Palestinian Childhood Games Fading Amid Digital Age, Initiative Seeks Revival
Translated & summarized from Al-Shams by baba
Traditional Palestinian children's games are rapidly disappearing due to the rise of smartphones and electronic entertainment, with many now existing only in memory. The "Beit Al-Dammah" initiative in Jenin is actively working to document, revive, and reintroduce these folk games, which foster physical, social, and cognitive development. The project aims to create a bridge between the digital world and traditional play, preserving cultural heritage and ensuring games like hopscotch and seven stones are experienced by new generations.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Palestinian childhood games like hopscotch and seven stones are fading due to smartphones.
- The "Beit Al-Dammah" initiative in Jenin is working to document and revive these traditional games.
- Games are being linked to Palestinian history, geography, and customs to enhance their appeal.
- Older generations are rediscovering these games through the initiative, highlighting their decline.
- The initiative seeks to integrate digital tools to preserve and share this cultural heritage.
Traditional Palestinian children's games like "Hajla" (hopscotch), "Sab'a Hajar" (seven stones), hide-and-seek, "Seega," and "Manqalah" are disappearing from daily life, replaced by smartphones and electronic games. These once-communal activities, passed down through generations, required no screens and fostered interaction in neighborhoods and courtyards. The shift in lifestyle has relegated many of these games to memory rather than practice.
An initiative called "Beit Al-Dammah" (The House of Dammah) in the town of Zababdah, Jenin Governorate, is working to preserve this cultural heritage. The project documents and introduces Palestinian folk games to new generations, blending play with history and heritage. It aims to revive intellectual games like Dammah, Seega, and Manqalah, as well as physical ones such as Sab'a Hajar, Abu Asfour, and Hajla. Some games are even linked to specific Palestinian cities and villages, embedding historical or geographical information within the gameplay, like a game inspired by an olive press in Sebastia.
Samah Al-Rumi, the director of Beit Al-Dammah, noted that some visitors over 50 have discovered for the first time that games they recognized were ancient Palestinian folk games, indicating their decline even among older generations. The shift from communal outdoor play in streets and courtyards to individual digital entertainment on phones and tablets has accelerated this trend.
These traditional games offer more than just recreation; they develop motor, social, and cognitive skills and facilitate intergenerational interaction. The initiative is not only reviving the games through play but also selling them and advocating for an archive of their names, rules, histories, and regional associations. The goal is to integrate digital tools for wider documentation and dissemination, ensuring these games, which carry stories, customs, and memories, remain accessible to children beyond just being historical anecdotes.