One of the deep thinkers at the Youth Sport Trust challenged me to explain how PE and Sport is used in Africa. I immediately thought of Reg Revans and Action Learning, and how this question was an example of the deeper insight that Revans craved … An adapted quote from Revans reads

“Questioning is likely to be limited to the level of the task rather than encompassing a deeper examination of the issues and challenges involved”

I have been lucky enough to work with Musheke Kakuwa of the University of Zambia who collected traditional games. Many of these games relate back to hunting and physical activities, and thus the preservation of tradition. In the West I think our tradition is with the games themselves rather than how the physical skills relate to a deeper social and cultural heritage, and therefore the meaning of these activities in Africa is probably deeper.

It is also easy to say that many Africans are more physical than we are, I see Africans walking and cycling through absolute enjoyment as well as necessity, and I think the expression of this physicality through games is a natural progression. I join a senior aerobics class three times a week at 5:30am and see the absolute love of movement expressed both vocally and with grins of pleasure

The work I am witnessing here in Bahir Dar also demonstrates the power of sport for community integration. Sporting events are being used to bring Kebeles, City and Region together, both politically through engaging different government departments in common work, and at the local society level by making people aware of each other.

So …very similar to the West …but physicality is deeply embedded here … And I think in that way they are further ahead of us … We have a lot to learn from Africa

Picture: Mandondo Manshika … Played with corn husks