Réunion: Throwback Games Team Olympiad & Photo Awards

Throwback Games Team Olympiad & Photo Awards, Réunion

Context

On Réunion, the phrase “tan lontan” evokes “the old times”—post‑war daily life remembered through tools, objects, and simple outdoor games that children improvised with tin cans, sacks, wheels, and elastic bands. That memory isn’t museum‑quiet; it’s actively performed as “jeux lontan” (old‑time games) at schools, neighborhood fêtes, and cultural days across the island. Local schools list staples like course de goni (sack race), la roue (rolling a metal wheel with sticks), jeu de la mok (also called jeu de la moque; can knockdown), and lastik (elastic‑toss), taught explicitly as Creole heritage to new generations. * *

“Tan lontan” is also curated in public culture. The privately run Musée Dan’ Tan Lontan in Saint‑André guides visitors through thousands of everyday artifacts from that period, framing “lontan” as a living reference point rather than a sepia postcard. * Municipal programs during Creole Week frequently stage open‑air “jeux lontan” brackets, such as course de goni, la roue, toupie, and jeu de la mok, underscoring how play sits at the heart of Réunion’s conviviality. *

Even the island’s icons inspire playful riffs. The famously sinuous “route aux 400 virages” to Cilaos is so woven into local lore that it lends its name to themed wooden games; tourism boards celebrate those 30–37 km of switchbacks as a symbol of place and persistence. * *

Meet the Company/Cultural Tradition

Whereez, an experiences marketplace rooted in La Réunion, has turned that cultural bundle of “jeux lontan” into recurring, mobile team‑building formats: the Olympiades Lontan (multi‑challenge “péï” games) and the Kermesse du Village Lontan for larger groups. The offer is overtly local: teams may compete under participant‑chosen names with non‑colonial options prioritized and a brief context note if colonial‑era toponyms such as Île Bourbon or Santa Apolonia are referenced, while they rotate through stations drawn from Réunion’s play heritage. Capacities range from 15 to 200 people for Olympiades Lontan and 50 to 250 for the Kermesse, with an optional 60–90 minute four‑station MVP at 30–50% lower cost and a named owner/facilitator/comms/data RACI to reduce spend and time. * * *

The game list reads like a living glossary: course de goni (a Reunionese take on the sack race), la roue (also called la roue la chapé; wheel‑rolling to a finish line), and jeu de la mok (also called jeu de la moque; can‑topple), alongside oversized wooden “lontan” games, among them a tongue‑in‑cheek “Route des 400 virages.” The tone is light and the rules are simple, and facilitators offer seated or low‑mobility variants, non‑physical supporting roles, and a remote option so participation is voluntary and accessible for mixed‑ability and caregiving colleagues. * * *

Corporate adoption is vendor‑reported in public testimonials on similar “lontan‑themed” experiences, with local teams describing sessions as well paced and laughter‑filled, so treat this as indicative rather than independent evidence. * Beyond Whereez, other Réunion providers (e.g., Kaz’asun) advertise “jeux lontan” animations as part of event line‑ups, confirming the format’s local popularity and availability for organizations year‑round. *

The Ritual

Minute	Scene	Purpose	Notes rooted in Réunion
0–10	Briefing and team naming under island aliases (Dina Morgabine, Île Bourbon, Île Mascarin, etc.)	Instant identity; cultural immersion	Names mirror the island’s toponyms, and facilitators provide a brief context note and offer non‑colonial alternatives so participants can choose what feels comfortable. *
10–15	Safety and fairness rules; quick demo of two games	Psychological safety; shared norms	Simple rules and a low skill floor are paired with accommodations such as seated variants, shade, hydration, multilingual briefings, and no‑movement roles to make participation genuinely inclusive. *
15–45	Rotation 1–3: • Course de goni • La roue la chapé • Jeu de la moque/mok	Light exertion; playful rivalry; laughter	All are documented “jeux lontan” in schools and fêtes. * *
45–55	Pause + “sirandanes‑style” photo moment with props from lontan objects (no riddles required)	Memory anchor; storytelling seed	Use a simple photo pause with lontan objects led by a facilitator, avoid costumes or caricature, add a caption template noting who/where/when/consent, and do not label it “sirandanes” unless a Creole speaker is facilitating actual riddles.
55–85	Rotation 4–6: • Toupie corner • Lastik toss • Oversized wooden game “Route des 400 virages”	Novelty; teamwork under light constraint	The Cilaos road is a local legend celebrated by tourism boards. *
85–95	Scoreboard and playful awards (e.g., “lamplighter of the day” for encouragement)	Recognition; close with a smile	Vendors can supply arbiters and kit, first‑aid/CPR coverage and insurance, hydration and shade, a weather fallback plan, and an incident log. *
95–100	Group photo; reset	Shared artifact of belonging	—

(Companies often schedule the circuit as a quarterly off‑site module or onboarding afternoon with caregiver‑friendly timing and shift‑aware options; providers can scale from 15 to 200+ participants and bring the setup to parks or private venues or provide remote equivalents.) * *

Why It Works

First, it activates collective nostalgia. Research shows nostalgia is a highly social emotion that boosts feelings of connectedness, primes people to seek and offer help, and strengthens close‑tie networks over time. In team settings, that translates into quicker trust and easier cooperation, the very glue you want after a reorg or during a big delivery sprint. * * *

