Didier Drogba, whose full name is Didier Yves Drogba Tébily, was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Drogba's religion is a matter of speculation. However, significant evidence points to him being Roman Catholic.
First of all, Drogba's home country–The Ivory Coast–is a former French colony and as such, much of the culture of that country is influenced by France, which is predominantly Roman Catholic. Approximately one-third of the residents of The Ivory Coast are Catholic.[1]
Second of all, Drogba is cited as having worn a T-Shirt that read "Lord Jesus" during an interview regarding the 2006 World Cup.[2] Plus, if you watch him closely during football matches, he can sometimes be spotted making the sign of the cross when he scores a goal.[3]
An influence on African politics
Drogba's country is one of almost constant violence, strife, and war. Drogba has tried to use his fame and influence in that country for peace. At one point, in 2005, after a match with Sudan, Drogba got on his knees on live television and begged the warring factions in The Ivory Coast to stop fighting.[4]
And though he is now a football darling in Europe, Drogba still speaks out in sorrow for the suffering of his countrymen. In 2010, when a tenuous peace was broken in The Ivory Coast, Drogba said:
I feel very bad and frustrated with what is going on in Cote D'Ivoire at the moment. It's deplorable. We're in an unprecedented difficult situation… and I think it is unfortunate to find ourselves in this kind of impasse again after all our sufferings. We spent the last 10 years in difficult crises, and going into November 28 presidential elections, we felt we were coming out to know true peace, but it seems our thoughts were wrong.[5]
Perhaps it will be the people who care, like Drogba, who help drag Africa out of its violent and tragic ways, but it seem unlikely that it will be anytime soon.
Loading comments...