soccer balls are a prized possession amongst kids in lusaka. if they are lucky enough to own one, they are usually pretty battered and most likely very flat. but they don't complain and are more than happy to play with a torn apart, flat ball, because that is more than most kids have.
as a substitute, kids gather plastic bags (like from the grocery store), pack them together, and tie them together with string to make a ball to play with. they are always about 1/3 the size of a normal ball and obviously tricky to play with since they squish under your foot. but again, kids guard these homemade soccer balls with their lives and spend hours each day entertaining themselves by passing the ball amongst friends or dribbling it through their compound.
it's crazy how soccer really is a universal language everyone understands and appreciates over here. as you drive through town or any of the compounds, you can't not see soccer being played or advertised one way or another.
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