Mancala, ayo olopon
By Stephen Emmanuel junior
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✓ Original artwork • Certificate of authenticity • Free delivery across Nigeria
Materials: Features a polished, warm mahogany wood board with natural grain highlights and smooth, carved pits. Playing Pieces: Replaces the raw seeds with polished tiger’s eye stones and smooth river pebbles in warm earth tones. Setting & Lighting: Placed on a woven rustic mat set against warm terracotta tiles, illuminated by soft, natural morning sunlight streaming through a nearby window.
The Story Behind the Artwork
is Mancala, one of the oldest known strategy board games in the world, widely played across Africa. Depending on the region and country, it goes by several specific names: Ayò / Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n: Nigeria (Yoruba) Oware / Awari: Ghana (Akan) Awalé: Ivory Coast and Francophone West Africa Bao: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania) Congkak: Southeast Asia (a regional variation) The game consists of two rows of six pits containing seeds, pebbles, or marbles (often using Caesalpinia bonduc or nickernuts), with large end-pits used to store captured pieces as players turn counter-clockwise to "sow" and capture seeds.
Details
- Medium: Traditional African Art
- Year: 2026
- Dimensions: 24x36 inches
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