Our Story
About Morabaraba
Discover the story behind one of the world's oldest and most widely played strategy games — and the Southern African tradition that gave it this name.
Heritage
The Traditional Game
Morabaraba has been played for centuries across Southern Africa — in South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho — and it is far from alone. The board belongs to one of the oldest and most widespread game families on earth: two players line up three pieces in a row and take one of the opponent's. The same board, under different names, has been cut into stone, scratched into dirt and drawn on paper on nearly every continent.
What makes Morabaraba its own game is not the shape but the way it is played and spoken about: twelve dikgomo (cows) per player, a board that echoes a cattle kraal seen from above, and a name from the Southern Sotho moraba-raba — "to mill," or "to go round in a circle."
Deep Roots
The earliest known diagram of this board was found cut into an Egyptian temple at Kurna, dated to around 1440 BC. Others have been found in Sri Lanka from around AD 10. Wherever it travelled, each place made it its own.
Many Names
Morabaraba, mlabalaba, umlabalaba, mmela, muravava, mororova, meule, Twelve Men's Morris — one game, many tongues. This site plays two of its rule sets: Traditional and Koti.
One game, many names
A Board the Whole World Knows
Morabaraba is the Southern African name for a game whose relatives are played from Accra to Ulaanbaatar. The rules shift from place to place; the idea — line up three, take one — does not.
In Southern Africa
The same game, named by whoever is playing it.
- MorabarabaSesotho and Setswana — Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana
- Umlabalaba / MlabalabaThe isiZulu name for the same game
- MmelaSetswana-speaking communities
- Muravava / MororovaFurther regional names for the same board
- MeuleAnother name recorded for the same game
- Twelve Men’s MorrisWhat English-language references call it
Around the World
Cousins in the same family of mill games, each with its own board and rules.
- ShaxSomalia
- ShisimiaKenya
- Tsoro yemutwelveZimbabwe
- AchiGhana
- Char bharIndia
- DoozIran
- TapatanPhilippines
- GurgaldajMongolia
- Nine and Twelve Men’s MorrisEurope
A World Championship Sport
Morabaraba is not only a game played at home. The International Wargames Federation governs it as a competitive mind sport internationally, with Mind Sports South Africa as the national body, and World Championships have been contested in senior, women's and junior divisions since 1997.
Names, dates and regions on this page follow Wikipedia's article on Morabaraba.
Why it matters
Cultural Significance
Mental Training
Develops strategic thinking and problem-solving skills across generations.
Social Bonding
Brings communities together through friendly, meaningful competition.
Cultural Preservation
Maintains traditional knowledge and passes it to the next generation.
Our mission
Preserving heritage through technology.
We aim to preserve and share this beautiful traditional game with the world through modern technology, making African culture accessible to a global audience.
Built by
Motebo Technologies
An African technology company dedicated to preserving and promoting African culture through digital innovation. Based in South Africa, we create digital experiences that honor our heritage while making it accessible to the world.
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