Imparting Indigenous Knowledge through Traditional Forms of Entertainment: The Role of Ewe Play Games

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge, perceived as cultural norms and values that collectively inform, educate and give identity to people in a society, still remains an African cultural legacy. Unfortunately, Western culture in contemporary Ghana, is speedily competing with, and almost stunting the growth and survival of African indigenous knowledge systems. This unpleasant situation has led to a re-awakening among the Ewe ethnic society to go back to her roots to revive indigenous entertainment forms like play games to promote the teaching, learning and preservation of indigenous education. The major concern of this paper is to identify some popular Ewe play and singing games and describe how activities in them in terms of their forms, participants, equipment, rules/codes of play, socio-cultural settings within which they are performed help to educate, nurture, shape and equip the youth or children to take up future adult roles in the society.