Ayo is played by two people facing each other over two rows of six
pockets, or holes in the ground. Each player places four seeds or
stones in each of their six pockets and the players then take
turns of picking up all of the pieces from one of the pockets and
dropping one of them into another pocket one by one. The first player to
empty all of the other player's pockets wins the game. The Ayo game has become an important 'mind sport game' in recent
decades with tournaments being held every year in
Western Africa, many European countries, and in Antigua and Barbuda in the
Caribbean.
Whilst Ayo is often played with a
board, and great care is taken to craft a board with its twelve carved out
circular pockets and often elaborate carvings on its sides, Ayo can also be
played by simply marking out two rows of six pits in the ground. This makes the game
more accessible to poorer people, especially children who can then simply play
anywhere with sand or soft ground and a handful of stones or pebbles for playing pieces. Below is a short video with instruction on how to play. After you've played this traditional African Ayo game, why not check out and play our other African games, we've got the very
best online!
Mancala
|
Yote
|
Play free traditional Africa games online including Mancala and Yote and see how creative Africa kids are.
A collection of the best arcade,
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