Cape Town - More than 800 participants from every district in the Western Cape came together to celebrate their heritage yesterday through a mutual love for indigenous games.
The players participated in various traditional games including drie stokkies, Kho-Kho, vyf klippies (Ncuva), skipping, Juskei and a modern twist on stick fighting.
Participants travelled from as far as the Karoo to show off their skills.
Teams from the Overberg, the Garden Route, Cape Winelands, and Cape metropole also treated the audience to traditional dancing, singing and poetry before the games kicked off at the Western Cape Sports School in Kuils River. It is the first year the games are played on a provincial level, since it began nationally three years ago.
Director of the local organising committee, Danielle Manuel, reminded players that they were not just playing, but sharing among them rich cultural stories and lessons.
“We are learning about each other, our families, we are learning to celebrate each other. The games illustrate our diversity, teaches us respect, and also builds a bridge between our collective past and shared future and as we celebrate a craft passed on from generation to generation.
“Through this we are pledging our to continue to share this heartbeat, part of our souls, ensuring that through our colouring, our identity as a nation remains vibrant and alive.”
Before opening the games, Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ricardo Mackenzie, said he could not contain his excitement, and boasted that it even got him digging back into his tradition to practice his favourite, drie stokkies.
“This is about gees, today is about our nation’s gees, our collective heritage,” Mackenzie said.
“Games like this teach us to foster a mutual understanding preserve cultural heritage and share it with the future.”
Participant Maxville Sampson from Merweville, in the Karoo, who took part in the juskei, said they travelled for over five hours to be part of the event. “We practise by playing for our schools or clubs, then we get chosen to partake in these games, so it’s big for us and I am so excited.”
Independent Newspapers photographer Ayanda Ndamane also took part in the stick fighting match, but he did not qualify for the next round.
Ndamane said he did it all in the name of fun and heritage. Ferdie Jacobs, who is also a member of the local organising committee, said they planned to introduce the traditional games on the international stage.
“Just like the Olympics started somewhere, so did the indigenous games. We believe it has potential to create social cohesion and economic opportunities.”
Cape Argus