Fútbol and the native people of Costa Rica

Written by Abhinav Maitra on August 6, 2018

The Beautiful game is often used as an instrument for breaching societal boundaries, removing barriers and helping people develop physical and mental aspects of their personality and even aiding in creating a cognizance of basic human rights. Servicios de Educación y Promoción Juvenil, or commonly known as SEPROJOVEN, is a Costa Rican humanitarian organization trying to do exactly that with various projects including “Ja Dengä Bolabdtä”, which helps boys and girls of indigenous communities in the small Central American nation. We caught up with them to learn  more about their ambitious projects aimed at bringing about sustainable social change.

Sin árbitros y sin reglas estrictas” says Señor Alonso Chaves. “The games don’t have any referees or strict rules as we want the kids to develop a sense of fair play. It’s more about getting their thinking right.”

“So that the game is more free-flowing?” I ask.

“ Yes, and more than that.” says Yannik, Chaves’ translator..

I always hear football is more than a game, but since I was in the middle of a personality development class in the middle of the jungle, I was curious to go beyond the cliché.

On the 5th of July 2014, Tim Krul emerged as the unluckiest of heroes in front of a packed crowd at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil. His opposite number, Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, was bound to shed tears because the Netherlands just ended his country’s Cinderella run at the World Cup. But he didn’t. La Sele had defied the odds by securing a quarter-final berth in one of their best World Cup performances ever, narrowly missing out on a historic semi-final berth. An undeniable sense of achievement overshadowed the tinge of regret which Louis Van Gaal’s men had unapologetically handed Navas..

While the Costa Rican National team was putting on one its best shows ever on the world stage, another fútbol team from the land of Los Ticos was making similar headways in Brazil.

While the world was captivated by the World Cup, Brazil was hosting another tournament. With the help of FIFA & Street Football World, the Indigenous Cup, or The Football Festival For Hope as it is also called, attracted at least 100 humanitarian organizations around the world. In tune with FIFA’s Football for Hope programme, which serves as an initiative to protect the at-risk youth of the world, Seprojoven was among the 32 teams selected to participate in the tournament. The Indigenous Costa Rican Team wound up securing a top 10 finish with three wins, two draws, and two losses ^[3].

“It’s the participation which counts and we really emphasize on that,” says Chaves, who has worked with the organization for 6 years.

The delegation leaving for Brazil had nine young men and women representing the 8 indigenous communities of Costa Rica and was headed by Roy Arias Cruz, Director of Seprojoven.

It would be unfair to say the tournament was less about football, but it stressed on creating awareness in regards to fair play, and civil behaviour and cultural exchanges. It also hosted conflict mediation workshops and created team building exercises. Wins against host Brazil, France and Australia proved to be the zenith for Seprojoven.

Costa Rica is renowned for its scenic beauty and its coffee. Key statistics show Costa Rica is the most visited nation among its neighbours with people thronging from all around the world to witness breathtaking flora and fauna and to take part in a huge array of adventure activities. It has even been listed as one of the 10 most ethical destinations of developing world, in 2011. Fútbol, however, has a special place in the country’s heart. And for people associated with Seprojoven, fútbol and adventure has become a part of day-to-day life.

“It would sometimes take hours of trek to reach the villages, some of them are very remote, we would camp if we couldn’t make it before dusk as conditions would become unsuitable and even worsen if the weather turned violent,” said Jeremy, a social worker from Germany who has worked with Seprojoven. “Then there are [the] animals to watch out for like snakes. A bite can almost cost you your life since the nearest clinic, let alone hospital, is least 2-3 miles away.

Jeremy explains that his time spent in Costa Rica has been both enriching and eye-opening.

“Most of the families we came across were poor, working as farmers or in coffee plantations getting meagre wages and it has been like this for many years with little in terms of improvement happening,” Jeremy says.

Seprojoven works with at least 7-8 ethnic groups around Costa Rica, creating awareness about issues like health care, education and sports– especially fútbol. Culturally speaking, most of these tribes have been influenced by the Mesoamerican tribes of Central America.

