Play it East African Style
Map
East Africa
Your Guides
Jambo! I’m Amina and this is my friend Kima. We’ll be your guides to East Africa, our home.
When we aren’t busy with chores, my friends and I like to play these two games. They’re popular with adults and kids all over East Africa.
Soccer
This is a popular sport all over Africa, but we call it “football.” My friends and I can’t afford a proper ball, but we can usually find something else to kick around for a friendly game.
Bao
My cousin Benard is the best kid in my village at this board game. He’s beaten everyone at least once. I’ll let him tell you all about it.
Benard: Bao (pronounced bou) is my greatest passion. I play as often as I can, sometimes every day. The game is played on a wooden board using stones or plant seeds. My grandfather built our board by hand and passed it down to my father, who then passed it on to me. Bao is known by different names in different countries. It’s so popular you can even buy it in game stores in other parts of the world, maybe even in your hometown.