Main Games Africa section

Diketo
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Manipulation game. Number of players: 1 Props: 10 pebbles
Description
The girl has one stone in her hand; the other nine stones are on the floor. One stone she always throws in the air while moving one stone away from the group of nine stones. The trick is to have finished your move with the stone on the floor before you catch the stone you have already thrown in the air. Then she continues by moving two stones apart, thereafter three stones, four stones etc. etc

Mmele
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Board game. Number of players: 2 Props: Small piece of cardboard, some stones (2 x 12)
Description
A boy draws on cardboard three rectangles of different size, all connected by vertical lines. Each player has his stones with its own colours. In this game you have to try to put three stones on a row, if you succeed in doing so then you may take one stone of the cardboard of your opponent. You have to try to get as many rows with your own stones as possible. As agreed rules may change or vary in this game.

Deweke
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Hit game. Number of players: 3 Props: Little (self-made) ball, some smashed tins (cans) and a small tub (basin)
Description
Three children play this game, one in the middle and two at both sides of the playground. Also in the middle there is a small tub with some tins aside of it. The child in the middle has to take the tins between her feet and then throw these tins in the tub while jumping. In the mean while the two other children must try to throw off the child in the middle with the ball. If the ball hits her, then the child who hits her goes into the middle. The trick is not to be hit while standing in the middle and to try to get the tub full of tins. If the tub is full, then she throws out the tins and knocks with the tub on the floor to show the others that she has completed one round.

Woerd
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Hit game. Number of players: 3 Props: Little (self-made) ball, some smashed tins (cans) and a small tub (basin)
Description
Three children play this game, one in the middle and two at both sides of the playground. Also in the middle there is a small tub with some tins aside of it. The child in the middle has to take the tins between her feet and then throw these tins in the tub while jumping. In the mean while the two other children must try to throw off the child in the middle with the ball. If the ball hits her, then the child who hits her goes into the middle. The trick is not to be hit while standing in the middle and to try to get the tub full of tins. If the tub is full, then she throws out the tins and knocks with the tub on the floor to show the others that she has completed one round.

Grasshopper
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Pastime (no game) Number of players: 2 - > Props: Grasshopper
Description
Because this is not a game, but a pastime, it surely shows how children in the middle of a remote area play with animals as well. This grasshopper is a playmate for the children, although for many children in different parts of the world it might be a kind of animal maltreatment, but this is just the way they play with the grasshopper, it is definitely not meant to hurt the grasshopper.

Train
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Tag game. Number of players: 10 - > Props: none
Description
Two children stand opposite eachother and make with their arms a little ‘gate’. Through this ‘gate’ the ‘train’ will pass and every time the train passes, the last ‘passenger’ of the train is stopped and held in the ‘gate’. The boys of the ‘gate’ ask every last passenger a question, depending on the answer the ‘passenger’ has to stand either left or right behind the ‘gate-boys’. At the end two groups are formed on two sides, not always with even numbers. In the middle of these two groups a line is drawn and the every group must try to pull the other group over the line. If one boy of any group is pulled over the line, he has to stand in the line of the winning group. This continues until one group has pulled over the line all the

Tyre rolling
Continent : Africa. Country: Botswana Category: Moving game. Number of players: 2 -> Props: Car tyres
Description
Boys mostly do this game: they roll the tyres with their hands from side to side, rest a while and then do it again. They have sometimes rules, like ‘who will be first at the other side’, but here they just play it for fun without any rules.

Zity zity go touch
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3 Props: A rope (made of piece cloth)
Description
Some children jump into a rope and while doing so they say some text. When you jump correctly, the next round the rope will be hold a little higher. (From ankles, knees middle and neck) When the rope breaks, you just tie it together and continue.

Zity zity gosha
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3 Props: A rope
Description
In this game children have to jump at different levels. (Ankle, hips and under the armpit) The girl who jumps has different varieties in the way she jumps over the rope. The children here have made the rope out of pieces of clothes. When the rope breaks, they just tie a knot and continue the game. They make their own rules when someone has to go out and another child takes over.

Qude elikhulu
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4 - > Props: none
Description
Two children stand opposite eachother with their arms crossed on the breast. They must stand on one leg and, while hopping, push the other child until someone falls on the ground. The child, who falls is out, then an other boy/girl comes in.

Ay-e-lele
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4 - > Props: none
Description
This is just a repetitive dance, in which children dance as long as the singing girl wants to sing her song. It is a kind of wardance, they move like they are ‘wiping their feet’.

