AFRICAN NATIVES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 303, 20 November 1935, Page 14

AFRICAN NATIVES.

HOW THEY PLAY FOOTBALL

A largely attended meeting held by the British and Foreign Bible Society at Kingsway Hall, London, recently, was entertained by Miss Alabel Shaw (of Aibereshi, Rhodesia), for 20 years a missionary, with descriptions of life in that part of Africa. Football, she said, was becoming very popular, though not played in accordance with English rules. People gathered from all parts within walking distance (30 miles) to watch the games. Before play started the captain of the home team called all the players to the centre of the field and read portions of Scripture to them, with exhortations as to pressing ever onward towards the goal, and so on. The “pressing on” continued until one side scored a goal, when, no matter which s iu e had scored, the whole assemblage swarmed on to the field and every one jubilated with dancing and singing and shouting. After a quarter of an hour of this the game would be resumed until other goals were scored, when the jubilation was repeated. All matches ended in a draw, she said, and the whole business occupied about five hours, concluding with a hymn, appiopriately, “Art thou weary; are thou languid?”