Tracing back our roots..

Impact of indigenous games…

These days, “child’s play” seems to be about online gaming, from Playstations to Nintendos. But many might recall the days when children congregated outdoors, playing their favourite games in the street. They were free and required little or no equipment. Apart from being fun, they also helped build fundamental skills, from social interaction to physical hand-eye co-ordination and even basic maths and strategic thinking. These games did not only entertain children but it played different roles in shaping the character of the participants.  Here’s our list of some of the most popular traditional African games played by children across the continent. How best can we take them back to our African society and help shaping our only PROUDLY African children? how can the technology help us liberating our traditional games?

1.KUDODA (ZIMBABWE)

There’s a few variations of this game, all which need at least three players to make it fun. In Kudoda, players sit in a circle around a wooden or metal bowl filled with 20 to 30 small stones or marbles. The first player picks up one of the stones and throws it up in the air. It’s all about quick fingers. Before it drops down, the player tries to pick up as many other stones in the bowl as he/she can. Once all players have had a chance, the stones are counted and the one who collects the most is the winner. From this game children were being taught to be clever. To manage to calculate events and foretell the future as well as planning before its too late.

2. MANCALA (THROUGHOUT AFRICA)

Mancala is believed to be the oldest game in the world. It was played in as many countries on the continent as there is variations of it. So if you don’t recognise the name, it’s probably because its been called everything from kigogo in Kenya to oware in Ghana. How does it work? First you need a mancala board, with holes arranged in either two or four rows. Small stones or seeds were used in earlier days; today, using marbles is common. The name mancala literally means “to transfer” in Arabic, so the aim is to move your stones around so that you can capture more than your opponent. It’s fun, but strategic, much like chess. The game is still played today, enjoyed by both children and adults across the globe. It sharpens the minds of the children, make them think critical e.t.c

3. AMPE (GHANA)

This is a game best played with a group of four or more, but just two people will do, too. It’s an active game, with so much clapping, singing, and jumping involved that it almost looks like a dance. It’s a game that’s been passed down from generation to generation. A leader is chosen and the rest of the group either stand in a semicircle or split into groups of two. The leader begins by jumping, and when you land from your jump, you place one leg forward. Points are earned depending on which leg (left or right) meets the opposite leg of your opponent first. Everyone gets a chance to be the leader and usually the first person to reach 10 points wins! The game was not only meant for entertainment but it carries with it the ideology of hierarchy. In other terms leadership is passed from one person to another. It also promoted respect of the elders despite his age, financial status, back ground what so ever.  

4. NYAMA-NYAMA-NYAMA (KENYA)

“Nyama!” is what you have to shout out when the leader in the game mentions an animal that can be eaten. The word literally means “meat” in Swahili. In nyama-nyama-nyama you stand in a circle, with a leader in the middle. The group jumps up each time an animal is named. This game is still played across East Africa and is popular among children of all ages. This games was meant to teach children the types of meat they should it as well as conservation of natural resources indigenously.

5. STOCKINGS (ACROSS AFRICA)

This game starts from the ankle, working all the way up to the neck. It’s played by girls across the continent—and all over the globe. All you need is a skipping rope, but many use stockings as an alternative to the ones you can buy at the store. Two players stand on each end of the rope, swinging it in a circle motion often while singing a song. A third player jumps in the middle, skipping as the rope turns. The two players on each end start swinging the rope low, which is easy for the jumper, then gradually progress by lifting the rope higher and higher – to the knee, the thigh, then waist, until the third player can’t jump high enough. A fourth player can also be introduced, which makes it more challenging. This game promoted friendship from the girls side but it has tried to make sure that girls remain active. In most cases ladies do not exercise, they normal do indoor tasks which limits them from working they body. In order to avoid unnecessary diseases like high blood pressure(BP) heart attacks e.t.c they had to engage in those games.

All these games had a very important role from different societies in the African societies. This is why they were adopted by their fellow Africans…they made it easy to educate children important aspects of life by inserting the ideology in games. They learnt while playing.