Godfrey Mwakikagile on to state that Mwakikagile embraced Tanzania's independence, and the independence of the African continent as a whole, with fierce pride. 'I was too young to play a role in the independence movement, but old enough to know what Mau Mau in neighbouring Kenya was all about, and who our leaders were: from Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana to Julius Nyerere in Tanganyika; from Nnamdi Azikiwe in Nigeria to Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya and Patrice Lumumba in Belgian Congo' ("Africa and the West", 2000). His experience also inspired his thinking regarding Africa and its relationship to the Western world, which led
Ghana–Nigeria football rivalry Cup qualifier taking place in 1960. However both national teams had already engaged in numerous domestic friendlies and tournaments between themselves and other nations dating back to 1950. The national teams of these two West African countries were formed while both were still protectorates of the British Empire. At that time the modern nation of Ghana was known as the Gold Coast and members of the team from Nigeria, prior to adopting their national colors of green and white, wore scarlet tops over white shorts and were known as the "Red Devils". Gold Coast's football federation, founded in 1920, was