Africans, Arabs or Amazigh - wetin be di real identity of Moroccans?

Di World Cup for Qatar come wit plenti suprises, excitement, sadness , and questions.

From di controversial decision to give Qatar di privilege to host di event even though dem no get beta human rights record, to di very last moment wen di Emir of Qatar put Arab cloth for di shoulders of Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi, wen im wan lift di trophy on Sunday.

But e get one controversy and question wey attract little or no attention outside North Africa.

Di question na how you go describe Moroccan team? Di Atlas Lions wey shock di whole world wit dia performance.

Dem ask dis question sake of di brilliant performance of record breaking Morocco as dem make beta progress for di tournamnent afta dem beat ogbonge teams like Spain, Portugal.

Di "first Arab" or "African" team to reach di semi-final? By culture many Moroccans see demsefs more as Arabs Pan Africans - and some sub-Saharan Africans for Morocco, complain say racist attitudes no dey far from di surface.

But comments wey Moroccan winger Sofiane Boufal make afta dia World Cup victory over Spain bring up di argument about di continental identity of di kontri.

Im thank "all Moroccans all over di world for dia support, to all Arab pipo, and to all Muslim pipo. Dis win na for una."

Afta dem drag and para for am ontop social media, e go Instagram to apologise as im no mention di African continent wey dey back di team - wey show for one stage wen Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari say Morocco don "make di entire continent proud wit dia grit and dexterity".

Afta di dragging Boufal post say: "I also dedicate di victory to you of course. We dey proud to represent all our brodas for di continent. TOGEDA."

Di palava na sake of recent efforts by di monarch to encourage closer ties wit di rest of di African continent.

"Africa na my home, and I dey come back home," King Mohammed VI tok for 2017 as dem re-admit Morocco to di Africa Union afta 30-years absence sake of katakata about di dragging of territory of Western Sahara.

Dis reconcilliation don allow business links to flourish, especially wit West Africa.

But Morocco na also member of di Arab League - so officially dem belong to di two cultural groups.

While di adjective "African" to describe Morocco na geographical fact, di use of "Arab" don also separate many Moroccans wey no identify demsefs like dat.

Morocco get substantial population of Berbers, or Amazigh as dem prefer pipo to call dem like dat - some estimate say na almost 40% of di kontri population of more dan 34 million.

One major Amazigh language - Tamazight – don dey recognised as official language wit Arabic.

But controversy don dey for di mata long time ago. Immediately afta Qatar get di right to host di 2022 World Cup, dia media framed di event as "Victory for Islam and pan-Arabism", as one headline put am for 2010.

As di tournament start, di word of pan-Arabism and Islamism waka small small from back reach front.

For di katakata sake of di ban on alcohol or di use of di OneLove armband of di LGBTQ, advocates of Islamism and pan-Arabism showface to defend Qatar, Islam and traditional values against "di imperialist West".

But di initial framing of di event by di Qatari media as an "Islamic or Arab Conquest", wey plenti pipo no notice, make pipo dey para wen e become part of di language wen dem dey run commentary for di games.

So, wen di Atlas Lions make history by becoming di first men team from Africa and di Middle East to qualify for di World Cup semi-final, dem hail am as victory for di Muslim and Arab nations.

After oda teams from di region - Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -no qualify for di next round, e dey only natural for football lovers for neighbouring kontris to support Morocco.

But some tok-tok groups paint di success of Moroccan as sometin wey big wll well, pass di ideological and political.

Consequently, dem give di Moroccan team di role of di standard-bearer of Islam and pan-Arabism.

Dis argument dey strong well well wen some of di Moroccan team players celebrate dia successes as dem wave Palestinian flag for di pitch.

Dis kain tori make many pipo for North Africa vex, but particularly among Moroccans wey no believe dis ideologies and dia worldviews.

'Culture war'

In one hour-long tok, one Moroccan YouTuber blast di pipo wey wan politicise di game and turn am into global culture war.

Brother Rachid also remind im 385,000 subscribers say half of di Moroccan team, plus dia coach, dem born dem and dem grow up for Europe, di children of Moroccan migrants wey learn di game and became professional footballers in Europe."

If you bin wan do DNA analysis of di Moroccan team, you go find out say most of dem na Amazigh.

Most of dem no dey speak Arabic. And if dem speak sef na 'broken Arabic' sake of say dem grow up for di West," im tok.

Di role of Islam and freedom of speech dey sensitive for Morocco, wia di royal dynasty regards imsef as di Prophet Muhammad descendants, and di king dey maintain di title of The Commander of di Faithful - wey be historic term for early Muslim rulers.

Yet di YouTuber no fear to tackle dis strong mata dem: "Morocco dey different from di Middle East, becos it is basically na Berber society, di Arabs come as outsiders for di 7th Century.

Today for Morocco Arabs, Berbers, Muslims, Jews, atheists, non-religionists and Baha'is, dey. Shias and Sunnis dey too.

"Considering dis Moroccan success " victory for Arabism and Islam na attack on di various components of di Moroccan society", im continue to tok.

In response to di pan-Arabists or Islamists wey wan hijack di Moroccan triumph for dia own use, posts on social media wey full evriwia to claim back di team as Morocco's.

Some post pictures of di team as dem decorate am wit Amazigh symbols.

Oda critics highlight di strangeness of turning football game into religious or ethnic war, as dem argue say e dey unthinkable say if France, Brazil or Argentina win dem fit consider am as a victory for Christianity.

Dem point out say, e go dey impossible, sake of di ethnic and religious mix of some of di national football teams for Europe for example.

Di controversy over di true identity of di Moroccan team na di latest manifestation of "culture war" wey don make pipo dey vex for many years across North Africa and di Middle East.

National identity dey central to di two ideologies - Islamism and pan-Arabism - wey shape political discourse for di region for decades.

While dem make sense during di struggle for national liberation, prioritising social cohesion over individual freedom, dat time don outlive dia usefulness and dem no dey imortant now again sake of di globalised world wey dey increase well well - as di arguement over di football match don show clearly.