Bottle come and go
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Pastime (no game) Number of players: 1 Props: Rope and empty, plastic bottle
Description
One child sits under a tree and she pushes a bottle, hanging on a rope in the tree, backward and forward. A boy sits next to her and she is talking to him while pushing the bottle endlessly

Sports sports
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4 - > Props: none
Description
Six girls dance while singing a song. They move cross-legged while jumping. This is a very tiring dance, so they can’t sustain it very long.

Scotch-scotch
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 2 Props: No Props
Description
Two children draw a playground of 16 squares with a wooden stick on the ground. They stand in front of the square and start the game by calling out ‘wasa’ and then jump (across) into the square. One girl jumps to the right direction, the other in reverse, but they have to keep always two legs in two squares. They make exactly the same jumps, but you have to be careful and concentrate on their moves and at the same time watching the other player. This game gives a good sense of rhythm feeling

Ee wee wee
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
This is a small dance with two mothers taking over from the children. The children have stopped dancing while the adult women wanted to show how the dance should be performed.

Doszail
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 2 - > Props: none
Description
In this short dance the children are hopping on one leg while they are singing and clapping in their hands. The dance takes as long as the children can sustain, it’s quite a tiring dance for them.

La ma kundu kundu, la ma kundu
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
This is a kind of ‘line-dance’ where five girls dance and clap their hands while singing. They make special movements with their hands and turn a little with their body while dancing. There are some different versions of this dance, but it’s quite tiring as you can see

Mbuzi mbuzime
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Tag game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
A group of children stand in a circle while holding their hands. One child stands in the middle and has to try to come out of the circle by pushing the arms of the others.When she escapes she runs away, followed by all others, who try to tag her. When she is tagged, the game starts again with a new child in the middle of the circle

Nzuri nzurikado
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 3 Props: none
Description
A few children make a circle and hold their hands tight. While singing they walk and one by one they put their right leg over their arms. Then they hop on until the circle tumbles down.

Tsjelele
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3 Props: none
Description
Two girls sit on their heels and they have their hands on the ground. While the standing girls are singing the others are moving forward in a frog-jump-style. You change when you are tired.

Bottle ball
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Hit game. Number of players: 6- > Props: a bottle and a ball
Description
still to be filled in

Filling the bottle
Continent: Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Throw game. Number of players: 6 - > Props: a ball and a bottle.
Description
Two groups of three boys play this game: three boys in the middle of the playground to fill the bottle, the other three boys are divided in two boys and one boy, standing behind a line and having the ball.
The ball-throwers must hit with the ball the three bottle-fillers in the middle: the bottle-fillers are not allowed to touch the ball, except catching the ball. When the ball hits a bottle-filler, he is out and must stand out of the field. If a bottle-filler catches the ball, then he is allowed to throw the ball in any direction, so that they have more time to fill the bottle. When the bottle is full, he must be emptied and then a boy beats with the bottle on the ground to show the others that his group had filled the bottle for the first – second - third etc. time. When all bottle-fillers are out, then they will become ball-throwers. The bottle-fillers must try to fill the bottle with sand while avoiding being hit by the ball. The more times they fill the bottle, the more points they get.

Girl’s fighting dances
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Miscellaneous Number of players: 1 Props: none
Description
A girl performs (solo) a fighting dance. A drum accompanies her in the rhythm of her dance. Sometimes a boy is there to dance with her. Special feet movements in it.

Ndoyi ndoyi
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
Some girls stand in front of their house and dance in line with bending knees and special arm movements. One leading singer also leads the dance.

Unga Unga / ada yoo ayoo
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
Some girls stand in front of their house and dance in line with bending knees and special arm movements. One leading singer also leads the dance.

Down down babe
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 3 Props: No Props
Description
Three girls stand in front of their hut and start hand clapping. While saying a text they use their hands quickly in different positions

Air bomb
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 3 Props: No Props
Description
Near a tree three girls dance while saying a text. The way they dance is with both feet to the left, then to the right and further into the front. It’s a very tiring way of dancing, most girls make it a short dance

Mafuto enguruve
Continent : Africa. Country: Zimbabwe. Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 5-> Props: No Props
Description
Some girls dance in front of a hut while saying a text. Every time a girl has to come inside the circle to show her type of dance or movement to the other girls. Everybody is free to choose any style or type of dance. They usually stop if every girl has shown her dance

One-two-beki
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3-> Props: No Props
Description
A very popular spring game is skipping. The girls who are turning the rope have to be very co-operative with the jumping girls, otherwise the girl in the middle can’t jump properly. In the rhythm of the text they move their hands so that the jumping girl concentrates on a special way of skipping. With her (mostly) barefoot she lets the rope come under her feet while standing on her heels, immediately followed by a quick move so that the rope goes under the heels and she continues jumping. Then she makes a turn and jumps backwards to the rope in the same way. When she also succeeds doing this, she makes a half turn and lets the rope touch her ankle and then fastly she jumps on. These ways of skipping needs a lot of skill and training before you know how to do it

Hai sedi
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 2 Props: none
Description
Two girls play this game. The way they use their hands while clapping is quite difficult, which makes you somehow confusing if you are clapping this game.

