Bao Game Engine

"We felt very strongly that video games can help increase understanding and education about Africa and get the unmotivated public fired up about what is going on with Africa."

- John Sarpong, co-creator of the video game "Africa", head of Africast, a company that broadcasts African programming over the Internet, and grandson of Ashanti king Prampeh of Ghana, exiled by the British from 1895 to 1924 (taken from an interview on Feb. 3, 2006 with VH1)

While the Bao Game is not quite as visually complex as "Africa", it is still an abstract game of strategy. It may be over 3000 years old, however it remains the most popular game in Africa, especially in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Developing a Bao game for the phone is an easy way to increase cultural understanding about Africa; for Africans, it is a game with relevant content, and will increase interaction and interest in ICTs. We are developing it for phones with a JavaScript enabled browser and the 1st version will be optimized for the iphone.