| Bawo |
| First Description: (?), 1896 |
| Cycles: Two |
| Ranks: Four |
| Sowing: Multiple laps |
| Region: Malawi |
Bawo (from Swahili "bao": board) is a variant of Bao la Kiswahili played by the Yao in Malawi as a tournament sport.
The oldest Bawo board was made in 1896 in Malawi and is kept today in the British Museum in London.
Regular championships are held at district, regional and national levels in numerous places in Malawi such as Blantyre, Chirimba, and Mzuzu City. Leading players are Isaac Masauli and Gilos Chitsulo. It is said that there had already been a national Bawo league sponsored by South African Airways in the 1990s.
Rules
The Bawo rules are similar to Bao la Kiswahili except for the following differences:
Bawo Poem
A Game of Bawo
Take your cue from a game of Bawo
where sides at the edge of doom
are best conceded as losses
and easy withdrawal
leads to stunning victories
Springs hot and cold, dry up;
flowers bloom and fade
and trees at times shed their leaves and their barks
neither recall the bloom
nor visit springs that once gushed waters -
memories are sweetest unruffled by daylight and
forced ceremonies stink worst than rudeness
This meticulous insouciance
these decoys made in heaven
follow a standard design
with familiar specifications
Take you cue from a game of Bawo;
neither recall the bloom of flowers
nor the showers of spring.
Felix Mnthali (1933-)
External Links
References
- Kayira, K.
- James: A Bawo Wizard. In: Together: A Youth Magazine 2006 (39).
- Mapanje, J.
- Gathering Seaweed: African Prison Writing. Heinemann International, London (UK) 2002.
- Mmeya, M.
- Bawo Enthusiasts End Year at Shrine. In: The Nation December 4, 2009.
- Singini, G.
- Kasambara Launches Bawo Trophy in Mzuzu. In: The Nation March 16, 2009: 43.
Copyright
© Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.