Zimbabwe: billiards as a sole livelihood

nour el houda bouzammour
nour el houda bouzammour
2 Min Read
billards

In Ruwa, a suburb of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, big-screen TVs broadcast the best moments of the World Cup and other sporting events. But all eyes are on the pool table and the money.

The first prize of $150 means that the vast majority of people earn just over $100 a month, according to official government statistics, and about half of the 15 million people live in extreme poverty, according to World Food. The forehead of the king of the country. program (WFP).

“It helps pay the bills,” says Levite Chisakarire, the youngest player in today’s prize. Once an obscure sport played in wealthy neighbourhoods of Zimbabwe, billiards has been popular for many years, first as a hobby and then as a means of survival in a country where finding full-time work is extremely difficult. is on the rise… he’s not the only one.

Most Zimbabweans earn their living from informal activities, such as selling tomatoes at stalls and playing snooker, according to October survey by the national statistics office. From the age of 15, he is almost half of 34-year-old young people are unemployed and have no education or training.

Billiards has become a popular pastime in bars, but it’s now more popular than football in many places,” says Michael Cariati, a sportswriter for more than 30 years. It has become a highly competitive sport where people place bets and survive because of it. ”

The billiard tables are often worn and loose, but people don’t seem to mind. In Ruwa, the competition is more organized and the stakes are higher. Each member of the club pays $10 as an entry fee, which is returned in the form of prize money. One day, 31 players paid the entry fee.

NOUR EL HOUDA BOUZAMMOUR

TAGGED: ,
Share this Article
Leave a comment