When Gil Gonzalez Davila, the Spanish explorer, first laid his eyes on Costa Rica during the early years of the 16th century, all he  saw was gold, which is the reason he named the land ‘Rich Coast’. As the Conquistadors started pouring in, the natives retreated into the mountains, which is where most still live today. However, between slavery, diseases, persecution and centuries of neglect, a substantial amount of the indigenous population has been lost. The one lakh ^[5] self-defined indigenous people who remain today are scattered and their voices very much subdued, according to the census.

Ja Dengä Bolabdtä which literally translates to ‘Play Ball’ comes from the Ngobe language which is used by most of the indigenous population residing in the country today.

According to Alonso, the process of identifying and engaging with the native people started almost 8 years ago when Roy sketched a rough idea of the expansive awareness initiative for helping the vulnerable communities through fútbol.

Fútbol has been part of Costa Rican society since the 19^th century. Locals claimed to have started playing since 1876. The British inhabitants around that time were influential in developing the game in the country by providing equipment and organizing matches in the early 20th century.

La Sele’s performance in the 2014 World Cup may not have been a fluke, as it falls in line with their continued development as a strong footballing nation. Los Ticos are the most successful Central American team in history, with three CONCACAF titles and four appearances at the World Cup. Costa Ricans are extremely proud of their rich footballing history and their capital city of San Jose has been an integral part of the game’s development in the country.

Seprojoven’s community development projects span the length and breadth of the country, including San Jose’s most impoverished districts like Guararí de Heredia, Los Cuadros de Purral,Leon XIII and 18 indigenous territories. However, the Ja Dengä Bolabdtä initiative mainly focuses on the indigenous Ngabe population.

“Many [Ngabe] people here work in coffee plantations where they probably get $2 for every 2 Kilograms of coffee which is pretty low,” Chaves says.

Many also work on a contract basis which provides much less in terms of job security. According to the annual poverty report by the INEC (National Institute of Statistics and Censuses), poverty and extreme poverty has gone down 1% since last year with household incomes rising in bits. The mess, however, is created when people aren’t being counted.

The Costa Rican Government hesitates in giving natives full citizenship, and although it has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ratified the ILO Convention 169, it still denies any right to self-determination of the indigenous people. This virtually means  that natives receive very little in terms of social services provided by the government. Furthermore, border issues with Panama make matters worse because many people are trapped in a no man’s land between the two nations, which means they are shunted out of Panama and denied rights by Costa Rica. The porous border has been an issue for decades with both governments continually shying away from taking responsibility.

These people are mainly pastoral nomads who subsistence farm for survival. Movements across the border are either for work or for better remuneration for their yields of coffee or banana.

The education system is very crude, as teachers come from cities that don’t understand the local language, which is a mix of Spanish and local dialects such as Ngäbere and Buglere

 In primary education, 80% of indigenous children study, but in secondary education, the percentage drops to almost 50% and entrance to the university world is almost nil: there are very few indigenous people in public universities.^[2]. 80% of the population still lives below the poverty line with no water or electricity.

High rates of dropout, teenage pregnancy and low pay as well as disadvantaged conditions were the major reasons Seprojoven was started in the first place. Although it was a bit of a challenge engaging with the locals, Jeremy says genuine effort and patience did the trick.

“You would have to respect their law, culture but they would become friendly once you get to know them.”

FIFA began collaborating with Seprojeven in 2015.

The world football governing body’s Football For Hope initiative was introduced in 2005 to help improve lives of young people  through the game. As the Former UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon said, “[football] is a sport of simplicity and finesse,” which further stresses the global reach and power of the game.

FIFA and Football For Hope now play a major part in providing the equipment and knowledge necessary for Seprojoven to help improve its outreach activities.

The fútbol played on the Seprojoven fields is different from the professional game. In fact, it’s similar to a game of footie in the streets between friends

“We divide the kids into groups according to their ages, especially the boys 6-12, 12-19, 19 and so on,” said Roy Arias “There is, however, no such age restriction for the girls. They can play aged anywhere from between 10-50.”

The project is somewhat skewed towards the women and so are some of Seprojoven’s other work but it is for good reason.

