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Evidence for Mraha wa Bwe
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.2402
Type Ethnography
Location 11°43'3.15"S, 43°14'48.39"E
Date 2018-06-01 - 2018-06-30
Rules 5x5 board. Twelve pieces per player. Players alternate turns placing two pieces on the board, leaving the central space empty. Once all the pieces have been placed, players alternate turns moving one space orthogonally to an empty space. An opponent's piece may be captured by hopping over it to an empty space immediately on the opposite side of it in an orthogonal direction. Multiple captures are allowed, and a player is allowed to land on a space already landed on during the chain of captures. Captures are not compulsory. A player wins when they capture all of their opponent's pieces or the opponent cannot move.
Content Account of Mraha wa Bwe from De Voogt in June 2018: "According to de Villeneuve, Mraha wa bwe is the “game of pebbles” also known as Mraha wa votsi “game on the ground”. Unlike Mraha wa tso, the materials for this game are commonly gathered ad hoc, using depressions in the ground and pebbles or any other similarly small materials of two different colors and/or sizes. On Grande Comore, the game was found in the city center of Moroni next to a small market where women were selling fish straight from the moored fishing boats. Players were present mostly in the afternoon with one to five games going on at the same time (see Photo 2). Sometimes, card (gambling) games were being played nearby as well. Only men were taking part and although only two people play there may be several bystanders interfering with the game and, sometimes, loudly discussing the strategies.
The board consists of a grid of five by five holes, usually depressions made in the ground. Each player has twelve pieces, each a different color and/or size. With each move a player places two of his own on the board. They take turns until all pieces are placed on the board with the central playing space left open. After this, a player may move a piece orthogonally or capture an adjacent opponent’s piece by jumping to an empty space be- hind it. Capturing is not mandatory. If, after a capture, it is possible to continue with another jump by the same piece across another adjacent op- ponent’s piece then the player may keep doing so, however, this is again not mandatory. It is allowed to revisit the same space during such a mul- tiple capture. A player loses the game if he can no longer move or lost all his pieces." de Voogt 2018: 3-5.
Confidence 100
Ages Adult
Spaces Outside, Public
Genders Male
Source de Voogt, A. 2019. 'The Comoros: A confluence of board game histories.' Board Game Studies 13: 1–13.
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