POLOKWANE – Despite the prevalence of technology today, traditional games remain favourites across Africa.
These games require little to no equipment, which in part the reason behind their prevaling popularity. Children, and adults, congregated outdoors, playing their favourite games.
These games help build fundamental skills ranging from social interaction to physical hand-eye coordination, and almost everything in between, and even basic mathematics and strategic thinking.
Games like these are taking on a life of their own and has seen a resurgence in popularity at local schools such as Laerskool Pietersburg-Noord Primary.
These traditional games include Mancala, a game believed to be the oldest game in the world, and is played across the African continent.
If you don’t recognise the name, it’s probably because its been called everything from Kigogo in Kenya to Oware in Ghana and Morabaraba in Polokwane.
To play the game one needs a mancala board, or holes in the ground arranged in either two or four rows along with small stones, seeds, or marbles.
The name, mancala, literally means “to transfer” in Arabic, so the aim is to move your pieces 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 and in Polokwane there is even a cement board built for the game at the SABC park.
“We love playing these and other games, it is something that our parents played and we get the chance to teach it to other cultures,” Rebecca Molomo a learner from Laerskool Pietersburg-Noord Primary told BONUS.
Other traditional games gaining popularity are Ampe, a game that originated in Ghana, Kudoda that originated in Zimbabwe, Nyama-Nyama-Nyama that originated in Kenya, and Stockings (now played with rope) that has been part of the playing history for years across Africa.
