LAWRENCE, Kansas -- The latest chapter of the summer romance between Lawrence and Algeria concluded Saturday evening with a celebration of the bond formed between the two cultures.
A group of Algerian women from Gardner, Olathe, Overland Park and Lawrence hosted a “Thank You Lawrence” farewell party to the city in the Granada Theater on Massachusetts Street, site for several of the match and street parties during the Men’s FIFA World Cup. Lawrence was the base camp for the Algerian men’s national team, which lost in the knock-out round in Vancouver.
“I look at it as a new beginning to a future between us,” said Louiza Cherfi, a celebration organizer. “We feel that love from Lawrence. It is incredible. It is like a true home to us now.”
The Granada stage and concert floor were occupied by about 100 people at peak capacity, hosting nearly double that across the three-hour event. Attendees mingled and perused food vendors outside on Massachusetts Street.
Algerian community members hosted a food potluck and the Granada speakers blasted pop and regional music from the North-African nation. At several points, the hall was so full of dancers that people stepped outside for fresh air.
As the event began, Lawrence landscape artist Stan Herd expressed his gratitude for the support and love he received from Algerian fans all over the world. Herd created an Algerian flag on the Lied Center lawn at the University of Kansas.
“I cheered for Algeria like they were our own,” said Lawrence resident Tommee Sherwood. “We loved them and still love them. And parties like this show how much of a family Algeria and Lawrence have become.”
Lawrence police officers also took to the stage, as party-goers acknowledged their welcoming and presence at all soccer events during the World Cup.
“We felt that trust from the police department,” said Hafidha Mansouri, an event organizer. “That made the event more successful and the relationship more healthy. I mean, more healthy than elsewhere.”
Lawrence police step up to plate
Besides new relationships and new cultural awareness, one of the bright spots of the summer of soccer was the role the police played, residents said. The responsibility of logistics was placed in the hands of Lieutenants Mark Unruh and David Ernst.
“Truthfully, being here in Lawrence, Kansas, Ernst and myself, not growing up with soccer culture, it was difficult for us to process what that would look like and what appropriate response was needed,” Unruh said in an interview last month.
Unruh said the department heavily referenced its experience with KU basketball on national championship runs. And Ernst attended World Cup informational and networking meetings to get a better idea of what to expect
“This was a very important task and you also recognize that the world was watching and there was a big security concern. But the Algeria fan base gets a lot of credit for how things went,” Ernst said. “Instead of fearing a theme of conflict between the police and the crowd, we focused on keeping them safe.”
Unruh was equally gratified by the players and their passionate supporters.
“And as for the culture, it’s very friendly and loving and I can’t say enough about that,” he said.
Mansouri echoed the lieutenants.
“This shows how successful and how healthy this relationship is between Algeria and the city,” she said. “They embraced our culture.”
Cherfi, who moved to Overland Park from Algeria in 2016, said she attributes the Algerian fans’ role in maintaining public safety to a well-practiced culture of community accountability.
“Even if the fans see someone trying to get us in some kind of trouble or anything like that, they will be the first one to get involved and stop that for us and keep everyone safe: the kids, the families, and all the guests that come here,” she said.
Cherfi said she did not expect to see Lawrence police officers at Saturday’s event, but when she saw them patrolling Massachusetts Street as people crowded in and out of the Granada, she went to speak with them.
“I told them like, thank you for being here, for keeping us safe,” Cherfi said. “I think the police, especially in Lawrence, now know what kind of people are Algerians.”
Mansouri and Cherfi said they anticipate continuing to gather with the people of Lawrence and the officers for renewed annual celebrations.
“I have lived in Johnson County for years and I might have to move to Lawrence now,” Mansouri teased.
By the time the Algerian team left on June 30 for Vancouver, the dynamic between local law enforcement and the athletes had evolved into a kinship.
“First couple of days people are kind of shy. They don’t really know one another,” Unruh said. “But at the end of it … I almost shed a tear as they were leaving town. We were sad to see them go. And I know the players were sad as well. They called Lawrence their home, their home away from home.”
Ernst said it was equally bittersweet to part with the entourage staff.
“They became our friends. And when they left for Vancouver, we knew that we potentially would never see them again,” he said. “From a work perspective, we were a bit relieved. We did a nice job and it’s over.”
Lawrence-Algeria documentary
One of the people in Saturday’s crowd was Ilyas Dey, a 19-year-old Algerian American film student from Chapman University in California, who came to cover the event. Dey has followed Team Algeria and the fan entourage for an independent documentary. The last time he was in Lawrence was to deliver a “Thank you Lawrence” banner to the city.
According to Dey, one of his documentary subjects commissioned the two-part banner in Algeria and checked each half in a suitcase to the United States. When Algeria’s game in Kansas City ended, Dey went along with a group of Algerian fans to gift the friendship memorial to Explore Lawrence.
“I first saw the viral video with the guy in the hat,” Dey said, referencing a video of Sherwood welcoming the Algeria team when they arrived in early June. “I’m just seeing more about this kind of love story between my culture and Lawrence. And I thought, how can I make a film about Algeria and the World Cup without really spending time here.”
Dey said his interactions with the Algerians and the people of Lawrence inside and outside the Granada on Saturday left him emotional about the enthusiasm he felt from Lawrence and the larger base near FIFA Fan Fest.
“I was traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, so many times over the course of the documentary. My friends in the Bay Area are like, ‘Bro, just move there at that point.’” Dey said. He plans on showing the completed documentary in Lawrence.
Chihiro Kai is a University of Kansas senior from Tokyo studying multimedia journalism and evolutionary biology.