Apopolostasi
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
Some girls stand in a circle and by turns they mention a name or an object, which has to be answered by the girl next in the circle. The answer has to be given within three times of handclapping. So everybody must be very alert and concentrate on what your neighbour before you is saying.

Salalasoo
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: No Props
Description
A group of girls are standing in line for a special dance; another group stands aside, accompanying the dancers in clapping. While one girl is the leading singer, the other dancers come forward and show their special dance. With their legs high up in the air, they try to make a dance on the rhythm of the handclapping girls aside. You need a fine rhythm feeling to do this dance.

Yesa hoe elamo
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10 - > Props: none
Description
Girls stand in line with bending backs and one girl is the singer. She sings and after a while all girls stand upright, while immediately they dance with their legs and some girls in the back clap the rhythm with their hands. They use the right arm to make a circle movement, and shortly after they all step forwards and stamp with their feet, in a special rhythm, on the ground. This is repeated several times.

Humony salalasoo
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10 - > Props: none
Description
This is a short dance of one minute. Normally they can dance this much longer. Girls are standing in line and one girl is the leading singer. She sings and after a while all girls are standing upright, while immediately they dance with their legs and some girls in the back clap the rhythm with their hands. They make a circle movement with their right arm and shortly after they all make a step forwards and stamp with their feet, in a special rhythm, on the ground. This is repeated several times.

Gebele esee
Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10 - > Props: No Props
Description
In this “rhythm” clapdance a group of girls are standing in line and one by one the girls come forward to show their dance. Also here there is a group of girls who are singing and clapping in accompanying the dancing girls. The trick of this dance is the correct timing of the feet on the rhythm of the clapping hands.

Embjubar
Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 8 - > Props: No Props
Description
This rhythm clapdance is danced by four boys, accompanied by a group of boys who are clapping with their hands while singing. The four boys start with their knee bent and then slowly they stand upright and start the dance. The difficulty of the dance is to perform simultaneously all four together, whenever there is a mistake they start again and continue. The group stops if they don’t want to dance any more

Samuka samuka
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: none
Description
Four boys stand in line for dancing; another group in the back accompanies them by clapping and singing. The dancers sit on their heels and slowly they raise until they stand upright. Then they start dancing and moving until they have made the final turn, which usually is the end of the dance. They find it difficult to stop, mostly they conyinue a few times more.

Iron car
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Pastime (no game) Number of players: 1 Props: a little car made of iron-wire
Description
A little girl gets the (iron-wire) car from her brother and walks with it in their backyard. Sometimes she corrects the steering of the car, and, while maybe dreaming of a real car, she moves on and enjoys her own car. Nothing nicer to see a girl playing with joy and hearing the astonishing sound of her four-wheel drive car

Skipping
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3 - > Props: a rope
Description
Some girls are skipping and they have to try to finish what is said in the text the other girls are saying. This text indicates some levels of difficulties of jumping for the girls. In the beginning skipping is easier than at the end of the text: the skipper must jump more variations or quick turning, or another immediately follows one move with her feet. Normally you stop if the rope stops turning by your own mistake, but because of this skipping is quite difficult, every girl gets at least one more chance.

Sowatsja watsjawa
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
Three boys dance in line. The boys in the back are clapping and singing. A simple dance, but as always: the dance of the boys looks easier than it is.

Yessa hulu
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
A group of girls stand in line and sing a song. While singing they dance a special dance and use their arms and legs in a typical Zulu-rhythm. This way of dancing is for these children a way of playing a game.

Mesutanaba
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: none
Description
While dancing and clapping a group of girls stand in line.One girl starts singing and is also starting the dance. In this dance the girls come forward one by one and show their way of interpretation of this dance .Sometimes girls are dancing slow, some dance very fast, the clapping then will be adjusted.

