North African and Saharan Children’s Games of Skill

Jean-Pierre Rossie

2011

any classification of games of skill is quite arbitrary and different skills must often be combined in these games:

games of dexterity

games of coordination games of aiming, throwing, kicking at and receiving games of equilibrium games of suppleness games of speed games of strength and fighting games of self-control and daring games of insight and strategy games of playing music, singing and dancing games of skill and the natural elements

Tunisian Sahara, 1975

made by a mother for her three-year-old son whom she is weaning

Anti-Atlas, 2005

playing knucklebone

Sahrawi, Tan-Tan, 2005

spinning the wheel

Anti Atlas, 2006

making clay topsa very delicate job

Anti-Atlas, 2008

top made with a pomegranate

Tunisian Sahara1975

Anti-Atlas, 2006 Tan-Tan, 2005

tops made with waste material

throwing tops

Sidi Ifni, 2007Kenitra, 1992

Kenitra, 1992

game of marbles

Aït Melloul (Agadir), 2009

Anti-Atlas, 2009

hopscotch


Tan-Tan, 2006 Sidi Ifni, 2002

rope and elastic skipping

swing set up by children for a holiday

Kenitra, 1994

traditional ball gameNorth Africa, 1930s

replaced by football

Tunisian Sahara

1975

Sidi Ifni2005

Sidi Ifni, 2011

Middle Atlas, 1999 Pre-Sahara, 1994

table-football

the sling and the catapult or slingshotare at the same time a toy and an utilitarian object

Anti-Atlas, 2007

catapult or slingshotAnti-Atlas, 2007

dune-sliding playing on a double seesaw


walking on stiltsrunning on a barrel


creating of a skateboard

Anti-Atlas, 2005

Sidi Ifni, 2005


Anti-Atlas, 2006 Kenitra, 1994



Kenitra, 1993 Anti-Atlas, 2005



Tan-Tan region, 2007

Anti-Atlas, 2006


playful fighting


Anti-Atlas, 2006

Tan-Tan, 2007

Sidi Ifni, 2008


Essaouira, 2008

Anti-Atlas, 2008

Marrakech, 1993Tunisian Sahara, 1975

Pre-Sahara, 1993



herdsmen dance

Tiznit, 2006

Anti-Atlas, 2006

Central Morocco, 2005

Sidi Ifni, 2005

Sidi Ifni, 2005

Central Morocco, 1999 Tan-Tan, 2007

Middle Atlas, 1999 Anti-Atlas, 2005

Safi, 2009

orchestra of the Ashura feast

riddles, Tunisian Sahara, 1975


creating string figures




sig board game


playing in and with sand


building a mosque and other constructions


telephone in the sand

Sidi Ifni, 2011 / 2006


forbidden swimin well

spraying water on one another

playing in and with water

Sidi Ifni, 2007

constructing a dam

Kenitra, 1993

Essaouira, 1994

Tan-Tan, 2007

playing with the wind



Anti-Atlas, 2006

Sidi Ifni, 2006Tunisian Sahara, 1975

playing with fire


Anti-Atlas, 2006

making fire in the evening of the religious feast Lilt el Qadr

fireworks for the Ashura feast made by turning around a red-hot steel wool strip

Tiznit, 2006

jumping over the fire during the Ashura feast

Safi, 2009

why do it yourselfif you can buy it for a low price

top and catapult or slingshot made in China

Tan-Tan, 2005

change and globalization


electronic toy and toy-portable

Sidi Ifni, 2007 Anti-Atlas, 2005

© Jean-Pierre Rossiehttp://www.sanatoyplay.org

Khalija Jariaa has taken the photos of slides 8 right, 9 right, 10 right, 11, 12, 13 left, 20 right, 26 left, 32, 33, 36, 37, 38, 41, 46, 47, 51 right, 53, 57, 64, 66, 72, 73, 76.

Gilbert J.M. Claus has taken the photo of slide 59 left.

Boubaker Daoumani has taken the photo of slide 38.

Roos Van Wassenhove has taken the photos of slides 17, 40, 62 left.

Jean-Pierre Rossie has taken the photos of slides 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 left, 9 left, 10 left, 13 right, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 left, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 right, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51 left, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59 right, 61, 62 right, 63, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 74, 75, 77.

Documents

North African and Saharan Children’s Games of Skill