France's beloved 'petanque' game finds an unlikely outpost

The Star

14-07-2025

Petanque, or boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals are often to be found in sand pits throwing 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. — Photos: Marco Simoncelli/ AFP
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.
Club members play a match of petanque at the Club des Cheminots.
But a new threat has emerged from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's vast demolition and construction programme in the city.
"We're worried because we've been told the area will be demolished and the whole neighbourhood 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 kilometres (220 miles) east of the capital.
On a recent Saturday, speakers blared local music while men sat around plastic tables, reading, playing dominoes and drinking beer.
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 club member measures the distance between a boule and the jack with a tape measure during a petanque match at the Club des Cheminots.
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 neighbourhood, 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