Ida teaching tourists to play an ancient traditional game from West Africa is this week’s travel snap. I love the expressions on their faces. Can anyone beat Ida?
I first came across the game of wuri when I saw a family playing it in a back street in Mindelo on São Vicente, one of the islands of Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa. A year later, this time on the island of Sal, some locals challenged me to play wuri with them. Most of the games I apparently won even though I didn’t have clue how! Before I left the island I bought a wuri board as a souvenir but was somewhat disappointed that I didn’t understand how the game was played.
It wasn’t until a few years later when I was on an excursion in The Gambia, ‘Cooking with Ida’, that I discovered the simple rules of wuri. It was fun to see how the game brought out the competitive streak in all of us and while we waited for the fish benechin to cook we had a mini wuri tournament!
Wuri rules
This is a game for two players. The board is divided into two parts, one side for each player and each side has 6 holes or pots. Before the game starts 4 beans are placed in each hole.
Players take it in turns to pick up the beans from one pot and place a single bean in each of the next pots in an anti-clockwise direction. Each player can only play with beans picked up on their side of the board.
If the last pot they put a bean into then contains 2, 4 or 6 beans (whether it is on the players side or their opponents side) the player wins those beans and puts them to one side.
If there are no beans on your side to play then you miss a go and continue missing a go until there are beans on your side again.
When neither player can play anymore each player counts up the beans they have won. The winner is the person who has collected the most beans.
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What a great opening shot, Kat! I love the vibrant colors and the anticipation of the participants’ faces.
Superb shot! This is indigenous to India as well and is played with cowrie shells or red beans!
Thank you for your kind comment.
It’s really interesting to hear where else it is played. Is it called wuri in India too or something else?
In the South it is called ‘Chenne Mane”. several other names across India! My sister has one beautifully carved board that has been in our family for ages! Shall post a picture sometime!
Yes please! I’d be really interested to see it.
love the vibrant colors of the photograph and how you got their candid, natural expressions Kathryn. It is also an study in contrast of the expressions on the two faces 🙂
Thanks Abu. Your comments are always so interesting. 😀
Thank you Kathryn. maybe it has something to do with your photos being interesting 🙂
😀
Very cool and I love her African dress!
😀 Ida is a lovely lady and so colourful (in dress and person) – a joy to photograph
hi kat,
the game is a variation of a game called mancala or kalah. in malaysia, we called it congkak. it is said to be one of the oldest boardgames in the world.
Hi Nitzus, Thanks so much for telling me about this. I read about a few very old games that sounded very similar. One from ancient Egypt, I think, that could be played with impressions made in the sand rather than a wooden board (I think the board is probably a lot easier though). Really interesting to hear about congkak!