Dila e kende game enters fray

THE Namibia Dila e kende Sports Association (NDSA) was launched in Windhoek yesterday with the aim to revive and make the old cultural activity a national sport code.

Dila e kende is a game that was popular among black and coloured communities many years ago, before the Independence of Namibia. A soft, round ball, the size of a tennis ball, is used by two teams who play the game in a circle, counting from zero.Players of the opposing team first run from one circle to the other, while one of the members of the same team is expected to fill and empty a bottle in the centre of the court.The patron of the association, Nedbank managing director Martin Shipanga, said Dila e kende is an Oshiwambo name for ‘Fill the Bottle’.”Young people, as a means of socialising, entertainment and physical training, mainly played the sport in schools during break time and in neighbourhood areas during their free time,” he said.He said it is a challenging game that builds strength and helps to relax the mind.Dila e kende is a unisex game that can be played by men and women between the ages of 13 and 40 years, as long as they are flexible, fast, focused and fit, according to Shipanga.He said the objective was to provide the nation with a known sport activity that people countrywide could take part in.”Another [aim] is also to properly maintain cultural activities through availability and sustainability.It also creates, enhances and modernises such activities to make them competitive, challenging and acceptable in today’s world,” he said.He urged schools, colleges and communities to prepare themselves for the sport, which will be introduced countrywide.The Deputy Minister of Sport, Pohamba Shifeta, said Dila e kende was a good idea and needed to be promoted.”Keep the game going and the generations to come will know about it.This game was not flourishing for years and it nearly died,” he said.He said it was the Ministry’s mission to develop sport in the country and they hoped this game would take root in all corners of the country.Namibia Sport Commission administrative officer Rusten Mogane said they were happy that a traditional game had been brought into the mainstream and would now be one of the national sport codes.A national Dila e kende Golden Cup that will involve men’s and women’s teams from all the regions is planned for later this year.The winning team is expected to walk away with N$5 000.A soft, round ball, the size of a tennis ball, is used by two teams who play the game in a circle, counting from zero.Players of the opposing team first run from one circle to the other, while one of the members of the same team is expected to fill and empty a bottle in the centre of the court.The patron of the association, Nedbank managing director Martin Shipanga, said Dila e kende is an Oshiwambo name for ‘Fill the Bottle’.”Young people, as a means of socialising, entertainment and physical training, mainly played the sport in schools during break time and in neighbourhood areas during their free time,” he said.He said it is a challenging game that builds strength and helps to relax the mind.Dila e kende is a unisex game that can be played by men and women between the ages of 13 and 40 years, as long as they are flexible, fast, focused and fit, according to Shipanga.He said the objective was to provide the nation with a known sport activity that people countrywide could take part in.”Another [aim] is also to properly maintain cultural activities through availability and sustainability.It also creates, enhances and modernises such activities to make them competitive, challenging and acceptable in today’s world,” he said.He urged schools, colleges and communities to prepare themselves for the sport, which will be introduced countrywide.The Deputy Minister of Sport, Pohamba Shifeta, said Dila e kende was a good idea and needed to be promoted.”Keep the game going and the generations to come will know about it.This game was not flourishing for years and it nearly died,” he said.He said it was the Ministry’s mission to develop sport in the country and they hoped this game would take root in all corners of the country.Namibia Sport Commission administrative officer Rusten Mogane said they were happy that a traditional game had been brought into the mainstream and would now be one of the national sport codes.A national Dila e kende Golden Cup that will involve men’s and women’s teams from all the regions is planned for later this year.The winning team is expected to walk away with N$5 000.