Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

The Anglo-phone and the Franco- phone African nations were colonized by the Europeans. Before the advent of the colonial masters, indigenous play severed as leisure pursuit, leisure engagement and leisure need of the African child. In several communities, windows of opportunities were created for resourcefulness, peace building, peace keeping and civic responsibility through the indigenous play that was used as catalyst for child development. Ostensibly, the wind of western civilization has eroded not only the form, but the entire traditional play. This paper discussed the types and the principles of African Indigenous child play which include but not limited to: freedom, relaxation, adaptation, cultural etiquette, and, preservation. The paper also identified the values and called for renaissance of the indigenous play among the African children.