A Miami art exhibit is celebrating Africa's soccer legacy throughout the World Cup

MIAMI (AP) — A photo of Vinícius Júnior celebrating a goal with one fist in the air was mounted near the entrance of the art exhibition, right next to an acrylic piece of a woman’s dreadlocks suspended in air as she heads a soccer ball.

A replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy was encased in glass nearby, surrounded by images, paintings and flags that document generations of African soccer dreams and stories. All of it is part of an exhibition celebrating Africa’s deep connection to soccer during the World Cup.

“This is what art is about," said Alfonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, a foundation showcasing African and diaspora art. “Art has always been a platform to foster peace and understanding and give voice to those that can’t speak for themselves. “This is the necessary part we feel the need to do with AfriKin.”

Brooks — a longtime sound engineer turned art curator — spent about six months putting together the exhibition, titled “Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage,” which opened in Miami ahead of the start of the World Cup. The collection by more than 50 artists from 25 nations traces soccer's role in the continent's history, while celebrating some of the game's most influential figures from the late Pelé to French star Kylian Mbappé.

All 10 African nations competing in the World Cup are represented and celebrated, with special tributes to Cape Verde. The small nation off the western coast of Africa pulled off one of the most stunning upsets of the tournament with a draw against Spain in its World Cup debut. AfriKin plans to hold a ceremony honoring Cape Verde on Saturday night before it faces Uruguay in a group stage match in Miami on Sunday.

With the World Cup bringing tens of thousands of fans to Miami, Brooks and participating artists wanted to carve out a space for the African community to gather and celebrate its culture throughout the tournament.

“Miami is a huge melting pot,” said Tasanee Durrett, a 31-year-old Orlando-based artist. “We have the Latin (residents), we have Haitian and the Caribbean, we have so many different influences. And so now that we have this voice, we have this platform, why not speak to it?”

Brooks was born in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten and moved to Miami in 2008. His love for the game stems from its humble roots in Africa, where he remembers young children kicking around soccer balls — or any circular objects they could find — in school corridors, living rooms or concrete streets.

"This is where you get the term ‘the beautiful game,’” he said, “because it required nothing but a beautiful spirit.”

The exhibition reflects that simplicity with windows into the intimacy of those neighborhood pitches, as well as nods to the global scale of the sport, which unites people of different backgrounds, races and languages.

Bamazi Talle, a Columbus-based artist from the West African nation Togo, tells that story through paintings of the calabash, a large, woody gourd that holds deep cultural significance in Africa. The fruit is used in meals or hardened to make bowls and vessels for carrying water and food, but it is also a cultural symbol of community and hospitality.

Talle paints the gourds floating against the flags of nations competing in the World Cup. For him, the history of the fruit coincides with the unifying spirit of the tournament.

“Calabash became one (thing) that united all of us,” Talle said. “And this cup, this World Cup is, I think, this celebration of all of us coming together.”

Durrett, another artist who is also a licensed architect, honors Black women in soccer with a pair of acrylic pieces, including one titled “A Beautiful Game” of the woman head butting the ball.

She began drawing people years ago as a therapeutic outlet and is passionate about highlighting underrepresented communities.

“I hope that they see the stories that are being told through the artists,” said Durrett, who does mostly canvas pieces in one single line. “And I hope they see themselves in these stories.”

Other nations like France, Belgium and England are also included in the exhibition in what Brooks calls “Hidden Africa.” He came up with the term to describe teams that include players of African heritage who were born or developed in European countries.

He hopes to show the African diaspora's links throughout tournament field, while also sparking conversations of identity, immigration and the many factors that can affect a player's choice in what country they represent.

“I’m not just showing a football and putting up some pretty pictures or goals,” Brooks said. “No, we want to have a story that people can actually come in, read and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this.’ People must learn from the exhibition.”

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

A person walks among artwork displayed at an exhibition, "Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage," on June 1, 2026, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A photograph titled, "Boulos Warehouse," by photographer Alan Marques showing soccer players playing in a warehouse in Haiti is displayed in an exhibition, "Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage," on May 30, 2026, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A painting of a woman heading a soccer ball titled, "A Beautiful Game," by artist Tasanee Durrett is displayed at an exhibition, "Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage," on June 1, 2026, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Alfonso D. Brooks, founder of AfriKin, holds a painting of a calabash by artist Bamazi Talle at an exhibition, "Art and the Beautiful Game: Africa on the World Stage," on May 30, 2026, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates as holds the flag of his country during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Spain and Cape Verde in Atlanta, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

ROME (AP) — The Italian government closed ranks on Friday to slam U.S. President Donald Trump over his claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime U.S. ally had had enough of Trump’s boasting.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy.

Meloni for her part posted a video calling Trump’s claims “completely fabricated." She concluded: “Italy and I do not beg.”

Trump had made the comments in an interview broadcast Friday morning on the La7 network. The La7 correspondent had asked Trump about Ukraine, but Trump raised Meloni and the conversation turned to their meeting, caught on video, during the just-concluded G7 meeting in Evian-les-Bains, France. Meloni and Trump were filmed speaking at several points, including alone on a small sofa.

According to La7, Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo-op. Trump said he wasn’t obliged to do it but that he felt sorry for her and agreed, La7 said. The broadcaster has a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.

In her video, Meloni said she was responding to Trump’s claims because “certain things deserve an immediate response."

“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

It was an apparent reference to an interview Trump gave to Italian daily Corriere della Sera in April in which he criticized Meloni's refusal to back the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. Meloni didn't respond publicly at the time.

By Friday, it appeared she had had enough of his boasts and broadsides.

“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States — toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating," Meloni said Friday. "But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.”

Meloni had initially sought to build on longstanding strong U.S.-Italian ties when Trump began his second mandate, and had positioned herself as a “bridge” between Washington and the European Union. She was the lone EU head of state to attend his inauguration.

But relations have frayed over the U.S. war in Iran, which Meloni has said was illegal, and Trump’s position on Ukraine, which Italy strongly supports. Trump's tariffs and strong U.S. support of Israel over its war in Gaza have been other points of contention.

By Friday afternoon, solidarity with Meloni had poured in from across the government and political spectrum, and included a call from President Sergio Mattarella, Italy’s widely respected head of state.

“Whoever attacks @GiorgiaMeloni attacks all of us,” posted Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he didn't believe Meloni would ever beg someone for a photo, “not even under threat.”

“I can, however, imagine how much it cost her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, to serve the interests of Italy, of Europe, and of the West,” Crosetto posted on X. “Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance.”

Tajani had been due to travel to the U.S. as early as Sunday to take part in an Italy-U.S. business forum in Miami during which he was to have meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a U.S. State Department announcement of the meeting.

From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. President Donald Trump, Kenya's President William Ruto, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gather for a group photo at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Photo via AP)

From right, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron, center, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after a group photo of G7 leaders and invited nations during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, second left, after a group photo of G7 leaders and invited nations during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks on ahead of a working session at the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)