Out of many, one people

The feeling of connection to your home country while living miles away is one that many students in Canada feel. But it’s about more than just community — it‘s about pride and identity, says 20-year-old Daniel Davis.

Jamaica’s national motto is “Out of Many, One People,” which pays tribute to the multiracial roots of Jamaica and connects them all under one flag.

“When you come up to Canada where it’s so much larger in so many aspects, you carry this tiny little island on your back,” said Davis. “And you’re like: ‘look at what we can do.’”

Davis, who avidly follows the Olympics, says that the international competition is a major event in his household.

“One time, we went camping, and my family set up a little stream just so that we could watch the races as they were happening,” he said.

But the pride that comes with being Jamaican intersects Davis’ Canadian identity, as well. In an infamous moment from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Jamaican track star Usain Bolt was neck-and-neck with Canadian Andre De Grasse. The two shared smiles with each other as they ran across the finish line, a heartwarming moment for viewers all over the world.

“It was a huge thing for me personally because it’s Canada and Jamaica looking at each other like that,” Davis said. “My mom printed out that picture and posted it in her cubicle at work.”

‘We don’t leave them hanging’

For siblings Altaaf and Roehie Nanhekhan, who have been attending high school in Ontario for two and half years now, soccer is the sport, and Suriname is the team. Although the South American country has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, following the team is not about substantive victories for the two.

“Coming from a [developing] country such as Suriname, playing against Canada and the Canadian superstar Alphonso Davies, it’s a huge thing for [Suriname],” said Altaaf.

“An honour,” added Roehie.

When it comes to supporting a smaller country that doesn’t often make it to the world stage, the Nanhekhans say that ongoing support is key from the country’s fans.

“You should expect that they will win and lose. It doesn’t matter whether they lose, you just keep supporting them until they get back on track,” said Roehie. “We don’t leave them hanging.”

A force for peace

Simon Darnell, an expert in sport development and peace at the University of Toronto, explains that sport is organically connected to culture and national pride. But instead of deepening nationalism and conflict between nation-states, the love for sport can promote global peace and unity.

“We don’t have many cultural forms that go around the world as easily as sport,” said Darnell. “And when people get into sports, they tend to be really into it. It produces a passion, an interest. It has a deep emotional and cultural resonance for people, and it’s something you can be a part of your whole life, as a player, or a coach or a fan.”

Sports aren’t inherently popular though, says Darnell. The universality of sport is a result of particular social, political and economic forces for various reasons, including promoting nationalism, and gaining power and money.

“If we want sport to be a force for peace, we have to organize it with that in mind,” said Darnell. “We could play a game, and we can both have that experience of that game. And in so doing, we will know ourselves as more similar than different. It has to be done purposefully.”

Despite the nationalistic undertones of international sporting events, many Canadians choose to take these events as opportunities to celebrate the diversity within Canada and the intersection of their identities.

“We’re all over here in Canada now. We have two teams to support now,” said Altaaf.