Siando siando
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 4 Props: none
Description
Four girls sing and clap at the same time. It requires good co-ordination to do the clapping. If you are an experienced ‘clapper’, you can do it very fast.

Hopscotch
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 2 - > Props: chalk, pebbles
Description
Two children write numbers on the playground. One by one they throw pebbles on the numbers. Then they jump from number to number, always avoiding to jump a number with a pebble.

Utsja
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Hand-clapping game. Number of players: 4 Props: none
Description
When the four clapping and singing girls come to the word ‘Utsja’, they try to hit the folded hands of the opposite girl. No specific rules when they miss in hitting the hands, they just continue

Play with hoops
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Moving game. Number of players: 1 - > Props: A hoop
Description
A girl plays with her hoop. She tries to keep the hoop high as long as she can.

Siaba kamula
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
This is a dance in which boys stamp with their feet and have their hands lifted in the air. It looks they can dance unceasingly, in a long during rhythm. One boy is the leader and stands in front of the other boys.

Night together
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 4- > Props: none
Description
Eight girls are divided in two groups, standing opposite of eachother. They sing a song and while doing so they clap the hands of the opposite girl, also turning their backs while clapping. Then they change sides and continue dancing and clapping.

Usis-uhaha
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: none
Description
A group of boys dance a ‘warlike’ dance together with girls. The leader is addressing to the group and the boys are shouting back, while the girls -once in a while- are coming forward while yelling

Stick in the circle
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Hit game. Number of players: 4 Props: A tennis-ball and some sticks
Description
Four boys play this game. They draw a circle on the ground and divide it into four parts, one part for every boy. Inside their part they draw the letter of their name to know which part belongs to whom.
Right in the middle of the circle is the place where the tennis-ball is put. Then they all stand inside their part in the circle and one boy has a stick in his hand, which he throws away while calling a name of one of the boys. The boy whose name is mentioned has to pick up the stick as quick as possible. When he picks up the stick he shouts immediately "freeze".
Then all other boys have to freeze and stand still on the place where they are at the moment when the boy shouted ‘freeze’. Then the boy with the stick comes back in the circle and picks up the tennis-ball and throws this ball against one of the boys. When the ball hits that boy, all boys are coming back to the circle. From the boy who is hit, a piece of his land in the circle will be cut off.

Tamatiso
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: none
Description
Boys and girls stand in a circle. They dance and sing while moving from their place to any girl or boy they want, but it must be in time of the rhythm of the music, otherwise you fail.
The dance may change in another type of dance and music, according the groups choice.

Shumpu
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 10-> Props: none
Description
Boys and girls stand in a circle. They dance and sing while moving from their place to any girl or boy they want, but it must be in time of the rhythm of the music, otherwise you fail.
The dance may change in another type of dance and music, according the groups choice.

Stretch
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Leap-/ jump game. Number of players: 3-> Props: A few little sticks
Description
Some boys try to jump over sticks in the way of a triple jump. In the beginning with easy, small jumps. But every boy must try to jump further than the boy before him does. After every jump, the sticks will be adjusted to the length of the jump. If you don’t reach the distance between the sticks, jumped by the boy before you, then you’re off and have to wait aside. The smaller the group, the shorter the waiting time aside when you are off.

Stuck in the mud
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Tag game. Number of players: 6-> Props: No Props
Description
One player is the catcher in this game.He has to tag the others. If you are tagged, you must stand still on that position. The others may free you by touching you anywhere. The catcher has to tag the "free" and to defend the "tagged" children, a double task. Children often make a rule in this game: you are out if you are tagged twice, otherwise the catcher will drop dead by running all the time!

Concentration
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Guessing game. Number of players: 4 Props: No Props
Description
Two boys and two girls play this game. They sit in a circle and everybody gets a number. This number you must remember very well, because when the game starts the first player says e.g.: one - three while clapping their hands (all of them) on their legs in a rhythm which you must follow. Then number three must immediately take over the numbering and says: three (he always starts saying his own number first !) and then - (e.g.) four. Then number four takes over and the game continues. The trick of the game is to speed up the mentioning of the numbers, and if you say the wrong number or you make another mistake, e.g. you react too late calling your number, then you are out and must sit aside to wait and see how the other three children continue the game. The game is over if one of the last two children makes a mistake.

Little dance
Continent : Africa. Country: South-Africa Category: Sing-and-dance game. Number of players: 3-> Props: No Props
Description
Some boys are dancing in front of a group boys, who accompany them by singing and clapping.The moves in this dance must be done simultaneously and on the rhythm of the music.