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More Villa Washington English Club Members

Trivial is Not Too Trivial for these Students

Over 200 English-speaking Congolese youth gathered at Villa Washington on a Saturday afternoon to try out a game they had never heard of: testing their general knowledge against each other.  When the idea was first presented to ten English Clubs, the leaders looked just a little skeptical. Why would we want to do that?  For FUN!  And it turned out to be just that – a lot of fun.

Five teams, each team made up of representatives of two English clubs, were given questions that ranged from “How many floors does the tallest building in Brazzaville have?” to “Which Russian author was not allowed to leave the USSR to collect his Nobel Prize for Literature?” Teams were allowed 30 seconds to discuss their answers and to present a united response. Each team player was given a tee-short with the Villa Washington English Club logo.

Although the first round of questions made the teams a little tense, it did not take long for the players and audience members to relax and get into the swing. The pace quickened considerably as the participants realized how diverse the questions were and became more competitive. Eventually, one team was declared the winner but all participating English Clubs received French-English dictionaries and literature books.  This activity, aimed at empowering youth and enhancing their skills and general knowledge, will be replicated at the American Corner in Pointe Noire and in Brazzaville-area high schools in the near future.