July 9, 2014
jpnrtlanh (Observer
Page 5
Soccer Helped Refugees Survive
Tournament a window into lives
of youth from 22 countries
Crafting a handmade plastic trouble and focus on making the
soccer ball is one of the most right decisions.”
common ways that youth in refu­
Mutara says he always had
gee camps and poor communities hope for a better future, and tried
are able enjoy the sport, often in to encourage those around him
harsh conditions.
by getting them involved in sports
Eder Mutara, an organizer and such as soccer and track.
player for the Portland World Cup
“We were without shoes, balls
Soccer Tournament, was origi­ or water to drink,” he said. “I
nally from the Congo and he re­ relied on the spirits of dozens of
calls his experiences in a Zambian youth who were able to focus on
refu g ee cam p know n as something other than their imme­
Mayukwayukwa.
diate situation for a while. Even­
Many of youth who partici­ tually, I moved to America, where
pated in the tournament over the I’ve tried to use the same leader­
July 4 weekend were refugees, ship skills learned in soccer to
newcomers to both Portland and build community by organizing
the US. The competition was pre­ this large tournament through
sented by Portland Parks and Portland Parks and Recreation.”
Recreation and brought together
This was M utara’s fifth year
about 350 youth originally from as a Portland World Cup Soccer
more 22 countries.
Toumament participant. He spent
“Living in a refugee camp several years in a refugee camp
makes one resourceful. Every before moving to Portland with
day we would play with a ball we his mother, sister and six broth­
crafted from plastic bags and ers. In the fall, he will attend
twine,” Mutara says. “It was just Western Oregon University on a
as much a part of my day as scholarship. Mutara speaks seven
mealtime. The best thing about languages, wrestles, plays foot­
this type of ball is that it can be ball, soccer and plans to study
played in any kind of field such as accounting.
on dry ground, on the street, on
The tournament and its associ­
the grass field, and pretty much ated programs were meant to en­
everywhere. In my native lan­ g age
u n d e rse rv e d
and
guage we call a plastic soccer ball underrepresented immigrant and
PHOTOS COURTESY A n n D o WNING/P o RTLAND PARKS ANI) RECREATION
Tshibulundu. By playing with a refugee youth who’ve come to
Tshibulundu, I was able to keep Portland from all over the world, Eder Mutara, an organizer and player for the Portland World Cup
my mind way from thinking of representing nearly two dozen Soccer Tournament, balances a soccer ball crafted out o f plastic
bags and twine. Mutara, originally from the Congo, played with
not having enough food and pure ethnicities and cultures.
homemade soccer balls ju s t like this (as did many tournament
water. I was able to stay out of
The event was an important
players) during his years in a Zambian refugee camp,
celebration o f diversity, family,
partnership, and integration in
Portland.
“The Portland World Cup Soc­
cer Tournament and its related
activities help foster awareness
about what our city offers for
people new to Portland - athletic,
educational, career opportunities
and more - through the interna­
tional language of football - also
known as soccer here in Port­
land,” said Portland Parks Com­
missioner Amanda Fritz..”
“The Portland World Cup Soc­
cer Tournament is about much
more than a game,” says Polo
Catalani of the Office of Equity
and Human Rights. “It’s about
investing our efforts now to em ­
brace the changing face of our
city, about integrating people new
to both Portland and the United
States into our society and our
quality of life, and about showing
them how to take part in democ­
racy.”
Catalani notes that one in five
Portlanders are now foreign-bom,
and nearly half of area public
school students belong to ethnic
m in o rity fam ilies. In m any
underserved north and east Port­
land neighborhoods, these per­
centages are even higher.
The Portland World Cup Soc­
cer Tournament helps youth get
past the challenges of being a
teen, and a newcomer to Port­
land. It fosters peace, under­
standing, and the embracing of
other cultures.
Perhaps nothing could be more
American.
THE
SPINACOLUMN
3S
An ongoing series of questions and answers about America’s natural healing profession.
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:
«r
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1
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A
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