A player from the defending team is deployed in a central role as a roller of the ball and players from the attacking team take turns as kickers as and when they are called out by the roller to do so. Indigenous Games Festival: Preserving Traditional African Childhood Games in South Africa Everyone has a fond throwback story of the games they used to play as children. Cape Town - Drie Stokkies contender Tasneem Claassen is a hop, skip and a jump away from participating in the 10th annual National Indigenous Games Festival for the first time. * The revival of Indigenous Games in South Africa evolved as a response to the national call to embrace the African Renaissance. * Jaer, 34, said that his team would be accompanied by managers, department officials and a technical team. I’ve got a lot counting in my favour. Kho-kho: a running and catching game where a toss of a coin determines which team will do the running. Variations are found among the Khoi San. The tournament was developed in response to the government’s call for an African Renaissance [1]. The Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa, under the leadership of Minister Fikile Mbalula,is hosting its 10th Annual Indigenous Games Festival (IG 2015). Claassen is one of 85 players selected in July to represent the province in Pretoria from September 20-24. This revival is intended to popularise those cultural activities that have a particular appeal to vast sectors of the South African society, particularly the traditional rural people. Each team must have an equal representation of male and female players. of the indigenous people of South Africa. I’m very fit, but when we train together it’s for 45 minutes to an hour of three sticks, running, cardio and stretches,” she said. I first heard about it in January when the department tried to get all the schools involved. * Unlike many global publications, for nearly a decade we have been committed to showing a complete picture of Africa – not just a single story. The revival of indigenous Games in South Africa evolved as a response to the national call to embrace African Renaissance. The festival aims to revive African heritage. “I’m lucky to be a coach and stay fit all the time. Dikebe is a kick-and-run ball game pitting two teams of 12 players each against each other. Offended by one-sided coverage of wars, disasters and disease, the founders of Africa.com created a website that provides a balanced view of Africa – current events, business, arts & culture, travel, fashion, sports, information, development, and more. The challenge was to trace and bring this rich indigenous heritage back to life for everybody to share and to actively join in traditional games. Diketo: players grab as many stones as they can, throw them in the air and catch as many as possible in one hand. -a picture of a girl playing “Diketo”- 2001 saw the revival of indigenous games played in various communities in South Africa. * Through the Indigenous Games Sport and Recreation South Africa therefore seeks to preserve and advance this rich heritage for future generations. Drie stokkies: a running and jumping game played by two teams with five players each. Sport and Recreation trains volunteers as indigenous games leaders and hosts tournaments where these games are played and promoted. Iintongo: a two-player stickfighting game, one of the oldest traditions in Africa. The Ministry of Sports and Recreation established a tournament to host the games, “South African Indigenous Games” The indigenous… Morabaraba: a two-player strategy board game played throughout Africa. © 2020 Independent Online and affiliated companies. The trick to winning is knowing your opponent’s moves.”. I’m 1.76 metres tall and I was a sporty child at school,” she said. Your grandparents probably enjoyed playing intonga, kho-kho or jukskei when they were young. The teams take turns to attack and defend. “I’m more excited than nervous because I was in the 2006 Western Province triple jump squad. “It’s the first time I will be participating in the games. The others are jukskei, morabaraba, diketo, dibeke, kgati, ncuva, lintonga and kho-kho. Players can jump the rope in any order, but will be eliminated if the rope is entangled. * Kgati: a rope jumping game of at least three players. * The festival aims to revive African heritage. The members of my team live in different parts of the province so it’s hard for us to train together. Claassen is one of six drie stokkies team members. When I first saw the (ncuva) game board I didn’t think I’d be able to play. Jukskei: a target game which originated in the Cape among Trekboere around 1734. Also required is a scorekeeper from each team to count team and individual player runs during the game. * Claassen, a 24-year-old Lotus River sports coach, said she had played drie stokkies as a five-year-old near her grandmother’s flat. As a 90s baby, I fondly remember playing various As a 90s baby, I fondly remember playing games like ‘aan-aaan’ (tag) or ‘wesi-wema’. Dibeke: a running ball game which involves a large team and defenders positioned in a semi-circle on the field. Ncuva: a strategy board game requiring problem-solving skills. The first Indigenous Games, aimed at promoting cultural diversity, were launched in September 2003 at the Basotho Cultural Village, Free State. Sport and Recreation Services want to ensure that these indigenous games are not lost, so that the current and future generations of children can enjoy playing them too.. The first Indigenous Games, aimed at promoting cultural diversity, were launched in September 2003 at the Basotho Cultural Village, Free State. Claassen said that she had trained for drie stokkies at least 45 minutes every second day in preparation for the games. * “Once I heard about the games at the beginning of the year, I wanted to get everyone involved, including my four children. Drie stokkies is one of nine indigenous games in which more than 1 000 participants from across the country will participate. * All rights reserved, Please visit the official Government information portal for Coronavirus by clicking HERE. Alistair Jaer, who will take part in ncuva, said many games helped children with maths and problem-solving. This revival is intended to popularise those cultural activities that have a particular appeal to vast sectors of the South African society in order to get more South …