Arts and Crafts

Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church

In Kenya, Kigogo is a popular game. Known as mankala or oware in different African languages, it means "transferring," referring to how the game is played. The game can be made using egg cartons, with dried beans as markers.

Kigogo game

Materials needed:

Egg cartons (1 whole carton plus two extra egg sections per game)
Tape
Dried beans (48 per game)
Paint

Remove lids from egg cartons. Give two extra egg cups to each crafter, and have them tape these to the center of each end of their egg carton.

Paint the game board in bright colors, and when dry the game can be played. Give each person 48 beans as markers for their game.

To play Kigogo:
Place the board between two players. Players own the row of cups closest to them, and the end cup to the right. The end cups are used to store the markers won by each player. Place four markers in each of the middle cups.

The markers are always moved counterclockwise. The first player takes all four markers from any of his or her cups and places them one at a time to the cups to the right.

The next player does the same thing, taking markers from his or her side of the board. The number of markers in each cup will keep changing.

When a player drops the last marker in one of the other players' cups, and that cup has only two or three markers in it, the player wins all the markers in that cup. The game is over when all the markers have been won.