Fans, players and di world tori pipo go soon land for Ivory Coast for di 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, wey go kick off on 13 January.
Di tournament dey provide colourful material for photographers like Gavin Barker, wey first cover di finals for 1996.
As e prepare to travel to West Africa for im 15th Afcon, di South African don share some of im favourite fotos from im archives of di past 30 years.
1996: Hosts – South Africa, Winners – South Africa
My first Nations Cup (Afcon) no be only on top home soil but also bin clash wit start of my career. As I bin don cover few games, I bin watch di final from di stands as di FNB Stadium erupt.
However, e no be one of my own but one shot by fellow photographer Matthew Ashton wey bin best capture di post-match celebrations while e also show football role as one great leveller.
Ogbonge leaders like Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and King Goodwill Zwelithini bin all join di players for one special foto.
For one personal note, na win for my late father Clive, di den coach wey bin transform di team from strugglers for 1994 to continental champions 18 months later – unfortunately, we neva achieve dat football high again.
1998: Hosts – Burkina Faso, Winners – Cameroon
Under one new coach, my beloved Bafana Bafana bin make di final again only to lose to one excellent Egyptian team, where Hany Ramzy shine.
I love di surprise wey Ramzy dey show hia for di win and how di Egyptians dey wear South Africa kits wen dem hold up di cup – somtin wey you no dey see so often today sake of marketing and sponsor mata.
Burkina Faso be one adventure, wey showcase di challenge wey poorer kontris dey face to host dat kind big event, but also effectively launch my career as I be one of veri few photographers for di finals.
2000: Hosts – Ghana & Nigeria, Winners – Cameroon
Bifor digital cameras shake up our industry – and I sometimes dey laff today wen photographers complain about dia pitch-side connectivity – dis na one of di last tournaments wia we bin still use film.
Back for dose days, we go hurry to our hotel to heat our chemicals – sometimes for open fires if light no dey – so we go process film for one mobile dark room.
Afta we dry, di prints go enta one portable scanner wia we go pray for one clean line ontop one international dial-up modem to transfer di fotos back to Johannesburg for distribution.
Nigeria Taribo West na one colourful character, wey your lens go draw to weda to celebrate or, for dis case, downcast afa e lost di final ontop home soil to arch-rivals Cameroon – one of di fotos wey we successfully file just hours later.
2002: Hosts – Mali, Winners – Cameroon
Cameroon bin retain dia title against one strong Senegal team wey reach di World Cup quarter-finals just months later, as di Indomitable Lion sleeveless kit also dey catch eye.
Moments afta dia triumph, superstar striker Samuel Eto’o no just dey sleeveless but largely clothes-less too.
Ova two decades on, I still no get idea if na di celebrations make am strip down or fans to raid im kit – but suspect di second reason.
2004: Hosts – Tunisia, Winners – Tunisia
For one time wen African players dey populate di European leagues, Tunisia den decide to naturalise Brazilians Jose Clayton and Francileudo Santos to balance di exodus of talent.
Both bin help gbab di title for front of happy home fans and while e bin get obvious images from one final, like di trophy handover and celebrations, action pictures fit also take who come out for top.
I like dis shot as you no often capture di full force of one tackle – as Clayton bin iron out Morocco Mustapha Hadji for di final – wey spark one unconscious somersault.
2006: Hosts – Egypt, Winners – Egypt
I consider dis as di best Afcon I don cova as e assemble di best (you fit argue am) crop of talent for generations – as Egypt Mohamed Aboutrika, Ivorian Didier Drogba, Ghana Michael Essien and Eto’o all for di peak of dia powers.
Drogba and Eto’o bin go head-to-head for di quarter-finals for one of Afcon most memorable games, di two strikers convert for di shoot-out bifor evri oda player, including di goalkeepers, also score.
For 11-11, Eto’o den miss, so e leave Drogba to send di Ivorians through.
Yet di Elephants go suffer shoot-out heartbreak for di final, wit Aboutrika netting di winner afta Essam El-Hadary don save twice. Di legendary goalkeeper get one unique celebration and I also like im expression say ‘I bin tell you so’ to di 70,000 wild home fans.
