Indigenous Games
SPORT AND RECREATION SOUTH AFRICA (SRSA) REVIVING THE GAMES OF YESTERYEARS – TOWARDS CREATING AN ACTIVE AND WINNING NATION
Introduction
Despite Africa’s rich history of indigenous games, a number of them (games) have become extinct without having been
documented in historical and anthropological accounts of the indigenous people of Africa.
Like other sport and recreation codes, indigenous games impact on a number of socio-economic issues such as African identity; cultural diversity; education and training; accessibility of resources; international relations; economic growth and so forth.
Indigenous Games are part of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA)’s Mass Participation Programme, which focuses on both vertical and horizontal sport development. Apart from indigenous games, the programme also incorporates amongst others, an Active Inner City Programme; Women and Sport; and Corporate Recreation.
Together with Departments responsible for sport and recreation in all the provinces of South Africa, the national Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA)
annually hosts Indigenous Games Festival in celebration of Africa’s cultural diversity and an effort to revive indigenous games.
Revival of Indigenous Games
The revival of indigenous Games in South Africa evolved as a response to the national call to embrace African Renaissance. 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. Due to the fact that sport and recreation activities are predominantly practised in urban areas and are largely Euro-centric, the revival of indigenous games is essential in order to get more South Africans, more active, for most of the time.
The revival of indigenous games in South Africa gained momentum at national level when the games were launched at the Basotho Cultural Village in the Free State Province, in February 2001. The launch saw the introduction of seven indigenous games, namely: Ugqaphu / Kgati / Ntimo; Diketo / Upuca / Magave; Morabaraba / Mlabalaba; Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro / Tshimaya/Moruba; Dibeke / Diwiki / Snuka / Skununu / Umabhorisha; Jukskei; and Kho-Kho. The eighth game, Iintonga / Melamu / Iziduku; was introduced at a later stage.
Following the safety approval and standardisation of the games’ equipment by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa geared itself for the first national Indigenous Games Festival. The Festival was held in Limpopo Province in September 2003. The Limpopo Festival has already been succeeded by two national Festivals that were held in the Western Cape and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa respectively.
In moving with technological advancement, August 2004 witnessed the computerisation of Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro / Tshimaya/Moruba. This process was conducted with the support of the CSIR. To build onto the accessibility that had been brought about by the computerisation of Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro /Tshimaya/Moruba, the University of Johannesburg and several federations pooled resources and expertise to adapt the Indigenous Games Manual for use by people with disabilities.
Governance
To assist with the development of Indigenous Games, all Provinces are encouraged to establish an umbrella structure for the indigenous games played in their provinces. Once an indigenous game is represented in at least five provinces and is fully operational with rules and regulations in place, that indigenous game will be
encouraged and assisted to form a national structure that can function independently and also be able to affiliate to the SRSA.
To qualify as an indigenous game like the eight that are already been recognised, a game must:
a) Be indigenous. (The term “indigenous” refers to the origin and locality of the knowledge system, i.e. that it originated and/or developed among the population groups and communities within SA.)
b) Involve a physical and/or a character building activity.
c) Have the ability to be played at a competitive level (rules and/or game plans must be in place).
d) Have the potential to be developed and played on a national level. (It is acknowledged that indigenous games will originate from a specific cultural group and region.)
e) Have proper governance structures in place.
f) Be either a team or individual sport.
g) Be accessible to all South Africans.
h) Positively impact on the development of either sport or recreation in SA.
i) Have the ability to contribute to capacity building by means of the recruiting and training of sport and recreation leaders, coaches and technical officials.
j) Be recognized by the SRSA.
Way Forward
As physical and character building activities that originate and are developed in South Africa, the aim is to preserve, promote and populate the indigenous games with the potential to be played on a competitive basis at a national level.
For enquiries, readers can contact Sport and Recreation SA at (012)
304-5000.
Website:
www.srsa.gov.za
Introduction
Despite Africa’s rich history of indigenous games, a number of them (games) have become extinct without having been
documented in historical and anthropological accounts of the indigenous people of Africa.
Like other sport and recreation codes, indigenous games impact on a number of socio-economic issues such as African identity; cultural diversity; education and training; accessibility of resources; international relations; economic growth and so forth.
Indigenous Games are part of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA)’s Mass Participation Programme, which focuses on both vertical and horizontal sport development. Apart from indigenous games, the programme also incorporates amongst others, an Active Inner City Programme; Women and Sport; and Corporate Recreation.
Together with Departments responsible for sport and recreation in all the provinces of South Africa, the national Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA)
annually hosts Indigenous Games Festival in celebration of Africa’s cultural diversity and an effort to revive indigenous games.
Revival of Indigenous Games
The revival of indigenous Games in South Africa evolved as a response to the national call to embrace African Renaissance. 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. Due to the fact that sport and recreation activities are predominantly practised in urban areas and are largely Euro-centric, the revival of indigenous games is essential in order to get more South Africans, more active, for most of the time.
The revival of indigenous games in South Africa gained momentum at national level when the games were launched at the Basotho Cultural Village in the Free State Province, in February 2001. The launch saw the introduction of seven indigenous games, namely: Ugqaphu / Kgati / Ntimo; Diketo / Upuca / Magave; Morabaraba / Mlabalaba; Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro / Tshimaya/Moruba; Dibeke / Diwiki / Snuka / Skununu / Umabhorisha; Jukskei; and Kho-Kho. The eighth game, Iintonga / Melamu / Iziduku; was introduced at a later stage.
Following the safety approval and standardisation of the games’ equipment by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa geared itself for the first national Indigenous Games Festival. The Festival was held in Limpopo Province in September 2003. The Limpopo Festival has already been succeeded by two national Festivals that were held in the Western Cape and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa respectively.
In moving with technological advancement, August 2004 witnessed the computerisation of Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro / Tshimaya/Moruba. This process was conducted with the support of the CSIR. To build onto the accessibility that had been brought about by the computerisation of Ncuva / Ntijwa / Tsoro /Tshimaya/Moruba, the University of Johannesburg and several federations pooled resources and expertise to adapt the Indigenous Games Manual for use by people with disabilities.
Governance
To assist with the development of Indigenous Games, all Provinces are encouraged to establish an umbrella structure for the indigenous games played in their provinces. Once an indigenous game is represented in at least five provinces and is fully operational with rules and regulations in place, that indigenous game will be
encouraged and assisted to form a national structure that can function independently and also be able to affiliate to the SRSA.
To qualify as an indigenous game like the eight that are already been recognised, a game must:
a) Be indigenous. (The term “indigenous” refers to the origin and locality of the knowledge system, i.e. that it originated and/or developed among the population groups and communities within SA.)
b) Involve a physical and/or a character building activity.
c) Have the ability to be played at a competitive level (rules and/or game plans must be in place).
d) Have the potential to be developed and played on a national level. (It is acknowledged that indigenous games will originate from a specific cultural group and region.)
e) Have proper governance structures in place.
f) Be either a team or individual sport.
g) Be accessible to all South Africans.
h) Positively impact on the development of either sport or recreation in SA.
i) Have the ability to contribute to capacity building by means of the recruiting and training of sport and recreation leaders, coaches and technical officials.
j) Be recognized by the SRSA.
Way Forward
As physical and character building activities that originate and are developed in South Africa, the aim is to preserve, promote and populate the indigenous games with the potential to be played on a competitive basis at a national level.
For enquiries, readers can contact Sport and Recreation SA at (012)
304-5000.
Website:
www.srsa.gov.za