Arts and Crafts

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi

 
Bao is a game that is played in Malawi, as well as other African countries, where it is known by other names. In Malawi it is named after the baobab tree that grows along the shore of Lake Malawi. The game board is carved from the wood of the baobab tree. is a game that is played in Malawi, as well as other African countries, where it is known by other names. In Malawi it is named after the baobab tree that grows along the shore of Lake Malawi. The game board is carved from the wood of the baobab tree.

You can make your own bao game with egg cartons and beans for markers.

Bao game

Materials needed:
Egg cartons
Dried beans (24 per game)
Paint

Remove lids from egg cartons. Paint the game board in bright colors, and when dry the game can be played.

To play Bao:
Place the board between two players. Fill each cup with two beans each. Players own the row of cups closest to them. The object is to make sure you always have beans in your cups.

The beans are always moved clockwise. The first player takes all two beans from any of his or her cups and moves them one at a time to the cups in the clockwise direction. Keep taking all beans from a cup on your side and placing them one at a time in the next cups. As you are placing the beans and come to a cup which is empty and you have only one bean left, you must deposit in the empty cup and stop. It is then your opponents turn.

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

If the cups on your side are empty, you have lost the game. Therefore, when moving your beans, you want to calculate in order to make sure that you have at least one or two beans on your side.
Ebony carving is a popular craft in Malawi. The carvings of people or animals are smooth and flowing, with more of a symbolic than realistic approach taken in carving people. One common motif is that of a mother and child, or mother with children. In Malawi, the treatment of children by their parents is one of gentleness and love, and the carvings reflect that relationship.

Try carving your own mother and child, either with soap or balsa wood.

Soap carving

Materials needed:
Soap
Table knives
Potato peelers
Toothpicks
Plastic table cover

Give each crafter a bar of soap. Encourage them to carve a parent and child. Perhaps they can carve only the heads of the two. Remember that the love represented is the most important part. Perhaps young crafters can carve their soap in the shape of a heart, and scratch a parent and child in it with toothpicks.

Tip: Encourage carvers to scrape small pieces, rather than big deep pieces, off the soap as they carve. Soap shavings can be moistened and squeezed into soap balls to avoid waste. Test your soap for ease in carving. Some brands work better than others.

Another option: Depending on the age of your crafters, you could supply balsa wood and knives suitable for carving wood, and do the same project that way.