Education
In 1995 he published his Doctor of Philosophy thesis Limits of the Mind: Towards a Characterization of Bao Mastership where he analyzed the intellectual abilities required to master the Bao game.
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book
Mancala: The Board Game in Africa and Asia
(Mancala is a popular board game played across Africa, in ...)
Mancala is a popular board game played across Africa, in Central and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Its antiquity and origins are still disputed by scholars. Drawing on historical, literary and ethnographic evidence, this book aims to discuss the possible origins of mancala and its distribution. The basic rules and moves within the game are described as well as the diverse range of materials used in constructing mancala boards. The significance of the use of mancala boards during funerary ceremonies and male initiation rituals is examined, along with its role as a leisure activity played by men, women and children. The game continues to be played in Africa and Asia, reflecting its enduring popularity.
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Alexander Johan de Voogt
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He is also editor of Board Game Studies, the main scientific journal on board games. De Voogt began studying mancalas in the 1990s, while he was in Zanzibar for a field study on the Swahili language. At the time, he began analyzing the rules and logical mechanics of the Bao mancala game (one of the most complex mancalas) by interviewing acknowledged Zanzibari "Bao masters".
The work on Bao set the basis for all subsequent research activities by De Voogt.
Among the many mancalas De Voogt has been collecting information on and studying there are Katro (Madagascar), Owela (Namibia), Warri (Barbados), Hawalis (Oman), Ohvalhu (Maldives), Mangaley (Syria) and Olinda Keliya (Sri Lanka).
Works
book
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Mancala: The Board Game in Africa and Asia
(Mancala is a popular board game played across Africa, in ...)
-
Mancala: The Board Game in Africa and Asia
