Nigeria

Play in Nigeria challenges our conventional view of play as separate from work, usually requiring commercial toys and games, and rarely involving music. On the contrary, Nigerian children often combine their household chores, including child care, with play. They use natural objects instead of toys, play together in groups, and music, rhymes, dancing, and singing are important parts of their play activities.

The combination of chores and play can be seen in an example from southeastern Nigeria where eight children, ages 6 to 9, after returning from school, set out for the nearest stream, where they gather fresh water for their mothers. They carry large empty plastic containers and clay pots balanced on their heads. One of the older children becomes a “singer” and calls out “Akwukwo e-e” (leaf) many times, and each time the children respond with an exclamation “Eyeewoo” Once the singer names the type of leaf the others should find, they run into the bush to find it. Any child who does not find that type of leaf is “punished” by being made to sing the running song. They pass a small group of girls who build miniature houses with the local claylike sand while carrying their younger siblings tied on their backs or in their laps.

Few families can afford imported toys found in local markets, but there are unlimited possibilities for the creation of playthings from local natural and manmade materials. A piece of wood is tied on a girl's back as a doll, a type of leaf pushed on a stick twirls like an airplane propeller as the child runs, and games in the sand can be created with pebbles and seeds. Toys are built out of household objects such small milk cans, sugar cube boxes, pen caps, and bicycle rims. Children also imitate adult activities in play. Boys like to imitate masquerades at special times of the year. They dress up and create costumes and masks from wood, straw, and paper and may go from door-to-door to collect small rewards or coins. Girls perform their own dance routines and have songs with content relevant to children's lives.

Nigeria is a vast country and is the largest and most populated country in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, with over 140 million people who speak over 400 languages. It extends from arid areas of the north to the rainforests of the south. Children who live near water may enjoy play that involves jumping and splashing in water. Children who live in the rainforest may enjoy mudsliding during the rainy season, and during the dry season they may engage in moonlit games and storytelling by adults in the evenings.

In such a warm climate, outdoor play is frequent, and two of the most popular activities in Nigeria are soccer for boys and step-dance play for girls. Other physical games include many kinds of Hopscotch, Chase, and Hide-and-Seek, which are variations of those seen in Western countries. This is a country where a rich tradition of play and games has been passed down through families and generations, and even with the continued impact of modernization through radio, television, and imported playthings, children will continue to play with whatever is available around them.

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