OFFICIALIZING GLASS MARBLE (BEE-ZEE) COMPETITION

“Learning without playing makes Jack a dull boy.”

This is why OGCEYOD Cameroon organized a Mable stone competition popularly known in Cameroon as Bee Zee amongst youths of the New Town locality in Limbe. The aim of this competition was to enable youths to spend quality time with each other while playing during the summer holiday period.

The Director of OGCEYOD Cameroon Mr. Elvis Wepngong opened the tournament by making the first throw. This gesture was greeted with a loud applause from the who were a little surprised at the accuracy with which he made this throw. They didn’t realize that Mr. Wepngong had once been a boy just like them, playing with marbles on the street of Limbe. It is a game that has been passed down from generation to generation and known to all the young boys in Cameroon, especially forming the anglophone part. Seldom will any one pass a street or two without spotting young boys playing “Bee Zee”. The game usually gets so interesting that children will only realize it’s late and time to go home when they start hearing the voices of their mothers calling them to come home.

The participants were awarded prizes in terms of educational supplies such as books, pens, rulers and more.  One of the messages we wanted to get across was, that you can even get a price for just having fun and being good at playing a game.

To give this game some status, OGCEYOD Cameroon introduced the game at this year’s FENASCO Games for Fako. The launching which took place at the Limbe community field on September 19^th 2011 was presided by the Senior Divisional Delegate for Fako and other dignitaries. The first three winners of the glass marble game received prices along side winners of other sports such as running and football. All winners of the competition had prices awarded to them courtesy of OGCEYOD Cameroon.

We are all looking forward to the next edition come Summer holiday 2012 and it is hoped that young girls will make their debut so that the intensity of the game can be heightened through boys vs. girls match. This will give the game some gender balance.