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ittuabafarda
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Let All Of Us Cheer Him One(No He Is Not That Who You Think He Is)

Post by ittuabafarda » 27 Jul 2019, 00:39

After watching the bloodletting among my dearest old countrymen on this and other websites, I decided to look for something to lighten up my utter sadness. Why not? Every time I see brothers turning on brothers, niggaaz on niggaaz, it just bleeds my heart. I feel abandoned, desperate and downright helpless. I just found one that soothed my shattered emotion.

I was watching one of the sport channels and I heard something that lit up my eyes. That is happening in Tour de France. I discovered that one of the top 100 leaders is one of our noble neighbors from the industrious people of Eritrea. His name is Natnael Berhane. Let’s all root for this gallant young man. And y’all dear Eritreans. You know I have nothing but love for you!!! Please accept my jumping-up-and-down congratulations!!! You will never know how proud I am with what this young man, Natnael bin Berhane achieved so far. He is in my prayers that he will manage to move up the ranking when the competition is all said and done. Those who have access to this hero of the colored, please tell him how proud I am of him and remind him that his great uncle Abebe Bikila won the Marathon on barefoot and crashing the world record on the way. Tell him that this septuagenarian who is in the sunset part of his life on this good earth has challenged him to bring to hardware home in the next tour. As of today my prayers are being answered. He has moved up to by 9 places. I hope and pray that by the time the tour concluded he may move up by leaps and bounds!!! Get'em tiger!!!!!! Insha' Allah!!!

ittuabafarda
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Re: Let All Of Us Cheer Him One(No He Is Not That Who You Think He Is)

Post by ittuabafarda » 27 Jul 2019, 00:41

Please make that headline as: Let of all us cheer him on....

ittuabafarda
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Re: Let All Of Us Cheer Him One(No He Is Not That Who You Think He Is)

Post by ittuabafarda » 27 Jul 2019, 22:00

That pride of the colored, Natnael bin Berhane has moved up in the ranking by leaps and bounds from 98th just two days ago to the 68th place a few minutes ago. There is still one more day to go until it ends tomorrow. Such moving up in the ranks in just a matter of a day or two shows how smart and strong willed this young man is. Let's all cheer him up and pray for him. This shows that it will be just a matter of few years before heroic black cyclists from the Horn of Africa most probably from our noble neighbors of Eritrea bring the coveted jersey home, sweet home. Why not? If you look at history of the Olympics there were no winners from black Africa in the 1952 and 56 competitions, not even in the top 20 place. But in the 1960 Marathon in Rome? Bam!!! Bam!!! Boom Shakalaka in Your Face!!! Nothing but Gold Baby!!! You watch!!!

Dear Young Man,

Even though you did not win any one of the jerseys, please rest assured that you are a winner for me. I am ecstatically proud of you. You are my hero forever and ever!!! For a young man you have been carrying the pride of every stubborn, beyond-repair Afro-centrists like this septuagenarian on your tender shoulders. You did extremely well!!! 58th place out of 155 competitors? You can't beat that for me, at least for now!!!!

Congratulations!!!

Cigar
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Re: Let All Of Us Cheer Him One(No He Is Not That Who You Think He Is)

Post by Cigar » 27 Jul 2019, 22:38

Firsts of all, I would like to thank you for your praise you gave Nathaniel Berhane.
Secondly the tour is not like marathon or 100, 200, 5000, 10000 meters, individual sport.
It is a team sport and every individual cyclist has a specific task to do.
That is why they drop way back after doing their specific job.
In other words the teams chose who amongst their cyclists they want to be their specific point winner and then they give the others tasks which can help him be the winner.
There is no way any cyclist can predict that he can win it all.
So, the first two black Africans (Eritreans) to ever compete in the 100 years history of the tour are team supporters just like the other 100 plus white cyclists who are in it. They didn't sign their contracts as the overall winners and even if they want to win it all, their coaches won't let them. They are hired for specific task.
So, at this stage or years, it is very hard for an Eritrean, any other black African or the overwhelming numbers of those white cyclists to be picked by their team's coaches to go for it.
It is going to be as supporting individual cyclist and if they win a specific Jersey (like Danny did 2 or 3 years ago...poka dot jerssy) on the way, it is a plus.
Besides we as Africans have a long way to go to dominate the tour de France.
And that is why Eritrea needs real challenge in the African competitions. It is an 11 consecutive years African championship. And this is not healthy for African cycling, even though as an Eritrean, I take it any time.
But for the sport sake, we need other African bros and sisters to pick it up and it can even help Eritrea to improve more than what it is now. If not, Eritrea might take it for granted and stop trying hard and the sport could easily die.

ittuabafarda
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Re: Let All Of Us Cheer Him One(No He Is Not That Who You Think He Is)

Post by ittuabafarda » 28 Jul 2019, 00:09

Dear Near Neighbor Cigar:

I understand the tour is a team competition. For me it does not matter as long as I see this very brave young man's ranking all the way to the top. It is a matter of time to see a team with black cyclists playing critical roles will wear the coveted jersey sooner if not later. I had noticed myself the extent of obsession the folks in Eritrea had for cycling the last and only time I was there on vacation along with my Middle Eastern classmate. For the most part we stayed in Asmara but a noble Eritrean who we befriended in that city was so gracious to show us the town of Keren for a day. He was a Muslim and had a 2nd family/home there. He was a merchant. That was during the later part of the 1960's. Then we went back to Addis(Finfine) by the other way around. I still remember the killer Espressos and lattes they make in Asmara. I hope someday before my last day on this good earth, I will go there to visit, with my grandchildren in tow. Insha'Allah!!!

I hope the culture of cycling will be accepted and spread in all over Africa. It took Obbo Abebe Bikila to win the Marathon for others like in Kenya to wake up and 'run with it' in gusto. If this young man moves up the ranking, say the top three that would be more than enough to shake up, jolt up the youth of the continent especially those who live in the highlands of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya.

I will check his standing tomorrow after the tour is completed. Today he is at No. 68 and a day before that he was at No. 98. We will see where he will end up. I have read about the 'politics' of teaming before the competition. In its 100 years, there is a black man in it now? Right? When more and more black Africans start getting noticed the landscape will change. More and more of Africans are becoming middle class economically. Then it is a matter of time to get themselves noticed in every arena including this tour.

In the meantime, I would like to thank you profusely in remaining civil in your conversation with me. These days, you know, there is nothing safe in what you say!!!! If you have access to this brave young man, please tell him that he has one-heck-of-a-stubborn Afro-Centrist admirer who is proud of him. When I read the phrase 'the only black man' in the papers that makes me suffer from a serious bout of goose bumps!!!

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