Ethiopia, an unlikely outpost for France's beloved ‘petanque' game

Kuwait Times

2 days ago

In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink. But for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa to the French colony of Djibouti. With around 150 members, it still bears the name Le Club des Cheminots (The Railway Club), though the line stopped operating in 2008. But a new threat has emerged from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's vast demolition and construction program in the city.
'We're worried because we've been told the area will be demolished and the whole neighborhood will be relocated,' said Daniel Bewektu, 38, who has played daily for nearly seven years. 'I don't think anyone will preserve the place,' he added. The players gather daily under the club's corrugated metal roof, playing in sand imported from Dire Dawa, a city about 350 km east of the capital.
On a recent Saturday, speakers blared local music while men sat around plastic tables, reading, playing dominoes and drinking. On the courts, familiar scenes played out: minor arguments over disputed points, the sound of metal balls clinking and shouts of 'gobez' ('well played' in Amharic).
A group of petanque players discuss the score as they examine the distance between the boules and the jack during a match at the Club des Cheminots in Addis Ababa on June 21, 2025. - AFP photos
A club member measures the distance between a boule and the jack with a tape measure during a petanque match.
A club member looks at his boules after taking them out of his locker at the club.
Club members chat and share drinks beside walls adorned with drawings of trains from the historic Ethio-Djibouti Railway at the Club des Cheminots in Addis Ababa.
A club member walks past a wall sculpture shaped like a locomotive, a tribute to the club founding by employees of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway, at the Club des Cheminots.
Club members gather to chat and play dominoes at the Club des Cheminots.
A club member arranges a set of boules and the jack.
Nowhere to go
Assefaw Geremew retrieved his boules from an old locker, an almost daily ritual for the 68-year-old, a retired railway worker like many of his fellow members. 'I started playing petanque when the French were in charge. When they completed the railway work and left Ethiopia, we Ethiopians took over and continued the game,' he said. He has witnessed many changes in the neighborhood, including the demolition of the nearby Buffet de la Gare, a famous hotel and restaurant dating back to 1924 that was replaced by an apartment block in 2019.
'If this place didn't exist, the workers and retired people wouldn't have anywhere to go,' Geremew said. 'Here, you can stay as long as you want. You meet your old friends, and you meet new people,' he added, highlighting the extremely modest membership fee of just 6 birrs (five US cents) per month for retirees.
Club president Alemneh Abebe hopes the authorities will come to their rescue. 'If possible, with government support, we'd like to be given another space,' he said. But Bewektu is worried: 'If this place is taken away, petanque will disappear.' – AFP