While traveling recently in Tanzania, near Lake Manyara National Park, we came upon the most ordinary of sights. Yet it reminded me of the unstructured (unsupervised) sport and games played in youth.

We were returning at dusk to our hotel near the park, along a red-dusty rough ‘road’ – safari vehicles only.

Lads at Play, near Karatu, Tanzania, 4 Sept. 2018

The photo provides a glimpse of local lads (mostly boys) at play. Just off-camera to the right was a casual football game, down a decline from the road. Looking closely we see,

• a bicycle and rucksack on the ground
• a boy holding up his hand to us, possibly because his friends are crossing
• two, perhaps brothers, standing together in the centre
• on the right is someone watching, or joining, the game

– Peter Burns