International Games:
Chigora Danda (Zimbabwe)
This game was attributed to Zimbabwe, but it's thought it may have originally come from India because in one of the country's languages danda means "pole" or a "long stick" and there is a game there called Guli Danda. However, the rhythmic tapping and the clapping of Chigoro Danda is African.
How to Play
1. The players alternate so that three play each game.
2. Place two of the poles (4 to 5 feet long) on the ground parallel to each other, 4 feet apart. The third pole is laid across the middle of the poles. Two players sit at each end of the cross bar, and the third is in the middle, straddling and the cross pole.
3. The two seated players lift the cross pole up and down, tapping the parallel poles. The surrounding players clap, and a rhythm is established. Start very slowly.
4. The third player hops off.
5. The raising and a lowering of the clapping and hopping increase in speed. The game ends when the third player fails to hop on the cross pole.
6. The players rotate so everyone has a turn hopping and manipulating the cross pole. Someone can time how long the third player stays in each game, but probably more useful to have each player keep count. (An adult supervisor can help make sure the game doesn't become fast-paced enough to cause an injury.)