Second, it is play by design. Adult play in organizations increases bonding, flattens hierarchy, and supports a friendlier, more creative climate; the Association for Psychological Science highlights increased trust and solidarity as recurring outcomes when teams “play for fun” with interactive games. *

Third, it involves brief, accessible movement. Even single bouts of light exercise improve mood and social interaction—useful when colleagues rarely meet in person or share few overlapping projects. The lontan stations deliver exactly that: short, low‑risk tasks that get people smiling and moving without requiring athleticism. *

Finally, it’s hyper‑local. Using names like Dina Morgabine or riffing on the “400 virages” routes identity into the ritual; participants don’t just “do a game,” they inhabit Réunion’s story together. That cultural specificity is hard to copy‑paste, which is precisely why it binds local teams so well. * *

Outcomes & Impact

Because the format is vendor‑run and modular, companies can deploy it repeatedly without staff burden by naming an accountable owner and publishing an all‑in per‑head cost and a clear RACI for facilitation, comms, privacy, and data roles. Whereez advertises trained arbiters, turnkey kits, and scalable capacity (15–200+), allowing HR to fold the Lontan Olympiads into onboarding cycles, quarterly team days, or cross‑site meetups. *

Qualitative outcomes show up fast but should be treated as correlational and paired with pre/post three‑item belonging and psychological safety pulses. Public testimonials from corporate sessions on the same “Réunion lontan” theme emphasize laughter, novelty, and togetherness, signals associated with psychological safety and positive affect that research links to stronger social connectedness and prosocial behavior at work, so include a short validated pulse (e.g., three items) to track these outcomes. * * *

Culturally, the ritual preserves heritage when organizations hire and credit Réunion‑based facilitators, source games from local artisans, and budget a give‑back to community museums or school programs. By practicing course de goni, la roue, and jeu de la mok that local schools and towns also teach, companies participate in the same intergenerational thread, keeping Creole play visible and valued in modern work life. * *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Anchor in local memory	Nostalgia boosts social connectedness	Borrow childhood games unique to your region, and offer team names that include non‑colonial options, with a brief context note if historic toponyms are used. *
Keep skill‑light, movement‑light	Inclusive play increases bonding without intimidation	Prefer simple relay‑style stations over technical sports, and provide seated or no‑movement alternatives and a remote micro‑challenge option. *
Vendor‑ready, repeatable	Low setup → easy cadence	Use providers who bring kit, referees, and safety briefings, and send a one‑page communication that links to strategy, states voluntary participation and privacy safeguards, and credits Réunion origins and vendors. *
Cultural names, local props	Embeds identity beyond logos	Use participant‑chosen themes such as communes, landforms, or flora/fauna, and make historically loaded names optional with a brief context note and a sensitivity check. * *
Short, physical bursts	Mood up, rumination down	Design 10–15 minute stations; rotate to keep energy high. *

Implementation Playbook

Choose a provider (e.g., a Réunion vendor offering “Olympiades Lontan”) and request a games‑only circuit: exclude treasure hunts to keep the ritual focused and accessible. *
Pick 4–6 stations from the “lontan” canon (course de goni, la roue, jeu de la mok, lastik, toupie, a wooden “400 virages” skill game), and prepare seated or no‑movement variants for each. Confirm terrain and safety with a warm‑up, closed‑toe footwear guidance, surface checks and cones, max slope limits, shade and water, first‑aid/CPR on‑site, weather fallback, and vendor insurance verified. * *
Offer team names that include neutral options (communes, landscapes, flora/fauna) alongside historic names such as Dina Morgabine, and add a one‑line context note if any colonial‑era names are chosen. *
Time‑box rotations to 10–12 minutes with 2–3 minutes turnover; assign neutral arbiters for fairness; and for a pilot set success thresholds (+0.3 belonging, ≥70% opt‑in) with stop rules (any risk incident or <40% opt‑in) and document adaptations (indoor layout, 60‑minute dose, bilingual briefings). *
Close with playful awards and an optional group photo taken only with opt‑in consent and no‑photo identifiers, and store approved images in a restricted intranet folder for a maximum of 90 days unless explicit release, in line with GDPR and company policy. *

Common Pitfalls

Slipping into scavenger hunts/escape‑room formats (overcomplicates and excludes some; also drifts from “jeux lontan”).
Choosing high‑skill or high‑risk activities (narrows participation).
Treating the ritual as a one‑off; culture compounds through cadence.
Dropping the cultural thread (generic games lose the Réunion “feel”).

Reflection & Call to Action

The best rituals don’t just entertain; they carry a place inside them. Réunion’s Jeux Lontan Olympiads turn childhood play into a modern bonding engine that is light on ego and heavy on laughter. The stations are short, the rules are simple, and yet the meaning runs deep: every wheel rolled and tin can toppled is a small salute to people who made do, together.

If your team is on the island, try a games‑only Lontan circuit next quarter with voluntary participation, caregiver‑friendly timing, and accessible variants and roles. If you’re elsewhere, borrow the pattern respectfully: credit Réunion as the inspiration, partner with local culture‑bearers in your region, avoid exporting Réunion labels, and share benefits locally. You’ll find that heritage, handled playfully, binds global teams better than any slide deck.