Games and plays are amusement that has entertained, brought light moments, inspired and mobilized people since time immemorial. It has been so to all peoples of the world and so to the people in the land of Njwanga. Here the origin of varieties of games and plays is not clearly known. Some should be original to this rich land of Bukoba in Kagera but others could have been imported, brought in by immigrants, traders, colonialists, religious sects and the like. The kind of amusement seen in this society help to appreciate this deep rooted culture and the value of simplicity.

It is hard to narrate the wide variety of games and plays and to also explain how the games were played. To fully appreciate what it was one needs to see the players on the game. In a sense Njwanga’s dynasty was so unique and was a place where so much happened. In certain games there were opponents who were the players. There was preparation such as finding the right ground or space and choosing who goes first especially in plays where different people took turns. Unlike many modern games technologies were rudimentary as were game equipments. Mother nature supplied what was to be used but still it was a lot of fun.

Take a game like “Bumbwi- bumbwi …watwala bulihai?” this simple game was played across generations, child to child, child to mother or grand father, any body could play with anybody. Another one like “ Byanda bingahai” a game of knocking finger knuckles was also played amongst everybody especially during light moments in the extended family a way of sharing unity, care, reassurance and love. In Bumbwi – bumbwi one player holds a seed in either if his or her two fists. The opponent is supposed to make several correct guesses of which fist of the opponent’s hands is holding the seed. If the guesser is wrong then the opponent has won and the game is repeated. The object is to make as many correct guesses as possible.

Games of skill included wrestling, “okuchumita enziga” (a form of darts), and Orwesho or Bao which is a very popular game in many areas of Tanzania. Wrestling was played by gallant strong young men of the community on Njwanga’s land. This form of wrestling had small variations from wrestling as we know it like seen played by fat Japanese and other shows from the orient. They are amusing and highly entertaining. Variations were in the rules that set the standards and regulations to address the various situations that could be encountered while wrestling. “Okuchumita enziga” had tools including a wheel made of curved flexible tree twigs. The wheel was rolled very fast and to make a score the players were to throw an arrow (Omuguma) to successfully go through the rolling wheel. Orwesho or Bao also was played with tools. These included a wooden board with rows of depressed holes. Seeds called “empiki”were spread in the holes by different opponents with such skill as is used in a game of chess. One won the game if they took all of their opponents seeds.

There were games that were like songs played with animals. For instance, at a river young people would go fishing for “Nshonzi” a type of long snouted tilapia like fish. So one would sing for the unsuspecting fish after throwing the hook and bait in the water.

“Rwakatingilili nshonzi yo mumpako

Tolimu tolimu, wakuba waizire neichumu

Nenkoni kwija kundwanisa”

The fish then comes out to challenge and is caught in the hook. The words of the song mean:
Rwakatingilili (Just a jockular name for the fish)
You fish of the water caves, you can’t be there,
no you couldn’t be there, for if you were there
by now you could have come out with your hunting
arrow and club to fight with me.

Children also used to fish for termites (ekikaala) at termite mounds. The tool would be a piece of grass which is inserted in one of the many holes on the termite mound. A song would then follow like this:

“ ndoba ekilo – ndoba Omushana Isherobola musheka kingi” These were like pass time words to give time to the ant to get hold onto the piece of grass. At the end of the song the grass is pulled out and sure to be carrying the large termite.

Larger hard grasses of a meter long and which have nodes were used to play on the foot paths. Due to the compact clay soils of the land of Njwanga in Kamachumu Bukoba, foot paths are hard ground and these straight grasses were slid on the ground. Two or more players would compete on whose grass slid furthest on the ground.

There were games of Jokes but annoying, the opponent individual would wait for an opportune moment and snatch something precious like a food item from the hand of another and run off with it never to give it back, this game is known as “Okutela bwakashwai”.

Other games were by little girls such as making dolls to carry on the back. Little boys made cows and goats using the banana flower head (the purple fruit at the head of a banana bunch) “ endiralila”. They would fit pieces of sticks to make cattle legs and arrange several in a row to make a heard of livestock.
Girls played games such as kicking stone on a draft drawn on the ground. The game is known as dama a game for 2 played with one leg in the air while another one is kicking a stone thrown in the dama to advance it across the lines.The player wins if she did not step on the line but only jumped. The looser has stepped or kicked the stone outside the drawing. The game of Ukuti wa mnazi (imported form the cost) is played by children. They hold hands and race in a circle around a tree then one who fails to hold on falls off the circle and is out of the game.

Telling proverbs, stories and sayings, songs and musicals were all forms of amusement in the dynasty of Njwanga. One wonders whether there will ever be a revival of interest in such original, simplified games that touched the heart. Modernity may have taken over!

By Thomas K Rutashubanyuma