Generally, children’s plays are very entertaining, thrilling and necessary for body and mental growth. Igbo plays particularly are rich in Igbo culture and tradition and as well easy to learn. There are numerous plays Igbo children engage themselves not just to catch fun but to socialize and acquire basic knowledge needed for their growth.
This content presents the most popular and easy plays children enjoy a lot. They include but not limited to: Mgba, Ncho, Ikpo uga, Ndoro ndoro.
‘Mgba’ means wrestling in Igbo language. In this competition, every wrestler avoids being beaten as this would mean lack of strength.
‘Ncho’ on the other hand is a local game that may involve 2 to 6 players competing at the same time.
There are 4 pellets in each of the 6 small holes directly opposite each other. The number of holes chosen (before the game) mark the territory of each player. The game requires players to intelligently pick pellets from each of the holes in their territory and successfully distribute round to other holes until the number of pellets in any hole becomes four again. This is done in turns as each player thinks fast and smart on how best to conquer other territories through the number of pellets successfully completed. These plays are really fun-packed and were more popular some years back.
The clip below shows Igbo children enjoying these plays according to their different rules and forms. Happy viewing..!