Ethiopia

The northeast African nation of Ethiopia has a population of 76.5 million, of which only 13 percent live in urban areas. Many people in the countryside (as well as large numbers in towns and cities) live in poverty. Traditional lifestyles focus around the village, and because of its distinct heritage, there are a number of games that are unique to Ethiopia. One of these is Kwosso, in which two teams with up to 100 men in each team, compete for possession of a ball made from goat skin. The game can last for an entire day, and most men only wear loincloths because of the heat—and with tackling and collisions, injuries do occur. It is often played in the sandy plain in the desert near the Afar (or Denakil) Depression in the north of the country, close to the border with Eritrea. Another popular Ethiopian game is Feres Gugs, or Yeferas Guks. Participants ride on horses, with the attacking team armed with wooden staffs, with the task of unseating the defenders, who have wooden shields covered with hides. This game as well can lead to serious injuries.

A more sedate game is Gabata, which is believed to have been played since medieval times. It is similar to [Page 196]the Egyptian (and Inca) game Máncala and the Japanese game Shogi, and it involves players using different-colored seeds to surround and capture the seeds of the other player that are then—unlike in the Japanese version—placed in a storage bin. The Ethiopian version of Hide-and-Seek played by children is Debebekosh, and the Ethiopian version of jacks is called Kelelebosh. A type of field hockey known as Ganna is also popular, but has nowhere near the following of soccer, which was introduced to the country by the Italians in the 1920s. The first soccer club in the country was the St. George Sports Association, founded in 1935, just before the Italian Invasion. The Allies drove out the Italians in 1941, and two years later, under British tutelage, the Ethiopian Football Federation was established, with Ethiopian soccer players competing against teams from Egypt and Sudan in 1957. Soccer continues to be played around the country by boys and young men, who compete as part of school or community groups.

Athletics have also become popular, with many boys involved in cross-country running, inspired by the success of several Ethiopian Olympic gold medal winners. Other young people in Ethiopia are involved in volleyball, tennis, boxing, swimming, and basketball, with cycling and hiking growing in popularity. Few girls or women participate in sports, generally remaining involved in indoor games and handicrafts, although the Ethiopian female runner Fatuma Roba won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996. The Italian connection with Ethiopia, dating from well before their invasion in 1936, can still be seen by older men playing bocee. Card games, Draughts, and Checkers also attract many people.

Chess has clearly had a long history in the country. The British political servant Henry Salt (1780–1827), when visiting what was then known as Abyssinia, found a version of Chess being played that had three differences from the European version: pawns could only advance by one square, bishops could only move three squares, and pawns could not be exchanged for another piece when they reached the end of the board. Welled Selasse, the Ras of Tigre, gave Salt a collection of Abyssinian chessmen made from ivory, and they are now displayed in the British Museum. When the British Consul Walter Charles Metcalf Plowden later went to Abyssinia, he became a good friend of Emperor Tewodros (Theodore) II and followed the Chess game in more detail. Plowden discovered a number of other variations that he outlined in his book Travels in Abyssinia (1868). The Abyssinians believed that checkmate using two rooks was not honorable, but using two bishops was. They also found that if a player only had the king, the opponent had only seven moves to avoid a checkmate.

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