The Games we played when we were young

Everyone who passes through the streets in various states across the country (Nigeria) knows much about each of the games I'm about to talk about. We had fun playing these games. Though technology has made some of these games go into extinction. I should have published this during @bmjc98 's when I was a kid challenge, but the ideas never came to mind until yesterday evening when I saw some kids playing in the street with joy.

Here are some of the games and how we go about them in our time:

Who is in the garden?.:

This is a sing-along game when we have kids of about 10 and above. There is a call for us to form a big circle like our mother’s cooking pot. After we've formed the circle, a girl goes down on her kneel at the centre of the circle. And another run around the circle, singing and while the others respond.

The song goes thus;

Call: who is the garden

Response: a little fine girl

Call: can I come and see her

Response: no no no no

Call: I beg my brother/sister to follow me

The caller touches who the songs end at his back and replace the person in the circle. And the person touched pick it up from there, singing around the circle again.

Ten Ten:

This is mostly played by the females amongst us. It is between two girls. They sing, clap and move their hands and legs in different directions. They do this as fast as they can till one misses a leg or hand.

I call on:

This is a game of knowing your identities. We divide ourselves into various sections and each participant picks a name for his/herself. Someone calls any of the names suddenly and others run as fast as their legs can carry them.

The person called might join in the race before gaining his/her consciousness or might not run at all. He then shouts "Stop" and everyone will have to stop running. The person called, tries to look at whoever is close to him and jump the required number of steps. If he can’t catch up with his target his mark gets deducted and if he could the person losses the mark.

Police and thieves:

This is what I participated in a lot. I have a scar on my head in the course of participating in it years back. Those with mutual interest gathers in place and recite the alphabet. Whoever Alphabet "P" falls on automatically becomes "Police" and "T" makes you a "Thief". Once we have everyone settled, the thieves go and look for a hideout, running from one place to another. Where ever the police come in contact with the thief they arrest them. But the thieves do struggle or fight with the police to resist his arrest.

Suwe:

A rectangular line is drawn on the floor and then divided into smaller boxes. Each player turns their back at the box and throw a pebble into the box, they turn back and face the rectangular boxes and leaps on one leg from one box to another. Once he gets to pick the pebble, he owns the space and designs it by drawing on the space. Other participants need to seek his permission before stepping into his space, else they have to jump over it.

Street soccer:

This is what boys are fond of doing almost every day. They compete on various levels. It’s very funny now to know that the trophy we compete for and cry over when we lose is made of a bulb and empty tin of milk. Street soccer is enjoyed mostly in the rain.

Boju boju:

Here is a form of hide and seek game whereby someone closes his/her eyes and sings this song.

Call: boju-boju, (close your eyes, close your eyes)

Response: ooo

Call: oloro nbo, (a masquerade is coming)

Response: on a very low voice:o

Call: shey kin shi? (should I open my eyes?)

While he sings everyone has to find a place to hide and the seeker won’t open his eyes except when he is permitted to do so.

By giving a response as "shi".

This makes me remember a day I went to hide under the bed without anyone knowing. I slept off under the bed. When they have searched for me for long everyone moved on. I woke up hours after and thought the game was still on.

Mario games:

The shooting of tyres. This is a video game we play on our tv. We call it "tete wole Kowa Je banana" meaning come quickly and eat a banana. The replica of this is what we use Dunlop slipper broom and tread to play.

Throwing rubber:

We compete by throwing banding rubber at a distance, whoever his rubber lies on the other wins and take all the rubbers to himself.

Lately, some of these games are out of the way, the common games are technical, games like PSP, casino, and so on.