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African cultural values and the indigenous knowledge system profoundly shape the gender roles and recreational participation of African people. These values are complex and represent the core beliefs and ideals that influence a community's perception of what constitutes appropriate and desirable behaviour for members of African social institutions. The aim of this literature review is to explore and establish how gender roles shape the recreational participation of Africans, drawing on an Afrocentric perspective to critique and contextualise existing literature. African indigenous knowledge systems reveal that gender roles influence the recreational participation of Africans. The literature further indicated that Afrocentric recreation is not viewed merely as a leisure-time activity but as an integral part of community lifestyle, identity formation, healing, and an intergenerational knowledge-transmission system for Africans. The literature concludes that the Afrocentric perspective reinterpreted gender roles that significantly influence the recreational participation of Africans. informed by African indigenous knowledge systems. It is very logical to conclude that Africans perceive recreation as a holistic, communal, and spiritually grounded activity, in stark contrast to the individualistic, binary-oriented models that characterise dominant Western paradigms.

Afrocentric recreational participation patterns among rural-based adults in South African social systems are complex and deeply embedded within all the social institutions. The core principles of recreational participation are neglected within those structures, which undermines the intended roles of recreation within the broader social ecosystem. The purpose of this systematic review is to critique and synthesize existing literature on the Afrocentric recreational participation patterns of rural-based adults in South Africa. A literature search was conducted across multiple databases, which include PubMed, Google Scholar, AJOL, Scopus, and CINAHL for studies published between 2015 and 2025 academic year. This review is in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines for systematic review. A total of 68,188 studies were initially identified and screened according to the inclusion criteria. ultimately, 41 peer-reviewed studies were systematically reviewed and synthesized. The findings reveal age- and gender-based disparities among participants' Afrocentric recreational participation patterns. Male participants aged 45-50 years have predominantly engaged in agricultural recreational activities such as agritourism and afritainment, spending 3-4 hours once or twice a week. In contrast, female participants focused on passive domestic recreational activities, spending 4-5 hours daily. The literature further shows that both genders participated in digital recreational activities, including social media, music, and television, with males spending 1-2 hours daily. Although there is a common set of recreational activities, the frequency and duration of participation vary across different social systems. The study recommends integrating the principles of recreational participation into existing recreational structures to maximise the positive health and social outcomes of the Afrocentric recreational activities