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Nine adinkra symbols that convey West Africa's collective wisdom adorn the lid of this intriguing game of oware. It opens to reveal the playing field of twelve depressions. Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors involved. A player's strategy entirely depends upon reasoning and counting abilities. Because of this, aware has been used successfully throughout Africa for teaching children basic numbers and arithmetic.

Oware is one of the oldest games in the world. The earliest records describing the game were found in Arab religious texts dating to the Middle Ages, suggesting the game originated in the Middle East and spread from there to Africa, then to Asia with Arab traders, and to the Caribbean around 1640 via the African slave trade. Other experts place its origins in Central Africa; the Masai people state that oware was invented by Sindillo, the son of the first man, Maitoumbe, and was originally called geshe.

In Arab countries, the most common name for this game is mancala, an Arabic word meaning "to move." In some West African countries the depressions in the board are referred to as warri or wwari, which means "houses," thus the name owari. In Nigeria it is known as adi, which is also the name of the seeds used to play it; and in South Africa it is called ohoro. With different and exotic names such as congklak, dakon, aggalacang, and nogarata, it has also been played in Asia long before the Portuguese rounded the southern tip of Africa.

Today, oware represents the diversity of Africa, as some version of it is played in nearly every country on the continent. Legend relates that Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Kuba kingdom of Central Africa, taught the game to his people to encourage foresight and calculation.

The set includes 42 beads and a detailed playing manual.

The long and lean body of an African crocodile offers a challenging game of oware. Designed by Victoria Agyepomaa, the crocodile is sculpted by hand of sese wood. The belly becomes the playing board, featuring 12 orifices, and the back is the cover. Plastic beads are included to serve as the playing pieces.

Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors in it. The player's strategy entirely depends upon the ability for reasoning and counting.

Full of traditional meaning, this oware table set is made of white ofram wood. Patiently carved by Kofi 'Tall' Agudoawu, it is finished with linseed oil and wax. The game board is complemented with shiny beads made of recycled, non-toxic lightweight plastic. Sankofa Anoma means "the bird that's looking backwards," a linguistic and traditional symbol of the Akan people of Ghana, referring to the admonition "looking into one's past as a condition for embarking on a successful enterprise or venture in the future."

Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors involved. A player's strategy entirely depends upon reasoning and counting abilities.

This handsome version of the traditional oware game by artisan Kofi "Tall" Agudoawu features a table board in iroko wood (oak) painted in terracotta and dark brown colors, finished with wax. The intriguing decorative motif is an asenn dua (cross) and the beads are made of recycled non-toxic light-weight plastic.

Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads," and there are no chance factors in it. The player's strategy entirely depends upon the ability for reasoning and counting.

The beads arrive in a pouch attached to the board. The set includes a detailed playing manual. It should be cleaned with a soft and dry cloth.

Designed by Ghanaian artisan Robert Kofi Ellis, this Oware game board adds a touch of African culture to any home. It is handcrafted of sese wood with aluminum accents to depict an elephant that holds the board atop its back. Oware belongs in the Mancala family, each player moving beads around the board in order to capture their opponent's pieces. A "capture" is awarded to a player when they can leave exactly two or three pieces in one or more of their opponent's houses. Says the artisan, "The Africa board game of Oware has been elevated to the ranks of chess, bridge, backgammon, draughts (checkers), scrabbles and all other classic “thinking” games by being highlighted at the 1st Mind Sports Olympiad which was held in London in 1997."