When I was a kid I really maximised on my free time, read playing time, and you can be sure all sorts of games came up. Some were nation wide and it is amazing how they travel through the country without much trouble. They could possibly differ with the name depending on what part of the country you were from but the concept was more likely the same, the rules were similar and the enjoyment was definitely share across the land.
I remember brikicho or tapo, if you grew up in the same area as I did or shared the name, then you know this was a game much loved by girls. Now with time this game has changed names and it’s now called hide and seek. Then there was shake which was unisex. The most common game for the boys was bano, can simply explain it as competing with marbles and hitting each other. Funny how small round things fascinate dudes, now that is a whole story on its own. Then there was bladder I am almost sure bladder was a national game common to all girls, and for real it just never made sense to me the whole jumping thing and raising the bladder. It was fun though.
The skipping rope then called mabrigan, deriving it’s name from the common song sung while skipping but with time more songs came up and so it was later called kamba and the last A has to be pulled to differentiate between the game and a rope. Then there was mukos or kati, a group would be divided into two and throw a ball (often made from socks) trying to hit the other person, then the last person was called saviour, if she caught the ball, it meant that the members who had been hit would go back into the game. However, not that easily by catching the ball, you accumulated point, and if you got to the agree points then your members would join you if not, then you would take your turn to hit the opponent group.
I have left out a couple of games, maybe too many but then the instructions and the code words used in the games are the main focus of this piece. The common song sung to know how long one would count, I draw I snake upon your back, which finger did I point you with? And every finger meant ten, so the sooner you guessed the right figure, the lesser you would count in numbers, this was for hide and seek. Haramu, was the word used when one felt something unfair had happened and most often it never resulted into a fight but this comment always followed, haramu haili, meaning unfairness never wins. Then there was gachangi, or helper or saviour this was used to call in someone to help out if you were tired, it was not just anyone but a designated person. Then there was kimacho this is when you look away and hit the person on the other side since they thought they would not be hit. And there was mashati; if you were skipping and your dress touched the rope while you were getting off then the other person would shout mashati that means they would be excused if they failed, since it was not their fault. Please note that at the beginning of every game, there were rules set for the game, some would be no kimacho, mashati is your fault or even no helper/saviour/gachangi. So if the rule was broken, you would either be out of the game or opt for haramu.
The best code for me however, was pax, meaning, wait on or hold on, if a player needed to do something, like in the kati game, she would shout pax and everyone would stop what they were doing, the thrower of the ball would hold on until the player made adjustments, whether to remove shoes or correct anything that might be a distraction. Pax was grace, and it was never used if you were tired, because that was the essence of the game, get you tired so you can be hit, a pax needed a genuine reason.
Pax is such an encouragement, that I can get grace from the fast moving world, that I can stand to make adjustments, that everything else can hold on a bit it is my turn on the stage. And just like God’s grace, it should not be misused as the game will loose meaning, if kati had paxes all the time then the game would be one sided. And when the devil plays kimacho on us, we have a word to shout PAX because His grace is sufficient. And when we feel like we can’t go on any longer then we can always call on the Gachangi…the helper to come in in our place and help us move on. The Holy Spirit is our helper and we should have him all the time, he strengthens us. The bible says call unto me and I will answer you…Gachangi and there comes our help. And when we feel like there is so much unfairness around us, when the boss does not seem to notice your work and recommend a pay hick or a promotion, then we know haramu haili and God will soon pay back for us. He says that He will take up cases for His people, we are His children and He is doing it on our behalf. That, sounds like a promise I can rely on =)