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THE LABYRINTH OF SOUTH SUDAN
Chapter VI: Toys

THE LABYRINTH OF SOUTH SUDAN: Toys

Even amid the war, children still play, and with no school to go to there’s plenty of time for them to use up all their energy playing games.

These are some of the games and toys children play with  in the camps.

 

Tiktar

A classic. Hit the rim of a bicycle wheel with a wooden stick and keep it rolling. The goal is to maintain the balance of the dented rim as it rolls over stones, mud and glass.

 

Wading

Wading is all the rage among children, who take over entire streets to play it. It is similar to cricket. Two pieces of rubber (usually the sole of flip-flops) are cut and sewn together to create a flexible disc. Then they get some wooden sticks or branches. A bowler throws the disc, which rolls along the ground towards a batter who attempts to hit it.

 

Bloma

Soap bubbles! In South Sudan, children are experts at blowing bubbles.

Saroog

In the evening, some camps like the one in Wau Shilluk are filled with kites that the children fly over the roofs of the thatched huts.

 

Clay toys

South Sudanese children show great skill in building clay toys. They are usually vehicles which a rope can be tied to in order to pull them along. They are surprisingly durable!

 

Buoy

All that’s needed is an old piece of string, and you can play the universal game known in the UK as Cat’s Cradle.

 

Hiya

Skipping rope is one of the activities in which children use up the most energy.

 

Swing

Anything can be used to make a swing. Children improvise with rubber cables that they tie to iron bars to swing in the air.

 

Yay

A great way to use empty cans - this is another specialty of South Sudanese children. They build cars and trucks out of the tin, then skid them around the camps.