Changing the African story: An Ideological critique and reflections from a 22 years multiple engagement in international Sport for Development Peace (SDP).

Realistic criticism that questions whether international Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) projects have delivered development to the intended target groups particularly in the so called ‘Global south’ (Mwaanga and Adeosun, 2017). On the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) side, there are resounding fears that SDP will end up as another failed development intervention, a label which has become synonymous with international development aid project. Additionally, SDP as new field seems to continue the propagation of the SSA (mis)conceptions and doom-laden scenarios that co-create Africa and Africans as children whose survival depends on the charity of others i.e. ‘dependency syndrome’.
Indeed, contemporary SDP scholars (e.g., Hayhurst, 2009; Spaaij, 2012; Giulianotti, 2004; Banda and Mwaanga, 2014) are starting to critique the capacity and credibility of the SDP projects claims to deliver development outcomes. The marginalised and misrepresentation of the Sub-Saharan African story in the international SDP development project is apparent and is arguably one of the fundamental reasons why SDP is failing to deliver development. This paper asserts that stories are crucial in the redemption of SDP as an authentic international development alternative. However, identifying who tells the dominant stories and which stories are told and untold about development and SSA is imperative. This paper proposes ideological critique as a worthwhile methodology to debunk the neo-colonial ideology underpinning and framing all SDP stories and practices. To contextualise the application of ideological critique methodology, this paper draws upon my 22 years SDP experiences from my multiple engagement as an activist, practitioner, innovator and academic.