Banyoka

Banyoka is an outdoor game that comes from Zambia. It is also played in southern Zaire. The game’s name in English means “the snakes”.

How to Play

1. Choose a play area that has some obstacles, with bushes and large rocks.

2. The players divide into two groups, each group having at least six players.

3. Each group becomes a "Snake" by the players sitting one behind the other on the ground, legs spread and hands placed on the shoulders of the player in front, or arms wrapped around the waist.

4. Each snake moves forward by the players swaying their bodies back and forth. The snake can sing a song.

5. The object of the snake is to reach a designated finish line first. But the real fun of the game is to manoeuvre around bushes, rocks, and/ or other objects, to "slither" around and over them while remaining connected to each other.

6. The game can also be played with one snake. The "head" of the snake decides the direction, turning one way then another choosing which obstacles to go across or around. If the line is long enough, it's fun for players to deal with a new obstacle or change of direction while players farther behind are still coping with the previous one.

Check you understand what these words mean in this document
Designated: a place or thing that has officially been selected for a particular purpose.
To manoeuvre: to move with care or skill.
To slither: to move smoothly by twisting and sliding.
To cope: to deal quite successfully with a difficult situation.