"Technology is the greatest thing to ever happen to our generation but in some way, it has also ruined all the fun we used to have growing up."
In celebration of our Games night, it was only right to make a post about some popular Ghanaian games. Some of these games had us crying due to the consequences of losing and others had us playing to the break of dawn. To think my children will never experience half of what I did playing these games is unfortunate but hopefully this post will be a reminder for those that were not lucky enough to experience this! With all that being said, here is a list of some memorable Ghanaian games:
1. ALIKOTO
Now this game may bring some bad memories for you if you’ve ever played it. It is played with a spinning top made out of a pen top and old tiger head batteries. If it spun and did not land flat on your go you would end up being hit on the back of your hand.
2. OWARE
This one is a game without an age however back then we couldn't afford the actual board game or take our parents so we become innovative and created holes in the ground to play our own version.
3. CHEM PE
Now this game is funny. The name of the game means “to share equally” so you could take a wild guess where the game's heading to. Now if you love your food like I do, please avoid playing this game at all cost. The rule of the game is that whenever a player has food and doesn’t exclaim “No Chem pe” to his/her fellow players, he/she risks splitting their meal equally. This gets worse if there a lot of players.
4. ZANZAMA
Also known as the knocking game is not one for the faint hearted. This one is for the hard guys. Forgetting to say Zanzama could leave you with a migraine. If you were a player and sat down without saying Zanzama, the players would have the right to give you a heavy knock on your head.
5. ALASA
Who remembers the fruit Alasa? Well, after eating it, the seed from the fruit is used to play this game. A hole is dug and with your finger, you must try and knock seeds into the hole from a distance. P.S - This fruits also turns into chewing gum :)
l6. PILOLO
This is basically a game of hide and seek but with sticks. The moderator hides small pieces of sticks depending on the number of players. The players then search for the sticks and whoever finds the shortest stick is out of the game. Now out of all the games this is the one I find most exciting.
7. CHASKELE
Known to many as “Ghana Cricket” involves a flattened can, sticks used as a bats and a rimless car tyre. The tyre is laid flat on the ground with the hole used as a goal post for the cans to be tossed in. The game also has a defender that hits away the cans trying to get into the hole, making it harder for players. Ingenious right?!
And that's the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it! If we missed any of your favourite childhood games, let us know. Don't forget to purchase your 'GAMES NIGHT' tickets tomorrow. This time we are only selling a limited number of tickets. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for any updates.