MADAGASCAR
Off the eastern tip of Africa lies the fascinating island country of Madagascar. Often referred to in ecological circles as the ‘eighth continent’ due to its astonishingly high numbers of endemic wildlife, Madagascar has long been a source of wonder and curiosity – but has this enticing diversity spread to its gaming culture?
Madagascar is the second largest island country in the world, coming in just behind Indonesia – a country with a thriving game cafe scene. Whilst not reaching the heights of Indonesia, Madagascar’s capital city of Antananarivo is nonetheless home to a number of cafes aiming to introduce the country to the hobby. KalyBar à jus is one of the most successful, with games such as Cockroach Poker, Patchwork, and Complots (the original game of Coup) proving popular with patrons. Aside from gaming, the cafe also supports local musicians through regular music nights, alongside quizzes and a healthy dose of fresh juices and a hearty menu. Nearby are the cafes Le Repère and Korana, each featuring a modest stash of popular family games as well as modern classics such as Werewolf, Catan, and Ticket to Ride.
Whilst the modern tabletop hobby has only recently and gradually spread in the country thanks to these cafes, Madagascar’s indigenous game of Fanorona has existed in its bars, homes, and streets for centuries. This two player Checkers-like strategy game has three variants determined by the size of the board: Fanoron-Telo, Fanoron-Dimy, and Fanoron-Tsivy. As the smallest, Fanoron-Telo is considered simplest of the trio and is played on a three by three grid much like tic-tac-toe. Fanoron-Dimy takes it a step further with a five by five play area and Fanoron-Tsivy – the dominant and most popular of the variants – is played on a nine by five board.
According to legend, Prince Andriantompokondrindra missed his chance to succeed the throne of his father King Ralambo due to his preoccupation with a notoriously tricky board state in a game of Fanorona – surely one of the most costly instances of a game running on too long!
Like several African countries, Madagascar has its own mancala-style games, the most prominent being Katra Fandatsaka. First described in 1658 by a French traveler, this precursor to the more widely known and notably complex Bao La Kiswahili is played by the Sakalava people of the western coastal regions of Madagascar. Bearing even more of a resemblance to Bao La Kiswahili is Katra-be, a game which utilises a similar setup involving particular holes populated with more seeds and unique rules.
Katro, played by the Betsileo people in the country’s southern highlands, is another unusual addition to the large catalogue of mancala games, most notable for its six by six play area. Strangely, Katro only became recognized in the western world in 1998 following a field study by a Dutch mancala researcher.
With Fanorona still holding such a key place in the country’s gaming scene, contemporary Malagasy designs are limited. However it is worth drawing attention to the work of Bill Campbell, a designer of over a dozen games – four of which reaching the stages of production and retail in his country. Some designs such as Rova – a game of ancient Malagasy warfare – and Mah Jek have also seen distribution through the UK based company Imagination Gaming. In 2013, Campbell’s gorgeous, chess-like Mah Jek was also nominee in the Best Abstract category at the UK Games Expo awards.
Despite not possessing the level of tabletop industry other countries may display, Madagascar and its enduring love for a handful of ancient games nonetheless exemplifies the importance of gaming for generations of people. Ultimately, a love for gaming needn’t be reliant on quantity and excess – qualities which are seldom acknowledged in the contemporary hobby.