f! Das Blog

Bringing Frisbee to Africa

Rodrigue, initiator of Discs for Africa, recently reported what happened to all the discs he collected over the last months: they mainly went to Africa!

Vincent and Rodrigue handing over discs in Bamako, Mali. © Rodrigue

The project does not stop with handing over discs. Thanks to Vincent, a French volunteer living and working in Mali for a couple of month, street kids also got an introduction to the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. His primary goal for his stay in Mali: bringing Ultimate Frisbee to the country. Following the pictures and two articles by blogger Thierry Helsens (La fédération malienne de frisbee dans les starting blocks and Ultimate Keleya), we surely can compliment him on his outstanding achievement.

The enthusiastic kids quickly picked up the game. And a first Ultimate Frisbee match – possibly the first Frisbee game ever in Mali – has been organised in the city of Bamako end of December. Vincent's street kids versus a team organised by the Canadian association Right to Play.

Ultimate in Bamako, Mali. © Thierry Helsens

Vincent and the guys from Right to Play didn't content themselves with the conquest of Mali's capital Bamako. Beginning of January they put the kids of Vincent's street kids centre of Quinzambougou plus the Right to Play kids from Bakarybougou in a bus and went all the way to a little town called Kelaya, some hundreds of kilometres from the capital somewhere in the Malian countryside. Their goal: playing a Frisbee tournament with the kids from Kelaya. I'd say the beautiful pictures are self-explanatory.

Ultimate in Kelaya, Mali. © Thierry Helsens

Get in touch with Rodrigue if you have ideas, spare discs (or those lost and found discs that never get claimed), or if you are just plain curious about how to help this great project.

6 Kommentare

1. So proud of you guys !!!! Que du bon, Junior a coupé sa touffe, rien que pour ça, ça valait le coup.

   Romiche schrieb am 27. Januar 2010 15:43

2. cool. I am working on a similar project, although a lot smaller in scale. I travel a lot and i decided to start taking discs with me: http://xthought.org/2010/jan/16/berber-frisbee/

   I have already hooked up with friends in colombia to do the same thing in refugee camps over there.

   Maybe a group of people would like to put some effort in making it global and starting a discswithoutborders initiative?

   ashley schrieb am 27. Januar 2010 22:58

3. I used to play ultimate during my time in Bamako. Marni Jones and Remco Marbus started the ultimate sundays in my time.

   boboeyrich schrieb am 28. Januar 2010 00:03

4. I've sent three disc to Abomey-Calavi in Benin almost four years ago. I wonder if they're still playing there...

   rjpsquad schrieb am 30. Januar 2010 12:35

5. I've taught ultimate and left discs behind in Selibaby, Mauritania, in Bamako, Mali (where Bobo learned to play), and in Cotonou, Benin. Not sure about Abomey-Calavi, but there's one thing I've learned: If you play it, they will come. Keep up the great work!

   Marni Jones schrieb am 4. Februar 2010 03:44

6. great idea - hope to meet u guys in nearly future

   pawel schrieb am 17. Februar 2010 18:49

Die Kommentarfunktion ist geschlossen.