Author
Ujah, Patrick Ndum
Department of Educational Foundations
Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria,
Nsukkapatiujah@gmail.com)
Abstract
This study investigated Nigerian draughts (“draft”) as a
cultural-mathematical system that encodes and transmits
values through play. Drawing on the frameworks of
ethnomathematics, combinatorial game theory, and
spatial dynamics, the research explores how the game
cultivates foresight, resilience, tactical intelligence,
patience, and communal recognition. Ethnographic
observation revealed that players without formal
schooling often excel, relying on experiential learning,
pattern recognition, and communal teaching. Theoretical
modeling highlighted the strategic depth of the
majority-capture rule, which forces players to calculate
multiple sequences of moves under pressure. Spatial analysis demonstrated how board geometry and diagonal
movement encode cultural logics of territory, mobility,
and balance, often expressed through everyday
metaphors such as “blocking the road” or “laying a trap.”
A case illustration of a trader defeating a university
student vividly showed how mastery emerges outside
formal education, validated by communal recognition.
The findings confirm that Nigerian draughts is not
merely a pastime but a “matrix on the street” — a living
system where culture and mathematics converge. The
study contributes to mathematics education, cultural
studies, game theory, and spatial theory, while offering
practical applications in classrooms, communities, and
interdisciplinary scholarship. Ultimately, it affirms that
indigenous African games are central to the production
of knowledge and the decolonization of academic
discourse.
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Books