Why is the Finnish colonial board game Star of Africa problematic?

In this board game, the goal is to explore the continent and gather riches by collecting gemstones and ultimately, to find the biggest diamond, the Star of Africa. Essentially, the player takes on the role of the colonialist.

The first issue is the negative representation of Africa as just a jungle, a no man’s land, an exotic playground with primitive people and no previous ownership. This was never the case. Before the colonizers landed on African soil, there were striving civilizations, empires, and societies in Africa. Just to name a few, Ethiopia was a well-advanced nation that fought and defeated colonial invaders, the Mali empire thrived for centuries and had the first university in Timbuktu, Benin empire with great craftmanship and ancient Egypt both known vastly beyond their boarders. This false image of Africa was created and promoted by European colonizers to justify their colonization of Africa and white supremacy and effectively, created the white savior mindset.

Secondly, making any game or anything that glorifies the concept of racism is hurtful and offensive to Africans. Colonialism is a very dark and painful past in Africa that should not be turned into an entertainment game. Africa is still suffering from the banality of evil of colonialism. Africans do not need to be reminded of the atrocities and traumas of colonialism daily. The fact that colonialism is taught and promoted as African history is also part of the problem. Colonialism should be taught as history of Europe – like it truly is. Implementation of colonizing Africa was planned for example in Berlin 1884 (among other instances) by the Europeans. Colonialism should always be linked and attached to Europeans as part of their history in Africa. Europeans should never forget that colonialism build Europe and games like African star are remnants of colonialism.

This game is the first contact with the African continent for many children and as such, a big influence on their perception and view of Africa. The Star of Africa game, in its part, enables the development of a colonial mindset, racism and Afrophobia and should be treated accordingly.

Author: Eugene Ufoka