The Arithmetic Entertainments of Black Africa

Abstract

This paper, third in a series dealing with African, mainly Sub-Saharan ethnomathematics, provides a summary of mathematical schemes as means of education for children, sources of inspiration for rituals in the traditional society, as well as sources of recreation for all layers and age groups of the African society. First, simple mathematical activities practised by children with counting rhymes and choosing rhymes are described. Next, “what words are eaten with” in Africa, riddles are dealt with. Riddles are not told merely for fun in Africa either, but they also have an important educational role and they develop critical thinking, too. Further on, the mathematical nature of traditional drawings (lines) in the sand, such as the ’sona’ diagrams and the graph of ’life’ is emphasized. A desription of a vast variety of basically similar mind games of the so called African Morris type (morabaraba, shax, achi, tsoro yematatu, dara, gulugufe, felli, senet, seega and fanorama) is also given. Strategy games of the mancala family including ayo, awari, omweso, igitsoro and many more with different regional names and versions with 2 or 4 rows and 6 to 50 holes in a row, which are listed among the oldest mind games of the world and often classified among the top games as well, are also described with a special focus on their common features. Furthermore, the impressive results of research mathematics published by various authors about the combinatorics of some mancala type games prove the comparison of a computer relay and an African game board is evident. Lots of examples ranging over many regions and over a large period of time are listed in the hope of gaining some esteem for African mathematics, and to illustrate the universal strength of mathematics.