NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Crawling through mud, catapulting cabbages and
flinging balls from slingshots, hundreds of Kenyans good naturedly
humiliated themselves Sunday in a new Easter tradition, the Vunja Mifupa -
or "breaking ribs" - games.
The 43 teams, with names like Flavored Milk
and Shag-A-Delics, climbed, jumped and swung over a swampy obstacle
course, hoping to win the $3,200 grand prize.
The games, in their second
year, were started to give the few local residents who don't run to the
beach for the long Easter weekend something fun to do, organizer Joy Mboya
said. The idea evolved from a German TV show that pitted towns against
each other in silly contests. Organizers gave the games a slight Kenyan
twist, incorporating a race in a traditional cart, a slingshot challenge
and, inexplicably, an event where a head of a cabbage is flung into a net.
Permanent Head Damage managed to keep up with Grabbers, until reaching the
"Wall and Bog," five tires strung together vertically, followed by a beam
greased with mud.
