The title has been amended from its original form of publication. This change was made to reflect the sensitivity of the subject matter because it relates to children and gendered power dynamics in Caribbean socialisation. I know that this does not eliminate potential triggers. The modification is part of my ethical commitment to trauma informed writing and respect for children’s rights.
In Trinidad and Tobago ,there is a game children play across primary schools called Catch and Bu!!. If you are aware about the game, you would know that the “bu!!” does not refer to the animal. This game is played among primary school children, boys and girls, at break and lunch time sessions, on the playing field and school yard.
Similar to “Police and Thief” where one child initiates the chase (‘police’) and the other evades being caught (‘thief’) before some it ends at “ah catch yuh, ah catch yuh,” Catch and Bu!! is the sexualised version of this chase.
In Catch and Bu!! someone is the chaser and someone is chased. In some games, a “safe zone” is constructed (e.g. tunnel or a distant swing or slide) where they are immune from ‘capture’. Otherwise, this “game” is one where children chase each other and those who are pursued and once apprehended, subjected to simulated sexual posturing (“dry humping”) until they forcibly displace the the aggressor or escape. In this dynamic, children was the least physical speed are disproportionately targeted.
This “game” takes place on an uneven playing field.
…Literally. Most primary school playgrounds are not landscaped well…
…but I’m writing about gendered power relations in this instance…
Older children leverage physical advantages (speed and body strength) to dominate younger and smaller children. The game’s mechanics is also a site for the performance of heterosexual desire, male fantasy, and patriarchal dominance. This “game” has a strict double standard: boys often gain elevated status through these displays, while girls engaging in the same activity are met with shape. Moreover, boys are generally the pursuers, and girls are the pursued.
At its core, Catch and Bu!! allows boys to enact a hyper-masculine performance eon a field where fun and violence are blurred. It is a space where physical ability is equated with conquering, and participation can sometimes involve coercion (“peer pressure”). If a child hesitates or resist, they are met with “Yuh frighten or wha? Yuh fraid ting or wha?”
I wrote this blog because I am tired of the recurring public “shock” regarding sexual activity among children in Trinidad and Tobago. Many parents successfully sheltered their children from some of the wicked realities of our society. Many others could not. Being sheltered is a privilege. If I asked a room of citizens to raise their hands if they had ever played this game, you wu might take some time counting the hands up.
Part of the work means we unpack ordinary child development and harmful behaviour. Globally children perform “Mummy and Daddy” or “I’ll show you mine.” These development moments in a child’s life need to be met with quality interventions. The danger of these games lie in the physical harm, verbal and physical coercion and the premature end of innocence. Jah! The risks to our children and our society are too high for us to look away form these realities.
