Monthly Photos September 2026 : Bawo: A Board Game That Makes You Lose Track of Time
2026/09/01
Photos taken by ILCAA staff and associates are posted here once a month; most of them are taken during their field research in Asia and Africa. (The copyright belongs to the photographers.)
In a rural village in northern Mozambique, it’s common to see people enjoying a board game under the eaves of their homes or in the shade of trees. They’re playing a game called “Bawo,” in which two players drop small stones, marbles, or nuts into holes carved into a wooden board. It’s a kind of mancala, said to be one of the world’s oldest board games.
Whenever they have time to spare, they pull out the board. Before anyone realizes it, children, adults, and even I – in the middle of my fieldwork – are all into staring intently at the board until sunset. Sometimes, the game even escalates into an argument, with someone shouting, “You just cheated!”
On closer inspection, you’ll notice that the board is missing a marble, and a small lemon has been slipped in among the marbles.
December 23, 2023
Muembe, Niassa Province, Mozambique
KONDO, Kanako