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The Games
In so many ways children are the same
everywhere – they dance, they laugh, they
love to sing and play. When you hold "The
Jews of Africa" program for middle and elementary
school age children you will find how many
things they have in common with children of
similar ages in African Jewish communities. You will
learn a dozen games children play
in Ghana and Uganda. Playing games that African Jewish
children play will help Western Jewish children
realize how much in common they have with Jewish
children everywhere.
Ugandan
children’s games
Nyaga Nyaga Nya
Everyone sits in a circle. One person is
the leader. Everyone sings the "Nyaga Nyaga
Nya" song as the leader goes around the
circle. When the song ends the child in front of
whom the leader is standing has to get up and
dance until s/he falls down. That child is now
the leader and the song starts again.
Kakopi
Everyone but the leader sits in a line with
their legs extended and sings the "Kakopi"
song. As they’re singing the leader taps
each of their legs in turn. When the song ends
the leader ends on a child’s leg, and the
child bends that leg back under him/herself. When
both of a child’s legs are bent s/he is out.
The last child remaining with a leg extended is
called "the night dancer."
Sarah Byeyakalaba
Everyone sits in a circle and sings the
"Sarah Byeyakalaba" song. A leader goes
around the circle. When the song ends the child
behind whom the leader is standing gets up and
dances with the leader.
Pengo Pengo
There are two leaders. Each child in turn
goes up to the leaders and the leaders ask them
to make a choice between, for example, meat and
rice, or blue and green. When the child picks s/he
goes in a line behind the leader who represents
his/her choice. After all the children have
chosen they grab hands and play tug ‘o war.
Dog & Hyena
The children line up equally behind two
leaders. One leader is a "dog" and the
other is a "hyena." The children hold
each other in a straight line behind the leaders
as they dance back and forth singing the "Chakity
cha" song, each playfully trying to grab the
children who are lined up behind the other.
Ghanaian
children’s games
Kwaiara Franga ("Sunday’s
Flag")
This game is similar to tick tack toe. The
players draw a rectangle on the ground with chalk,
with two lines diagonally unifying each corner
point of the rectangle. Each child starts with
three stones or marbles. The children start
placing their stones until one of them wins the
game by having three stones in a row.
Ahm Totre
This one is somewhat similar to duck duck
goose. Everyone sits around a circle. A leader
dances around a circle as everyone sings the
"Ahm totre" song. When the song
finishes the child behind whom the leader is
standing has to get up and chase him or her
around the circle, racing to sit down in the
empty spot. The child who loses the race becomes
the leader.
Ambe
Two children stand facing each other. One
child is assigned to "ampale," the
other to "oshwa." Each child hops then
extends a leg. If the extended legs are crossing
diagonally, "ampale" gets ten points,
if they meet directly "oshwa" gets ten
points. The first child to reach fifty points
wins.
Pombo
This is the Ghanain version of jacks, played
with stones. There are seven stones. The child
picks one up and tosses it in the air. While the
stone is in the air s/he must pick up one stone
from the ground then catch the one s/he has
thrown. The next time a stone is thrown s/he must
pick up two from the ground. This continues until
the child has picked up all the stones and has
caught the one s/he tossed.
Walae
This game of strategy is more for older
children and adults than for younger children.
There is a wooden game board with six holes dug
out on each side. There are four stones in each
hole. The players sit opposite each other. The
first player picks up the stones from one of the
holes and puts them one by one in each of the
other holes around the board in order. When s/he
has placed the last stone, s/he picks the stones
from that hole and continues placing them all in
order until s/he has placed a stone in a hole
where there was none. The other player does the
same. When one of the players puts a fourth stone
into one of the holes, s/he is able to pick those
stones and take them off the board. The player
who ends the game with the most stones wins.
People across West Africa play this game
with the same board, though in each country there
are different rules and the game is known by a
different name.
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