If Khumo Feni, an Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) PhD candidate and IKS coordinator at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, has her way, each of the three campuses at the NWU will soon have an Indigenous Games office.

Aimed at promoting indigenous languages, cohesive social structures, and engagement among members of campus communities, the beauty of indigenous games is that they have wide appeal among people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Working and playing together

“I appreciate the interracial engagement of different employees from different backgrounds who are committed to working and playing together,” says Khumo, who has spent the past 12 months facilitating indigenous games and delivering lectures for staff and students on the Mahikeng Campus on the subject.

She has also engaged with provincial government representatives and communities around the campus on the importance and value of indigenous games.

Khumo recently introduced indigenous games to the Student Campus Council and first-year students. The games include all 13 official cultural groups represented in South Africa, demonstrating her “rainbow nation” approach to indigenous games.

Audience members of all ages celebrate indigenous games

One of the most memorable events she has hosted was a North West Province Archives dialogue at the Mahikeng Campus in 2024. During the event she shared details of her PhD’s literature review with an audience consisting of learners from local schools, provincial archivists, cultural practitioners, oral historians, politicians and government officials.

Before starting her talk, titled “The value of indigenous games in moral regeneration”, Khumo sang indigenous game songs to the audience, who immediately responded in kind, creating a vibrant atmosphere of engagement and participation. She also outlined how the Indigenous Knowledge Act 06 of 2019 seeks to promote the future of indigenous games among South Africans.

This interactive experience created a strong sense of nostalgia among the older members of the audience, who commented that “we miss our non-colonised play, it takes us back to the olden days”, while re-igniting the interest of learners in indigenous games. The auditorium was filled with laughter and a strong sense of community as Khumo explained her research findings on indigenous games. By the end of her presentation, participants were eager to revive the playing of indigenous games in everyday life.

Khumo’s experience is that adult participants are delighted to travel down memory lane while young people are eager to learn more about indigenous games and songs that were used for entertainment, teaching and learning before the era of technology took over.

Her next goal is to establish Indigenous Games offices at the NWU’s three campuses. The offices will facilitate indigenous wellness, healing and recreation while creating an environment for stimulating a decolonial student and staff culture within the NWU.

Khumo refers to this as the #A re tshamekeng NWU Indigenous Games community. To receive information on future events, please use this link: https://forms.gle/cFuEMWnFmKS289M87.

Khumo Feni explains an indigenous game to students.