Many Eritrean traditional games are rooted in the country’s diverse cultural heritage, featuring strategic board games, athletic contests, and popular children’s pastimes. These games are a source of entertainment and help pass down cultural knowledge and social values.
Board games
Gebeta
- An ancient “count and capture” board game, part of the mancala family of games played across Africa and Asia.
- Gameplay: Played on a board with several rows of pits, players sow seeds or stones into the pits in a strategic manner.
- Objective: To capture more of the opponent’s seeds than they can.
- Benefits: Gebeta can teach children valuable skills such as counting, hand-eye coordination, and procedural thinking.
Andada
- A mancala game played by the Kunama ethnic group in western Eritrea.
- Gameplay: Features special rules at the beginning and end of the game.
- Objective: The player who can make the last move and leave their opponent without any counters wins the game.
- Origin: The game closely resembles other mancala variants found in East Africa.
Traditional sports
Testa (Riesy)
- An indigenous martial art that primarily focuses on headbutting.
- Techniques: While headbutting is the core element, testa also incorporates other intricate hand, foot, and grabbing techniques to set up head strikes.
- Context: It is an aggressive, full-contact style that involves both striking and defensive parrying.
Gena (Qarsa)
- A traditional field hockey-like game played in the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia, often around Christmas (Gena).
- Equipment: Players use curved wooden sticks to hit a wooden ball.
- Gameplay: Played in a field with two teams. Players try to get the ball into the opponent’s goal and prevent their opponents from scoring.
- Culture: The game has a long history and holds a significant place in the area’s cultural heritage, believed to have been played by shepherds upon hearing of Christ’s birth.
Rad’oyta
- A traditional game played by the Afar ethnic group, often during festivals.
- Teams: Composed of teams of seven players, typically between 14 and 30 years old, representing different villages.
- Equipment: The ball is made from camel mane and a desert plant.
- Gameplay: A physical and enduring game involving passing and scoring, which showcases the stamina and endurance of the participants.
Among the Eritrean traditional games that have the potential to develop into sports comparable to Olympic events are camel racing, the martial art of testa, and the field hockey-like game gena. These activities involve athletic skill and are culturally significant, which are important aspects for potential Olympic recognition.
Potential Eritrean Olympic sports
| Sport | Description | Olympic Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Camel racing | A traditional racing event, particularly popular in the lowlands and among certain ethnic groups in Eritrea. Dromedary camels are raced over a set course. | Competitive racing is a well-established sport globally, and modern adaptations like robotic jockeys have helped professionalize the sport in the Middle East. This could increase its appeal for formal international competition. |
| Testa (Riesy) | An indigenous martial art that focuses on headbutting, combined with hand and foot techniques. | This full-contact martial art showcases strength and technique. With modern rule standardization, it could follow a path similar to karate, which debuted as an Olympic sport in 2020. |
| Gena (Qarsa) | A traditional field hockey-like game played in the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia. | The game is highly competitive, played between two teams, and is already similar in format to an established Olympic sport (field hockey). This makes it a strong candidate for potential international exposure with some rules standardization. |
| Rad’oyta | A traditional game played by the Afar ethnic group during festivals, which features teams of players passing and scoring with a ball made from camel mane and a desert plant. | As an enduring and physical team sport, Rad’oyta could gain a wider following and evolve with proper organization, similar to how modern team sports were developed from folk games. |
| Wrestling (Hélko) | A traditional wrestling style mentioned as being played by different ethnic groups in Eritrea. | Wrestling is a staple of the modern Olympic Games. By documenting and standardizing its rules, the traditional Eritrean style could be promoted for international competition. |