After three weeks of competitive action on the pitch, the curtains of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Algeria 2023 were drawn on Friday night, in an entertaining celebration prior to the final between Senegal and Morocco at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
The Algerian Republican Guard band kicked off the festivities of the closing ceremony an hour and a half before the final kicked off.
Before a series of entertainment activities, a short film titled 'The African dream' beamed on the screens. It is the story of a young child, who loved football from an early age, and his dream was to become a professional player, and a star of the continent.
He eventually achieved his dreams, and this was a perfect precursor before the final, where players from across the 11 teams that participated bear the same ambition, to move from the U17 level and create successful careers.
What was even more fascinating was that at the end of the short film, the main character walked into the manicured lawns of the Nelson Mandela Stadium, much to the applause of all in attendance.
The entertainment bit of the ceremony included Algerian musician Chemsou Freeklane who performed his song 'Afrika' before famous Maghreb music star Cheb Bilal brought the house down with one of his most famous songs Di Ayza Kalam.
