17. What better way to pass the time in the African bush than seeing who can spit antelope dung the furthest?
Amongst the beautiful fauna of Africa, the great Kudu antelope is one of the most spectacular. A large, attractively striped and enviably-horned beast, the Kudu has long been high on the list of trophies for big game hunters. Unfortunately, they are very difficult to track down, despite leaving piles of excrement everywhere they go. At some stage or other, Afrikaner hunters found a novel way to pass the time on lengthy Kudu hunts: putting Kudu dung in their mouths, and seeing who could spit it the furthest. Fun, right? So fun, in fact, that there is now a World Championship.
Kudu Dung-Spitting, or Bokdrol Spoeg, is played exclusively by Afrikaners, and though it is uncertain when it was invented, the reluctance of other African communities to play the sport gives us a handy terminus post quem of the arrival of the Dutch to South Africa in the 17th century. The game is won by the person who can spit the dung the furthest, which is measured by where it comes to a rest rather than where it lands. The current world record spit of 15.56 meters is held by Shaun van Rensburg, who achieved the impressive feat in 2006.