Indigenous Games in Africa Project

The game is played by two teams.  Team 1 starts the ball by throwing it as far as possible from team 2 (off course with  some restrictions) and then try to run as fast as they can from point A to point B and back without getting hit by the ball (normally made with a grocery plasting packet or old and worn out stockings). The team earns a point by doing a complete run. The ball  Sandile Mthimkhulu

Cheia is a team game for children of both sexes, between 9 and 13 years old. Two teams of 6 players are formed. Material : A small ball and a bottle. The game takes place outdoors, on a loose sand terrain, delimited by two bottom lines 10 meters apart; in the center, a mound of sand is placed with the bottle. The player from one of the teams, stands in the middle, next to the pile of sand and the bottle; behind each end line the opposing players are placed; the rest await their turn.

This is a physical game we used to play on the ground by drawing shapes made of sections or compartments like a house with rooms. The player throws a stone in each if the compartments progressively starting from the nearest to the furthest one at a time. The player jumps (hopes) on one leg stepping on each box except the box with the stone in it. The winner would be the one who goes straight consecutively without faulting. Accurracy and stability was the trick to win. Here is an image Andrew

A game board played by 2 players. Players take turns placing what they call cows on the board (usually drawn on an immovable rock - a physical space where members of the community usually gather to play.). There are usually 12 cows to play with. PLayers have to black each other's cows from forming a straight line of 3. I can say it's like bingo. After placing the cows on the board, the players may start moving them around to make the straight lines of 3 and get to punish their opponent by take one away from the board There are usually 12 cows for each player to exhaust. Whenever each player gets the straight line (bingo), they can take the opponent's cow from the board until the opponent's cows have been finished, which ends the game and whoever is the last man standing (i.e. has cows remaining on the board) wins. This game is common in Matatiele. In Sotho it's moraba-raba, and in Xhosa/Zulu it's Umlaba-laba Oops! Just Googled and guess what ...?

Kwepena is a game played with two people at either end as shooters to throw a softball at dodgers. In the middle of the two shooters are a group of people who have to dodge the ball. The people in the middle have to keep dodging the softball. Those who are hit by the softball are immediately eliminated. Usually, the number of dodgers varies as per people available. The two people keep shooting at the dodgers until only one person is left, who is declared the final winner. Beatrice

To play this game you will need two teams of minimum two people per team and a soccer ball. There is no limit for the team size.  You will need to draw two goal lines about 30-40m apart.  The team who are playing for points will line up on the one goal line.  The other team will position themselves at the other line and at various places around the other goal line.  The bowling team will select a bowler who will roll the ball to the other team calling one of the playing team members by name.  The player will kick the ball and the bowling team will attempt to catch that person out.  You can get someone out by either tagging them with the ball or by catching the ball once that player has kicked it. If the player kicks the ball he/she runs to the opposing line and back to their line without getting tagged.  Each time they run to an opposing line they get a point.  Once all of the team members have been tagged the other team will get a chance to score points. Sharman May

In Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe we used to play an indigenous game called Nhodo. I did not realise this was teaching us counting and mathematical literacy. So, in a group we could play e.g., 5 players. The game involves each player choosing 5 small round stones to contribute. All the stones are put in a circle. The first player will use a lead stone to throw in the air while taking out all the stones from the circle. The player will then throw the lead stone into the air and take one stone from the stones and push all the stones into the circle. If some stones remain outside that is an infringement and the next player takes over…. Taurai Mutanda

In this game one player (catcher) stands in the middle of an open area, while the rest of the group stands at one end of the area. The catcher then calls one of the players to run to the other end. If this player gets caught they join the catcher in the middle and become a catcher themselves. The catchers continue calling people till no one is left. However, if someone makes it through, all the players at the end of the area must start to run and go through. Those caught become catchers. Carl Lamprecht   

Use five medium sized stones which you roll on the ground. Pick up one stone in your hand. Through the stone in the air and pick up one stone without touching any of the other stones. Then throw up the one stone and pick up two of the stones without disturbing any other stones. Repeat and pick up three stone (I guess you need six stone for this). I seem to forget the rules at this stage 😊

The game is a two player game I used to love playing as a young girl growing up in the Township of Kwa-Thema in the Eastrand area (Gauteng). This is usually a two player game usually played with pebbles or marbles. The first player throw a pebble or marble in the air and tries to remove the rest of the gathered marbles or pebbles inside of the circle before they catch the tossed up pebble before it hits the ground.  Should the player fail to remove the stones within the circle before the tossed up pebble hits the ground it is the next players turn.  This game teaches hand-eye coordination and memorisation. Siphokazi

The game I played as a child with my father and friends was chess. Chess is a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a chequered board on which each playing piece is moved according to precise rules. The object is to put the opponent's king under a direct attack from which escape is impossible (  checkmate  ). Ruan Moolman

Welcome to the OERiGA project. This project seeks to document indigenous games in Africa and openly share them (digital, virtual) as an Open Educational Resource (OER). Thus, the OERiGA project is an invaluable resource of indigenous games from Southern Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa. Dick Ng'ambi