2008 – Hosts: Ghana, Winners – Egypt
Egypt legend Aboutrika be di star once again, e score di only goal against Cameroon for di final, and na still shame say e neva play for Europe as I no tink say e get any African footballer wit greater big-match temperament.
Though na Essien picture I choose.
One decent celebration foto e fit be, but e bin dey really reference how dem dey criticise di Black Stars during di tournament – namely, say di Ghanaian bin dey carry im team-mates on im back.
2010: Hosts – Angola, Winners – Egypt
As di Pharaohs bin triumph once again, I sabi say to capture Hassan Shehata and Ahmed Hassan go dey vital sake of say dem bin just win three straight titles as coach and captain.
I bin surprise for how emotional Shehata bin dey dat moment as e bin reveal little afta di 2006 and 2008 successes.
Hassan na im inspirational captain and afta Egypt late winner bin sink one youthful Ghana for di final, dis feel like one papa-pikin moment between two men wey be say pipo fit no fit match dia achievements.
2012: Hosts – Gabon & Equatorial Guinea, Winners – Zambia
Some tins just meant to be.
For 1993, di plane wey dey take di Zambia squad to one World Cup qualifier for Senegal bin crash off di coast of Gabon, and kill evribodi wey dey inside.
Just under 30 years later, di Chipolopolo bin honour dia memory for di best way as di outsiders win dia first Afcon title for di Gabonese capital.
Dey bin do am wit few stars and one astute tactician wey be coach Herve Renard. Dis shot by staff photographer Sydney Mahlangu perfectly capture di Frenchman passion, one ingredient key to im success.
2013: Hosts – South Africa, Winners – Nigeria
Na always one challenge to get one good wide-angle shot of di victorious coach for di final whistle as squad players and assistant coaches normally stream enta di pitch and block clear shot.
Luckily, Nigeria Stephen Keshi bin already dey for pitch wen di whistle blow, so e allow me to capture im wry smile.
For me, di tournament na more about am dan di team – sake of say di late coach bin inspire one Nigeria side witout di abundant talents of di past to unexpectedly win di title.
2015: Hosts – Equatorial Guinea, Winners – Ivory Coast
Dis foto of Ghana finalist Afriyie Acquah wey chop beating na moment of raw emotion.
I bin get di difficult task of trying to get di final man of di match to look happy while e dey receive im award, but e bin continue to look ground and shake im head.
Di moment bin get to am and seconds later, e bin scream im tears into im shirt – briefly, I feel like make I dey cry wit am.
2017: Hosts – Gabon, Winners – Cameroon
Afta Libya withdraw as hosts, Gabon bin welcome di continent back.
Pre-dating di introduction of VAR, dis image fit dey considered one ‘home-town’ decision as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang flight bin convince di referee say e dey fouled by Burkinabe goalkeeper Herve Koffi.
Despite di result goal, Gabon bin fail to go beyond di group stage, and leave inexperienced Cameroon side to lift dia fifth title.
2019: Hosts – Egypt, Winners – Algeria
Security worry bin mean say Egypt for 2019 na veri different experience to di joy of di 2006 finals on top di same soil.
For di opening game photographers bin get dia drinks confiscated, e mean say my four staff members and me bin dey dehydrate for one 40 degree heat.
Two days earlier I bin dey England dey cova di Cricket World Cup, dey wonder weda to get my morning coffee wit normal or almond milk, wey illustrate di changing terrain of sports photographer.
I bin dey look for dis type of foto for sometime- namely, how players react to di veri final whistle – as di Algerians dey celebrate while Senegal Mbaye Diagne kneel down for floor.
2021: Hosts – Cameroon, Winners – Senegal
Afta I bin don slip one disc wey cover di semi-final, my younger staff photographer bin run around di pitch dey get dia images while I bin take refuge for di media centre wit one long lens.
Di tribune fotos bin give different perspective of di defining moment as Sadio Mane bin start im celebration run afta e score during di shoot-out to seal Senegal first triumph.
Mane win bin mean say e pip di Egypt of im former team mate Mo Salah of Liverpool to di title, and now I wonder – who we go capture on 11 February wen di next Nations Cup final dey decided?
