A STRATEGY GAME, REIMAGINEDNCHọ 01
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Nchọ is a beloved strategy game (globally known as mancala & coined here after its shortened, onomatopoeic Igbo name) that has been a staple in family homes across Nigeria & wider Africa, expressed through diverse typologies & used in varied dialects within a shared grammar of play.
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Zoë Chinonso Ene re-engages this traditional game, harmonizing function and expression through design, heritage-making research, and modes of display.
Though inspired by the vast approaches to board design across Africa, Nchọ is the result of an intentional engagement with the woodworking traditions of the Igbo people, taking specific cues; rhythmic lines carved into the wood show you just where to open it & its globular form is a nod to both small personal effigies, which carry meaning to a person, & towering sculptural columns in meeting houses built for community interaction. In this way, the board celebrates both modes: drawing people together to play and remember how to play, and being an object of beauty within a personal space.
When not in play, Nchọ transitions to a display object as it magnetizes to a metal wall bracket, an accompaniment boldly demonstrating how utilitarian hardware can exist sculpturally within the African design ethos.
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Most importantly, Nchọ was designed to be reintroduced into the home – especially the Nigerian home – as an heirloom object, keeping warm memories alive through new tactile encounters.
Seed Archives is a research library and community space stewarding African and Caribbean culture (objects and literature) in North London. The first Nchọ prototype was played with at Seed’s pop-up library in the making room space at the London Design Festival, 2024. To celebrate Seed’s dedication to keeping the spirit of play alive, an Nchọ board was donated to the space.
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