A Miami art exhibit is celebrating Africa's soccer legacy throughout the World Cup

MIAMI (AP) — A photo of Vinicius Junior celebrating a goal with one fist in the air was mounted near the entrance of the art exhibition, right next to an acrylic piece of a woman’s dreadlocks suspended in air as she heads a soccer ball.

A replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy was encased in glass nearby, surrounded by images, paintings and flags that document generations of African soccer dreams and stories. All of it is part of an exhibition celebrating Africa’s deep connection to soccer during the World Cup.

“This is what art is about," said Alfonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, a foundation showcasing African and diaspora art. “Art has always been a platform to foster peace and understanding and give voice to those that can’t speak for themselves. “This is the necessary part we feel the need to do with AfriKin.”

Brooks — a longtime sound engineer turned art curator — spent about six months putting together the exhibition, titled “Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage,” which opened in Miami ahead of the start of the World Cup. The collection by more than 50 artists from 25 nations traces soccer's role in the continent's history, while celebrating some of the game's most influential figures from the late Pelé to French star Kylian Mbappe.

All 10 African nations competing in the World Cup are represented and celebrated, with special tributes to Cape Verde. The small nation off the western coast of Africa pulled off one of the most stunning upsets of the tournament with a draw against Spain in its World Cup debut. AfriKin plans to hold a ceremony honoring Cape Verde on Saturday night before it faces Uruguay in a group stage match in Miami on Sunday.

With the World Cup bringing tens of thousands of fans to Miami, Brooks and participating artists wanted to carve out a space for the African community to gather and celebrate its culture throughout the tournament.

“Miami is a huge melting pot,” said Tasanee Durrett, a 31-year-old Orlando-based artist. “We have the Latin (residents), we have Haitian and the Caribbean, we have so many different influences. And so now that we have this voice, we have this platform, why not speak to it?”

The beautiful game, ‘a beautiful spirit’

Brooks was born in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten and moved to Miami in 2008. His love for the game stems from its humble roots in Africa, where he remembers young children kicking around soccer balls — or any circular objects they could find — in school corridors, living rooms or concrete streets.

"This is where you get the term ‘the beautiful game,’” he said, “because it required nothing but a beautiful spirit.”

The exhibition reflects that simplicity with windows into the intimacy of those neighborhood pitches, as well as nods to the global scale of the sport, which unites people of different backgrounds, races and languages.

Bamazi Talle, a Columbus-based artist from the West African nation Togo, tells that story through paintings of the calabash, a large, woody gourd that holds deep cultural significance in Africa. The fruit is used in meals or hardened to make bowls and vessels for carrying water and food, but it is also a cultural symbol of community and hospitality.

Talle paints the gourds floating against the flags of nations competing in the World Cup. For him, the history of the fruit coincides with the unifying spirit of the tournament.

“Calabash became one (thing) that united all of us,” Talle said. “And this cup, this World Cup is, I think, this celebration of all of us coming together.”

Durrett, another artist who is also a licensed architect, honors Black women in soccer with a pair of acrylic pieces, including one titled “A Beautiful Game” of the woman head butting the ball.

She began drawing people years ago as a therapeutic outlet and is passionate about highlighting underrepresented communities.

“I hope that they see the stories that are being told through the artists,” said Durrett, who does mostly canvas pieces in one single line. “And I hope they see themselves in these stories.”

'Hidden Africa' throughout the World Cup

Other nations like France, Belgium and England are also included in the exhibition in what Brooks calls “Hidden Africa.” He came up with the term to describe teams that include players of African heritage who were born or developed in European countries.

He hopes to show the African diaspora's links throughout tournament field, while also sparking conversations of identity, immigration and the many factors that can affect a player's choice in what country they represent.

“I’m not just showing a football and putting up some pretty pictures or goals,” Brooks said. “No, we want to have a story that people can actually come in, read and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this.’ People must learn from the exhibition.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup