With a ‘goal’ to defuse the tension triggered by the recent attacks on Africans in Greater Noida, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration will organise a friendly football match between Indian and foreign students at Knowledge Park here on Wednesday.
The match is being organised in association with Sharda University, where a number of foreign nationals study. The event will also see song and dance performances by Indian and African students.
“Africa and India have a long history of strong ties. Some unfortunate incidents should not hamper relations. Hence, we have decided to organise this event to strengthen bonding among the students,” Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate N.P. Singh told The Hindu . “Before the match, Indian students will sing an African song and the African students will sing a Hindi number,” he added.
Promoting harmony
The event will start at 4 p.m. Both the teams will have a mix of African and Indian students.
Sharda University authorities said the football match was planned after the District Magistrate asked the university to organise cultural events to promote harmony and understanding between the two communities. “There are nearly 1,400 foreign students studying in our university. Of them, nearly 500 are from Africa,” P.K. Gupta, chancellor, Sharda University, told The Hindu .
The football match is likely to be attended by diplomats from several embassies, including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan, and district administration officials.
