BURKINA FASO
Is a landlocked country in West Africa around 274,200 square kilometres in size. It is surrounded by: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its capital is Ouagadougou, their main religions are Islamic and Christianity and the official language is french. In 2014, its population was estimated at just over 17.3 million.
All about Burkina Faso
Board games
Africa is home to two of the oldest-known board games, one of which is still played today all across the continent.
The ancient game of Senet was popular in Egypt from around 3,500BC. Senet boards have been discovered in burial chambers and depicted on the walls of Egyptian tombs. Unfortunately, no one wrote down how it was played.
Another board game which dates back to ancient times is Mancala/Mankala, which remains popular in Africa today. Different versions are found in nearly every African country. Played with carved boards of wood/ivory or simply on the ground, the game is enjoyed by leaders and commoners, adults and children alike.
Some board games are popular in particular countries or regions, for example:
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Morabaraba or Umlabalaba (Southern Africa),
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Zamma (North Africa),
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Butterfly (Mozambique).
African children play a large variety of games, some of which are played the world over, such as 'hide and seek' and 'leap frog'.
Unlike in the West, children’s toys in Africa are often home-made rather than shop-bought. For example, boys may play with hoops from the rims of tyres. Girls might skip with ropes or play with home-made wooden dolls.
And of course, African children love ball games such as football, basketball and volleyball.
BURKINA FASO FOOTBALL TEAM
Africa has its own Olympic Games. The All Africa Games (originally known as the Friendship Games and then the Pan-African Games) were first held in Madagascar in 1960, organised by French-speaking countries. Over the following years, other African nations joined. Official recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came in 1965, when the Games were held in Brazzaville, Congo. Like the Olympics, the All Africa Games is now staged every four years, each time hosted by a different country.
