In the Gambia local equipment games are not available unless we use western type like computer game, mini computers and so on which I believe you know them.

However, we have seasonal local games. For example during the rainy season children like playing “Padinyedi”. The above diagram shows you the structure of the game. This game, two to four people can play. Each player will have “doom” (which means baby in English), the doom is either a small piece of broken tile, glass bottle or concrete.

The player will stand at the starting point and throw the doom into the first house then he/she will jump the house where the doom is and step into the next three houses with one leg, from there he/she will strength his/her two legs into right and left house (i.e. house fifth and sixth) then to seventh house with one leg and strength again into house eight and nine then turn to return back. In this point the right leg will go to the left house and the left leg go the right house, step into seven house with one leg then you do the same as eight and nine houses then to the fourth house, third and second house you bow and pick the doom then jump that house go to the starting point.

After completing the first step you stand again at the starting point and throw the doom at the second house and take the same procedure as before until you complete the all houses then you wine a house. The one with more houses is the owner. You might not have a house in your first or second play because can fail.

What make player fail: a play can be fail when throwing the doom and it falls in wrong house or touch a line or it jump outside the houses. When jumping also where the doom is and you step into that house or at a line you are fail.

Note: when playing you have select only one leg to be jumping with it that is the right or left. You can not jump one house with the left and the other house with right. If you start jumping with right you should continue with right.


Another one is all year round that is Play Accra. In this game the minimum playee is two but the more people you have the more you enjoy your play. The game can be play by one team or two team competing.

In a one team play, the playees will line up horizontally and one player will stand in front of them and start playing with the first playee. They both be clapping their hands and jumping with both legs and throw any leg. If your both leg coincide three time one the playee will win and you will go to last. But if none of the playee win until you win two to four round if one playee win you stand first. One with more rounds wins.



In a two team play there are two masters and each master will select their playee and they will line up horizontally and face each other. Then one team will start playing starting from the master she will play and say “go for one” if the playee does not coincide with her three time she will to the second playee and say “go for two” that’s how it will continue up last “go for” and another player will come and do the same as the first player. If one of the playee coincide with the player three time their team will now come and play the same as the other team does. The team with more rounds wins.