As the men go out to sell their yields during the agricultural season or go looking for better jobs, the women stay behind looking after the family and taking care of the land. Child marriages and early pregnancies are very much prevalent, which eventually became somewhat entwined with the culture. It not only raises serious health concerns but also endangers the community as a whole. Seprojoven takes extra initiative to provide women, young and old, health-based and social education to provide tools to combat future oppression..

In 2011, Seprojoven collaborated with the Dutch embassy to create the “Our Rules, Our Courts initiative”, to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The initiative saw more than 200 teenage girls, youth, and mothers participate from 4 socially disadvantaged communities.

The more recent “La Copa Femenina 2017” initiative carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Women, INAMU, Humboldt College and the Costa Rican Lutheran Church also focused on social awareness and space for a female dialogue that discussed patriarchal oppression.

Costa Rica has a solid ] professional football structure that includes a women’s division. The game has become embedded into the country’s culture, yet the Costa Rican FA has never reached out to help with any of the aforementioned projects.

Regular Seprojoven matches are held at least once a week , with the kids usually deciding their own positions and tactics.

“We tell them to enjoy while playing and not to exert themselves that much, as unnecessary injuries could damper the proceedings” says Jeremy.”

There are always medical coordinators on-hand for potential injuries.

Monthly tournaments are held on collaborative efforts  while there is also the yearly Indigenous Cup, which takes place on the grand stage of San Jose. The annual tournament in the capital city attracts unprecedented turnout every year, as people from all communities make it a point to be there.

“If you are a native coming to San Jose, everyone will look at you and say ‘but where are they from?’, as if there are no indigenous people in Costa Rica,” said Shanny, a young man from the indigenous community of Bribri. “In the Cup, they have made us known that we have potential, that we can do many things.

After years of neglect and discrimination, the natives have, in a way, of lost their place in Costa Rican society. There are even perceptions that no indigenous people remain in the country, which is the exact mindset Seprojoven is working on eradicating

“The football is not an end in itself,” says [insert name]. “The Cup is a tool to generate a consultation in the different indigenous territories on what kind of education they need and deserve from the point of view of human rights the young people of the indigenous communities.”^[2]

Maria Alicia Solano Aguirre is a member of the Costa Rican national team that went to the 2014 Indigenous Cup in Brazil. She  said that playing the game can save a lot of the country’s youth from getting into a muddled life of narcotics and other unsocial activities. Her goal is to graduate from a technical high school and pursue a career as a veterinarian, marine biologist or tour guide.

The Indigenous Cup receives good media attention, while Seprojoven’s collaboration with FIFA has brought other organizations–both local and international– into the frame. Most of the finances are gathered through community funding, generous donations and through government subsidies.

Changes to societal structures and behaviors take time to enact., We know all too well that success doesn’t always grab headlines, but that should never undermine the value of the effort.

Dana Gallardo, a young activist and teacher from the Ngabe community, had to survive poverty and violence through her early years of her life before she was helped by Seprojoven’s initiative. She has since participated in the 2014 Indigenous Cup, graduated from high school and is now a university student.

Deymar Moreno, another young leader and a staunch promoter of human rights from the Ngabe community, is another success story. She is also a university student.

Both girls were part t of the Ja Dengä Bolabdtä project and have participated in other Seprojoven projects like the Copa Indegina and the Liga FEM.

Rightly so, Seprojoven has been selected to participate in the Football Festival for Hope at Russia 2018, which will be held alongside the World Cup Finals. A certain Dennis Bergkamp once said, “Behind every kick of the ball there has to be a thought.” That piece of ‘thought’ can range anywhere from wanting to prove yourself, conquering your fears, to helping people realize that they can lead a better life. It really does sum up the game’s essence in many ways.  

References:

• [1]Seprojoven.org
• [2]BBC
• [3]The Tico Times
• [4]FIFA
• [5]Travel Costa Rica

About Abhinav Maitra

A football enthusiast and an ardent Manchester united fan, keen on writing about human behaviors and the power of the beautiful game to bring in subtle changes and happiness in people’s lives

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