The night of December 31 every year is seen as the last step to a new year, and therefore most people engage in activities they cherish as they keep awake to crossover from the old to the new.
On the night of December 31, 2023, and the wee hours of January 1, 2024, while some thronged churches to pray and make new resolutions and others to pubs, a group of men in Tema Community eight engaged in their loveliest game, checkers.
For them, the perfect and best way to keep awake and bid 2023 goodbye while embracing 2024 was to play a game of checkers, popularly known in Ghana as ‘dummy’.
The Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Monitoring Team spotted the men seated in front of Perfect Spot on the community Eight Market Road, with two players each behind two huge checker boards.
The board was placed in between the laps of the two players as they skillfully studied the disc-shaped playing pieces of their opponent to be able to make tactical moves to win the game.
Others cheered them on as they wai
ted patiently with some drinks in hand for their turn to take over the playing pieces and board.
Mr. Francis Kofi, a checker player, said that as a ‘nature worshipper,’ he found fulfilment in playing checkers to welcome in the new year instead of attending a church watchnight service.
Mr. Kofi explained that he sees God in everyone; therefore, there was no need to learn who God is from a pastor.
He said they often visit the spot to play the game after a hard day’s work from 19:30 hours, adding that they however decided to entail their playing time to the day break of New Year’s Day as their special service for the day.
Mr. Samuel Quayeaon, another checker player, also told the GNA that the intense playing of the game started on December 24, 2023, to herald the festivities.
Source: Ghana News Agency