Shine engages four football fans from four African countries, each expressing their love for football through different forms of labour, creativity, and community-building.
By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku
The 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is underway in Morocco, with 24 teams—now down to 16—playing for the trophy, the glory, and the US$10 million cash prize. This year’s Official Match Ball is inspired by Morocco’s ancient zellij art, known for its intricate geometric mosaics, and symbolises the unity and shared passion of African football across the continent. It is that collective devotion to football that is captured in Shine (2024), a Guinness Matchday production directed by Nigerian filmmaker, Nora Awolowo.
Shine engages four football fans from four African countries, each expressing their love for football through different forms of labour, creativity, and community-building. But the documentary places less emphasis on the individual identities of its subjects and more on what they represent: a continent-wide and even worldwide network of fans and lovers of football, supporting the sport and their chosen clubs with the talents they have and whatever resources they can muster up.
While the documentary subjects acknowledge the challenges they often encounter in following their passion, especially considering the continent’s economic and social realities, they’re more interested in reminiscing on how they discovered football and in sharing the joys and pleasures of supporting the beloved sport and their favourite teams.
In Ghana, Big Joe serves as the Patron for Porcupine Tertiary, an influential student supporters’ club for the famed Asante Kotoko SC, providing guidance and support, both financial and logistical. From Nigeria, sports journalist, Suo Chapele, has garnered fame and respect as Africa’s first female pidgin English sports commentator, working for reputable platforms like Wazobia FM and SuperSport.
Tanzania’s Ujuguhapa owns and runs Ujugu Arena, a popular football shed in Dar es Salaam that launched just as COVID-19 hit. And in Kenya, Toby Suba, a.k.a. Toby Ja Choir, supports Gor Mahia FC as a singer, cheering on the club alongside his group, “Tasia Crew”, even when the fans in the stands are frustrated with the state of play.
Football is undeniably a male-dominated field, and even in the documentary, female supporters are in the minority. Still, Awolowo, a female director herself, zooms in on the women and stresses their participation and contributions. “I will go do my hair, for instance, and I will be the person who tells hairdressers to switch to sports to get a game,” says Chapele, “and before you know it, the salon will erupt, because all of us are discussing. Even if the babes will be arguing about … wives and girlfriends and whatnot, of footballers, it doesn’t matter because it is a football conversation that spreads into other parts of our lives”.
Runtime: 27 minutes
Shine is available to stream on Showmax.
Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku is a writer, film critic, TV lover, and occasional storyteller writing from Lagos. She has a master’s degree in law but spends most of her time watching, reading about and discussing films and TV shows. She’s particularly concerned about what art has to say about society’s relationship with women. Connect with her on X @Nneka_Viv