One Africa, Many Stories – Ayo Story

Opening Discussion

Ask your students if they know where Nigeria is. Can they find it on a map? Tell them that in Nigeria, many children and adults play games, just like they do. A traditional game that has been played in Nigeria for many years is called Ayo.

Doing the Activity

David Uru Iyam and Ruby Bell-Gam shared this story about their experiences in Nigeria as children:

Ayo in Nigeria, by David Uru Iyam and Ruby Bell-Gam

David: “When I was a child in Agwagune in Nigeria, people played Ayo, though we rarely got to play ­­— it was a game for adults and I saw it as something they did during the numerous occasions when life simply had to idle by or as a side entertainment as people sat around the afternoon on a slow day, or with the evening palm-wine after farm work. The playing boards were simply designed in most cases, but some, especially those I saw years later in Itu and Arochukwu, were quite elaborate. I still remember one that stood on what looked like the legs of a lion, and the head and tail ends served for holding the pieces. The boards held about 6 holes on either side. Kids had some opportunities to play it, but that was usually by digging their own holes in the ground and using kernels, some dried seeds, or even pebbles as playing pieces.

Ayo may have been an important way to teach cooperation and honesty, especially because I thought people could easily hide some of the pieces in their palms and skip a hole, or drop pieces into other holes to manipulate the score, but I rarely saw that happen. It probably helped out some of the kids with their arithmetic skills too because the goal was to empty all the six holes on your opponent’s side while filling up your own holes with the pieces. It takes some good thinking to outdo your opponent like that!”

Ruby: “There are many ways to play this game in Nigeria, and many different names for it. I know that it’s called “mbi” in Opobo, my ancestral home. Mbi means “nut” or “kernel” in the Ibani language of the Eastern Niger Delta.”

Let’s Talk About It

After your students have heard or read the story, have a quick discussion with them. What would children who didn’t have a game board use to create an Ayo board? What sorts of materials would they use to play? What are some things that your students could find around to use as playing pieces?

Build On What They Talked About

Try the Ayo activity with your students.