Contributed by Nkafu Gabriel
The African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2020 to be hosted by Cameroon now has an official mascot, TARA. TARA the mascot was unveiled on Saturday night at the Yaoundé multipurpose sports complex.
Since the unveiling of the mascot, several football fans in Cameroon have been taking to social media, expressing their disappointment on the appearance of the mascot. To them, the mascot looks frightful, sick, hungry and ugly. They have also been wondering how on earth the mascot committee even came up with such in the first place.
A facebook user had this to say “A mascot should portray culture which will showcase the hosting country’s rich culture and attract more visitors to the stadium (Some people like Cameroon football because of Ngando big belle, believe it or not). A mascot should also look friendly, warm and welcoming. Just a smile on the mascot’s face brings relieve to tensed fans. The above mentioned qualities do not in any way reflect on Tara. Learn from Egypt.”
However, another facebook user thinks there is more to Tara than most of its critics can see. He says “This mascot reflects the ten regions of Cameroon. It is not an ordinary lion but an animal that announces national unity through a round balloon. Let’s respect the works of the mind.”
The last time Cameroon hosted an international football competition was in 2016 and that was the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON). The Mascot for the event was LILI. LILI from her appearance looked very happy, full of life and indeed fun to watch. Many loved LILI. Perhaps, a mascot that looks like LILI would have been a better option.
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