Naidheachdan > 2009

27 March 2009

SOILLSE - NA STARLETS DHUBH - BIG DREAMS AND SHATTERED ILLUSIONS

In 1991 eleven young 16-year olds from Ghana took the world by surprise by winning the U-17 Football World Cup. It was the first time an African nation had ever won the World Cup title.

Overnight, the “Black Starlets” became African heroes – and the hottest property in professional football. Talent scouts from around the world descended on the wunderkinds of football. Full of hope they set off to Europe to live their dreams of professional football.

 

The film, Soillse - Na Starlets Dhubh, which was produced by Mactv for BBC ALBA, investigated what the young lads have done since and in doing so discovers incredible life stories.

Nii Lamptey was crowned the Black Starlets’ talent of the century. A top European club, Anderlecht, smuggled the minor out of Africa illegally and signed him up. This was to be the start of a meteoric rise for Lamptey. It was followed by a crash that no one in the world of football can explain.

“Black Starlets” tells the story of the big dreams and shattered illusions, of dark deeds and private blows of fate, of deep loneliness and the insatiable yearning for Africa. However, predominantly it tells the story of people who have the irrepressible will to start anew, over and over again. In Africa they say, “when one dream dies, get yourself a new one.”

Soillse - Na Starlets Dhubh will be broadcast on BBC ALBA on 1st April at 21:00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110.