The Celebrating our Roots series is back with its second edition. This time around, New Mexico United’s Juan Aguerrevere caught up with newcomer Mukwelle “‘Kwelle” Akale after training to dive deep into his African roots and more.
Juan Aguerrevere: Thank you for taking some time after training to talk to me, ‘Kwelle. So, let’s get started! What’s your name, number and position?
Mukwelle Akale: My name is Mukwelle Akale, I’m number 11 and I play right winger, I’ll say.
JA: Cool. Where are you from?
MA: I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
JA: How was your experience growing up there?
MA: Well, a lot of people don’t know, but it’s actually a pretty big football community there. There’s a lot of Somali immigrants, a lot of Hmong immigrants and a lot of Latinos as well who you can play football with in the streets and in the parks. That’s where I grew up playing and that’s how I learned street ball.
JA: Seems like a pretty diverse community. No wonder soccer is big there. You spoke to me earlier about your roots. You have a little bit of African descent in your blood. Where is your family from?
MA: My dad is 100% Cameroonian. He was born there, then came over to us later. My mom is part Russian, part Norwegian. So I have that blood in me as well. And I was born in the U.S., so I can have many passports, but I only have two.
JA: That’s cool. You had talked to me about your dad’s side, but not your mom’s. Cameronian, Russian and Norwegian. That’s a very interesting mix! What’s it like growing up with an African father?
MA: He just follows more West African culture in terms of raising children, you know. Strict but very loving, of course. He loves the game of football. In West Africa. You know, they kill for football. So, that’s why I fell in love with the game. It was because of my dad. On a more personal level, just very… Very… what’s it called? Tough love type. So, he loves you, but he makes sure you’re doing everything right, and then you’re getting it right; whether it’s in school, on the pitch, being a good person, all of the above.
JA: Do you ever go on Wikipedia or any other website to learn more about where your dad is from? Have you done your research? How much does West African culture interest you?
MA: Well, I’ve actually been there. I was there for around ten days to get my Cameroonian passport and it was quite an experience. I mean, the food was amazing. The culture. Just seeing Africa for the first time. Wow. It was an amazing experience. But, also I’ve done my research to find out where my dad is from. We couldn’t go where my dad was from at the time because they’re saying it’s dangerous. I wish some time in the future I could visit his hometown. But yeah, when I was there was an amazing, amazing experience. I urge everybody with African roots, born in the U.S., to go back at one point in their life and visit, for sure.
JA: What did you feel when that plane landed in Cameroon? You weren’t born there, but you have some sort of attachment. It must have been a significant experience.
MA: Yeah. Low-key, I felt like a celebrity because I’m light skinned. So, everybody is looking at you like, What’s this guy? Is he Cameroonian? What is he doing here? You get those looks, but then, everyone’s still friendly. They’re looking at you because you just look different, but it’s no big deal. So, it was quite an experience to get all those people looking at you all the time. But it was fun. It was fun meeting new people. And, I don’t know if you know, but Cameroon is a half English speaking country, half French speaking country. So, my dad was raised in the English part and I don’t speak any French. So, you’ll just speak to someone who speaks fluent English and the next person only speaks French, and they’re right next to each other, so it’s quite confusing sometimes.
JA: Interesting details all around. In terms of culture, can you dive into the music you heard, the colors you saw, etc.?
MA: To be honest, the area I was in, Yaoundé, they adopted a lot of American culture. Maybe just because I was American, they were trying to show out. But they were showing me Tyga, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown music. They wore American type clothing. However, the food was very African. It was egusi soup, jollof rice, all the great food. So, that was my favorite part. It was the food for sure.
JA: Do you keep up with the Cameroonian national team? I know they have a long and colorful history.
MA: I’m pretty sure that Cameroon has five Africa Cup of Nations titles. We didn’t do well in this one. So, this one we can just throw out the window. But, I think we’re the second or first country in terms of how many cups we’ve won. So, that’s a big part of Cameroon as a national team. Everyone follows when it’s the African Cup of Nations, when it’s World Cup qualifying, and everyone knows all the players. Right now we don’t have that many big players. But, we’ve had the likes of Samuel Eto’o, a legend.
JA: Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford is a good example of a current Cameroonian player who’s been really good. He’s injured at the moment, unfortunately. But, yes. Samuel Eto’o is a legend indeed. We’re almost done here. So, to bring everything together, I’d like to hear your take on how your Cameroonian roots have shaped you into the man you are today.
MA: Oh, that’s a tough one. My Cameroonian roots made me understand that you work for what you get, right? It doesn’t matter what cards are dealt with. You can be whatever you want to be. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been to many places playing football. I’m the smallest and the lightest player every time, and many people have told me that I could not make it to the professional level. And everywhere I’ve done it, so I’m just trying to keep going further and further. I know I’ll be the smallest everywhere I go, but the ball is played on the ground, and the sport is played with the mind. The body offers tools, so if you can be smart enough, you can get anywhere. I also feel like my African roots really help because it’s football, and football is such a big part of the culture. You learn everything through football. So yeah, that’s a big part for me.
JA: The beautiful game in the most beautiful continent. And now the last question. Black History Month is here and everyone has a different interpretation of it. For me, I like to open a dialogue with family, co-workers, friends, and even you to learn, to voice opinions, etc. What is your interpretation of Black History Month?
MA: My interpretation of Black History Month is very similar to yours. It’s just a time where you can take time out of your day to learn more about black culture, black music, black food, black historical figures, and what they’ve done to shape this country, which even me, myself, being black, I can learn something every year during Black History Month. But yeah, I feel like it’s a time not just for black people, for everybody to come together and understand that it’s not just just Black History Month. There’s all these types of histories, but it’s just a time to learn about that specific part of history. So that’s what it means to me for sure.
JA: Great! Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your day!