Local News

Teachers take a one day workshop on Traditional Creole games at the Banquitas House of Culture in Orange Walk Town. Dalila Ical reports.

DALILA  ICAL, Reporter

“When children in this generation think of games, most of the time, if not all, they think of video games or what’s trending now, applications on phones. Long gone are the days of games with sticks and stones, rhymes and chants, or is it really? Perhaps not, as a group of teachers from the Orange Walk District are learning a few traditional Creole games that they played as children or were played by their parents and grandparents. Myrna Manzanares, author of Traditional Games of Belize Volume 1 is facilitating the session.”

MYRNA MANZANARES, Author

“Even though we say creole traditional games, a lot of these games have been played all throughout the country and some of them are English based, some of them have part  African in it but the games just develop and we have our own rhythms and our own style even though the base may be different we play it.  You may find a lot of the older people, whatever culture group they come from, can recall playing some of these games.  Games like bruk maccachesta, like  we have London bridge, who don’t know London bridge.”

DALILA  ICAL, Reporter

“Manzanares says the games can be used as a tool to teach important lessons while playing.”

MYRNA MANZANARES, Author

“It’s very important for teachers to know the value of games.  In this instance we are dealing with traditional games and some of these traditional games also have some of the cultural elements and there is where you can look at what are some things within that culture that make these games work or simply using games which are a form of play so that people can enjoy and have fun.  By looking at these games and any other games that teachers want to use in the classroom or to use at school they have to ensure that those games have a specific value through the process that they are doing.  Some of the skills that could be learnt from these games, they are mostly ring games and some of the skills we have locomotive skills, there is team work, you have fine mode coordination lot of these, you know, running and skipping and jumping.”

DALILA  ICAL, Reporter

“The book Traditional Games of Belize was produced in 2007 by Manzanares and includes 13 games complete with instructions and a CD with the songs.”

MYRNA MANZANARES, Reporter

“I said you know what it would be great to have them all in one place so I started to do the research and the oral retrieval.  I went to Gales Point, I got a lot of the games.  I talked to people throughout and I still have more games but I only did thi8rteen of them because to write it all up.  Then I also looked at the origin, I looked at the skills and I produced the book.”

DALILA ICAL, Reporter

“Manzanares says she has done the training with children before. This is the first time teachers are taking the workshop which was organized and provided by the Banquitas House of Culture.  Dalila Ical for Love News.”