This article is from page 54 of the 2013-05-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 54 JPG
SPORT has given plenty of joy to the Twumasi family since they moved from Ghana to Ennis 10 years ago. Brother Nicholas and William are talented GAA players with Eire Óg and Clarecastle respectively. Both have also excelled at athletics and on the soccer field. Last year 17-year-old Nicholas was part of the Avenue United team that reached the semi-finals of the under 17 National Cup. He is on the cusp of winning a Premier Division title with the Ennis club’s junior side. Nicholas dreams of playing at higher level, maybe in England or Scotland. Soccer is his favourite sport. But while sport has given Nicholas great days and memories, it has also introduced him to some of life’s uglier attitudes. Racism never encroached on the Twumasi family’s life except on the sports field. Nicholas explains, “I experienced it a lot. It got me in trouble a few times. It only stopped two years ago. I was surprised because we are all playing sports just for the fun of it. There is no need to do any of that when I haven’t done anything to you. I just lose it when things like that happen. It was players and people on the sideline.”
Dad Kwame says he too was surprised when insults were hurled at his son. He says, “They called him names when they played football. It is a game. You have to close your ears and not listen to them.”
Nicholas says he only ever experienced racism on the sports field. He explains, “That was the most difficult part, when you are playing sport and someone keeps racially abusing you. We reported it a few times but the referee would say there is nothing he could do if he didn’t hear it. With Avenue we reported it a few times and we were told there is noting we can do about it if the ref did not hear it.”
He adds, “The last time it happened, a guy started abusing me straight in front of the ref. It has died down since last year. It’s a lot easier now.”
The family moved to Ennis in 2002. After a 10-year wait, they secured citizenship last year. Kwame, a selfemployed former Dell worker, and his wife Comfort have five children and one foster child. Kwame says the family were welcomed to Ennis and enjoy their life in Ireland.
Citizenship, he says, has made it easier for the family to travel. Nicholas hope to study in England after completing his Leaving Cert. For him, citizenship didn’t come soon enough.
He says, “I couldn’t go through to ‘Football’s Next Star’ (football talent show) with Celtic because I didn’t have Irish citizenship!”