Added: 11/29/2007 |
Information About African GamesThe exciting thing about African games is that they are inspired by the environment and their surroundings rather than just adopting games from other nations and regions. They come up with their own games having the essence of true African life. People who go to different African countries love to watch these games as they are different from the sports that are played all around the world. Some of the kinds of African games played in the African region are further discussed in this article.
The names of the sports included in the All-African Games are Athletics, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cycling, Football, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Karate, Netball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
Some of the names about African games and how to play them are given below:
Imbube is one of the Zulu words for "lion." "Imbube" is addressing the lion, calling to him. Sort of pronounced like: mboo'-bay. In this game the lion is stalking the impala (a southern African buck). In this game all players form a circle where two players start the game. One is the lion; one is the impala. Blindfold them both and spins them around. Children used to just close their eyes, but the temptation to peek is so great. Players in the circle start by calling the lion, "mbube, mbube!" The closer to the impala the lion gets the faster the chanting becomes. If the lion catches the impala, a new impala is chosen. If the lion has not caught the impala within a minute a new lion is chosen.
Ubuthi is poison usually made from the berries of an indigenous bush. Umuthi, on the other hand, is medicine made from plants usually tree bark. This game used to be "umuthi" and the players were meant to capture the muthi and bring it home to their family. It has been corrupted to ubuthi, steal the buthi and take it home.
The thing to note about African games is that they are sometimes dangerous and very different from the games that people of other countries play. In this African game have players that form a circle. One person is chose to be "sebi" (the thief). The sebi stands in the middle of the circle with the buthi. The sebi must shout another person’s name. Both the sebi and the "muntu" (person) try to grab the buthi. The player who gets the buthi first then tries to reach the spot in the circle that the muntu vacated. The player who did not get the buthi tries to tag the runner. The sebi for the next round is the person who either successfully makes it back to the place in the circle without having been tagged and with the buthi, or the one who successfully tagged the other player.
A mamba is a big indigenous South African snake. There are green mambas and black mambas. Both are poisonous. This African Game goes something like that one person is chosen as a mamba. An area is marked with chalk which is usually taken as 10x10 for twenty children and the objective is to stay inside the circle and to stay away from the mamba. The game begins at a signal where the snake tries to catch the players. When one person is caught that person joins the snake to catch others by placing his/her hands on the snake’s shoulders or around the waist. As the snake keeps catching people it becomes bigger and bigger. Incase if the player goes out of the boundary marked then he is eliminated from the game. Only the "head" of the snake can catch new people. The snake can use its "body" to capture other players, as players may not pass between the snake's body parts. Game ends when all but one of the players has been caught. The last person caught becomes the next mamba.
More information about African games can be searched over the website with their names and rules on how to play them.
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