keshi and Kinte we can only melancholily say: farewell to legends at home and abroad!
We shall miss you all.
Our black pride and power would, however, always be rekindled by your sporting exploits and distinguished careers.
Fare thee well big brothers!
May the Supreme Being in His heavenly Kingdom, despite our collective generational ‘sin’ as sons and daughters of Adam, find a place to accommodate your souls!
Sunny Chris Okenwa, soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr
