Human Playground

A unique illustrated book about games, sports and traditions.

For the eternal child in all of us: Little-known games from all over the world are presented to the general public for the first time.

Why do we play? This is the question Belgian photographer Hannelore Vandenbussche has investigated. In numerous countries she has captured the world of sport, passion, playful comparison, transition and emancipation. The athletes she portrays cultivate old traditions or conquer new terrain, contest rituals and celebrate exuberant celebrations around their games. Meet the Buzkashi in Afghanistan on their horses, the stick fighters Donga in Ethiopia, rugby players in the UK, wrestlers in Bolivia and many others. This extraordinary illustrated book is dedicated to a subject that has never been told before.