CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Reviving Indigenous Games

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Anthony Stoppard

JOHANNESBURG, Mar 1 2001 (IPS) - The South African Sports Commission has launched a campaign to revive the playing of indigenous African games in the country, with the goal of holding national – and even international – tournaments, over the next year.

“We will be promoting seven games in schools and communities, nationally, with the aim of putting them in the mainstream of sport and recreation in our country,” says the head of the Commission’s Indigenous Games Project, Sandile Mthembu.

The immediate aim is to train enough players – in each of the games – so that tournaments can be held in all South Africa’s provinces on Sep 24, National Heritage Day.

The rules of some of the games have been standardised and a national structure has been put in place to make sure enough coaches and players are trained. A booklet describing the games and their rules has been printed for distribution across the country.

The project is also looking at providing some of the equipment needed to play the games to teams – an initiative that may have positive economic spin-offs. The games are played with traditional equipment like balls made of animal skins stuffed with grass or skipping ropes weaved from grass. Mthembu hopes the manufacture of this equipment can provide job opportunities for unemployed people.

But, Mthembu is already looking beyond the South African Heritage Day games. “Some of these games are played across Southern Africa and the whole of the continent,” he points out.

An example, morabaraba – sometimes known as African chess – is a board game that traditional leaders used to test the thinking abilities of their advisers. During the game, players have to maneuver three of their counters – or “cows” – into a row, so they can take one of their opponent’s pieces off the board. Different versions of the games are played throughout Africa and Asia.

“Once we have consolidated the games in Southern Africa, we can take them to the All Africa Games, the Commonwealth Games and even the Olympics. The games that are played there come from all the countries of the world and Africa should also make its mark,” he says.

Of the many indigenous games of South Africa, the commission has identified seven to kick-off the programme.

Besides, morabaraba, there is dibeke, a ball game that combines elements of soccer and handball. Kho Kho, which originated in South Africa’s Indian community, involves members of two teams trying to catch each other within a playing field.

Jukskei, where clubs are thrown to try and hit a staff, developed mainly in the Afrikaans community.

Ncuva is another board game played, throughout Southern Africa, where players try to “eat” each other’s counters by forcing them to move into their opponents half of the board. Ntimo, a skipping game and diketo, where players score points by scooping up stones while tossing another into the air, are the last two.

The revival of the games are seen as part of the South Africa’s commitment to the idea of an African Renaissance – the economic, political and social rebuilding of the continent. “It is an attempt to preserve our culture and integrate our communities,” comments Mthembu. “Afrikaners, Africans and Indians will have to share their knowledge of the games with each other,” he explains.

Speaking at the launch of the Indigenous Games Project, last week, the South African Minister of Sport, Ngconde Balfour, pointed out: “The revival of Indigenous Games has been given a timely boost at a just-completed conference, held in Algiers, under the banner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Inter-governmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport.”

“I am told the conference adopted a resolution whereby traditional games will be one of four priorities focussed on internationally. The international community is at last recognising that traditional games are not only a parochial activity, but a global phenomenon,” he added.

The launch of the project in Algeirs, the ca1pital of Algeria, was attended by more than 2000 people who watched demonstrations of the indigenous games, according to media reports.