Uniting Africa With a Roll of the Dice

By Todd Bookman on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

Arbitrary borders, ethnic conflict, and minimal infrastructure divided the pan-African movement of the past century, but one man hopes to bring disparate African nations together - with a board game.

It’s called Jekaben, meaning "Let's Unite and Decide Together" in the Bambara language. A Senegalese entrepreneur who created the game hopes it will inspire youth to make the United States of Africa a reality.

Players answer some pretty tough questions about Africa's history and people, with each correct answer earning "passports" and transforming the board into a more complete map of the continent. Victory comes when the map is seamless, a reality the game-maker is hoping to spur on a much broader scale.

BBC News: Africa - The Board Game

NPR: Not-So-Trivial Pursuit Of A United States Of Africa

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