Asking for fire, 11th February 2006

We shall have a closer look at the game of asking for fire as played in the first recording session. It is commented upon and partly transcribed below; a complete transcription is found in Appendix A.1.

The game to be treated here is a typical role-playing game, acting out a little story of a woman going to her neighbours to get fire when her own has gone out.

The interaction taking place is entirely within the game world and not directly intervening in the interaction of the participants as such. For example, the persons

Figure 5.11: Turn (1): MaNgaasks Pl.2 for fire, moving to his left. Asta is visible in the circle behind him, Ibi is standing by the wall. Patouma at left.

asked are all addressed as ‘big sister’, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl playing this role. Starting out with a small group of seven or eight children at first, the compound soon filled with children, as the players called for friends passing and others heard the commotion. The mother of the compound, Maayí, and Patouma, were present, and other women from the neighbourhood came later to see what was going on. The toddlers were left out of the games; the youngest participants were about six years old, though three-year old Linda was allowed in on this game, as a guest in the village.

At the setout of the game, MaNga, the 11-year-old boy of the compound takes the active role of the asker. His mother is nearby, occupied with her own things just outside the kitchen hut. Patouma has seated herself close by the circle, overseeing them. Some non-playing children are present, Ibi by the wall and Iila are both a couple of years older and on this occasion refrain from joining the play, though Ibi takes some responsibility in organising the circle before he withdraws. The smallest child, Asta of 18 or 19 months, is too small to understand the idea of the game, she keeps interfering by traipsing about the players and especially her big brother MaNga. Two or three other kids also below school age are old enough to know when to keep out of the way, but not old enough to be allowed into the game

5.3. NIZAA CHILDREN’S PEER CULTURE

circle.

As MaNgastarts his tour of the circle, he asks his question in Fulfulde:Adda, mi yiâi yiite, ‘Big sister, I want some fire.’ The whole affair seems rather dispirited and stiff, and the answers from the other players are difficult to hear, but at least Player 3 gives a somewhat long answer. MaNgaasks his question of five players, with his little sister Asta trailing him. Some of the players seemed quite preoccupied with her instead of the game. I tried to intervene at this point, starting to form a question on ‘those too small’, but nobody seemed to really pay attention. At the other side of the circle, Patouma had been joined by her daughter and now asked for a place for her as well in the game. She was duely included just as Player 5 answered the game question. At this point Maayí decides to intervene.

Transcript 5.6 Game 1 ‘Sister, I want fire’, turn 9 Original:

(9)Maayí: 10.1(Maayí speaks from some distance, then comes closer and gets the players attention; speaking Nizaa) N`aw wam ´a p´ı´ıNc´ı l`e`e dey (Pl.1 leaves his place to fetch Asta out of the circle, Pl.2 keeps his hand outstretched waiting for him. Ibi by the wall si-multaneously walks over to Linda to arrange the hands of the players hold-ing on to her arms, then returns to his seat.) M´o´owu `a p´ı´ıNc´ı l`e`e dey (partly inaudible, several overlapping voices, she goes toward house by cam-era)-m´o´owu `a p´ı´ıNc´ına`, d´ı´ı `a kaN n´ı kew n´ıc´ı mi mbor´o´o r´e¯[0.1](takes a handful of straw from the roof, shouts) MaNga, hey! MaNga he! (walks into circle)[1.0]M´o´owu p´ı´ıNc´ı l`e`e â`e [0.9] (holds up straw to Pl.2 in circle and looking straight at him, speaking Nizaa)“D´ı´ı, mi y´E´E raa.’’ [0.4](pl.2 looks away to his right)

English translation:

(9)Maayí: 10.1 (speaks from some dis-tance, then comes closer and gets the players attention; speaking Nizaa)One should do like this, you know! (Pl.1 leaves his place to fetch Asta out of the circle, Pl.2 keeps his hand outstretched waiting for him. Ibi by the wall simulta-neously walks over to Linda to arrange the hands of the players holding on to her arms, then returns to his seat.) Peo-ple do like this, see?(partly inaudible, several overlapping voices, she goes to-ward house by camera) -one’s doing it, sister has recorded a newly in-vented thing(?) for me[0.1](takes a handful of straw from the roof, shouts) MaNga, hey! MaNga he! (walks into circle) [1.0] One does like this, see!

[0.9] (holds up straw to Pl.2 in circle and looking straight at him, speaking Nizaa)“Sister, I want some fire.”[0.4]

(pl.2 looks away to his right)

Suddenly starting to speak, Maayí passes outside the circle and walks over to one of the huts in the courtyard, drawing the players attention to her by saying

“One should do like this, you know!” This licenses a pause in the game activity.

Figure 5.12: Maayí’s demonstration, turn (10). Pl.1 has left to carry off Asta

Player 1 takes the opportunity to carry Asta out of the circle, so he probably had heard and understood my comment on those too small after all, now taking the first opportunity offered to act on it. Nonplaying Ibi also immediately approaches Linda to arrange her handhold with the players next to her. MaNga just stops where he is, looking a bit disoriented. Maayí introduces verbally her intended demonstration of the game “People do like this, see?”, comments to me on the performance of the children as she passes the camera, and then rips off a handful of straw from the roof. She calls to get her son’s attention, enters circle by the gap left by Pl. 1 and demonstrates how to ask the question in Nizaa:D´ı´ı, mi y´E´E raa, ‘Big sister, I want some fire’, holding the handful of straw under the nose of Player 2. The effect is immediate. Maayí gets everybody’s full attention, and there is a perceptible shift to a ‘looser’ atmosphere: the children laugh and look more expectant.

Transcript 5.7 Game 1 ‘Sister, I want fire’, turn 10–11 Original:

(10)Several: 22.8(MaNgalaughs delight-edly, others follow, MaNgareaches for the strawbunch in his mother’s hand, she ignores him looking at Pl.2. Be-hind her, Pl.1 joins the gap in the cir-cle again)

English translation:

(10)Several: 22.8(MaNgalaughs delight-edly, others follow, MaNgareaches for the strawbunch in his mother’s hand, she ignores him looking at Pl.2. Be-hind her, Pl.1 joins the gap in the cir-cle again)