Da Ga

This outdoor game is from Ghana. Da Ga means "boa constrictor" which is rarely found in the United States. The idea of the game has to do with snakes. The number of people who can play the game at any time is between 12 to 20 children. The recommended age of the players is 8-12 years old, but teenagers can also play the game.

How the game is played
You must mark off a 10 feet square on the ground. This is designated as ‘home of the snake’. One player is chosen to stand inside the square you have drawn. The rest of the players surround this person.

The object of the game is for the player in the centre of the square to get as many of the players that surround him/her and bring them into the ‘home of the snake’. The players outside the ‘home of the snake’ must try to avoid being touched by the central player. They must stay outside the ‘home of the snake’ but still be close to the designated central area. The central player tries to touch one of the others outside the square. The person that is touched enters the ‘home of the snake’, holds hands with the central player and together they continue trying to touch more players. The 'new snake' can use only its or - the players of the new snake free hand. The last player left begins to form a new snake in the next game.

Source: Hopson, D. Powell, Hopson, DS., and Clavin, T. (1996). Juba This and Juba That Simon and Schuster, p. 39