Morabaraba

This game was produced as part of the Fair Play Game Jam, hosted by Uppsala University's Game Design Department in October 2024.

We were tasked with combatting institutionalised racism found in the Game Design Community and were provided with several themes. The team chose 'You Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark', which asked us to use a small action to foster change. One of the team members, Ray Whitcher, hails from South Africa, and adores the game of Morabaraba, but grew frustrated by the misinformation about the game's history, as well as the rampant commercialization of a traditional game that has been passed on through generations and should be easily and freely playable. As such, the team decided to bring the game back to its roots and provide you with this free print-and-play edition.

While the game of Morabaraba is by no means unknown to Southern Africans, its origins have been tainted by the colonial era. European settlers claimed that Morabaraba is simply a variation of 12 Men’s Morris that they introduced to the indigenous people, and while modern iterations of both games certainly share many rules, evidence of Morabaraba tables carved in stone have been dated as old as 800 years of age, far surpassing even the earliest ideas of colonial rule. Several scholars (see Malesa (2012), MacMillan and Schumacher (1993), Booth (1988) and Nyaki (2004)) note that before colonization, history and Indigenous culture were preserved through the traditions of oral storytelling, as well as by the development of games based on those stories.

The version you will find is this book has been designed with Decolonization at its forefront – it is produced with the intention of free and fair distribution, using methods of production that allow for the greatest ease of low-cost printing that can be done on any home or school printer. It also seeks to reframe the game as an African one, using narrative in the form of Bonzo (African-style Manga Comics) to share the game’s history; with a little folklore to add to the Continent’s rich history of storytelling. The Liombikalela is a creature that was very likely based on the Cape (Water) Buffalo, as it was a cattle-type beast believed to inhabit the waters of deep rivers and inspired the final art. All art has been produced in black and white, allowing anyone to add their own colours and make their copy unique!

Please share this document far and wide, and may you have many fun sessions on Morabaraba ahead of you!

Credits:

 

Written By: Ray Whitcher 

Art: Cory Szczepanska and Ray Whitcher 

Editorial Layout and Board Design: Chanel Whitcher 

Special Thanks to the Fair Play team and the Game Design Department of Uppsala University.

Rules Sourced from Bead.Game