A Cross-Cultural Simulation Game

Bafa Bafa A Cross-Cultural Simulation Game

Submitted by Stephanie Thibeau and Bhreagh MacDonald

Purpose: Simulating cross-cultural interactions and exploring assumptions and behaviors involved.

Grade Level: 8-12

Time Needed: 60-80 minutes

Resources:

 2 cleared rooms, separate, but with easy access to each other  for the Alpha Culture: a set of rules on a wall chart or overhead (see Copiable Handout #1), 150 white paper tokens (5 cm square), 15 sticky dots (all the same color), and a pen or pencil for each participant  for the Beta Culture: a set of rules on a wall chart or overhead (see Copiable Handout #2), 250 card tokens (6 cm square) - 50 of each red, green, yellow, brown, blue - 15 sticky dots (all the same color, but different from the Alpha culture), 2 sheets of writing paper, and a pen for each participant.

General Procedure:

 2 facilitators are chosen, one being assigned to each culture  students are told that the object of this activity is to experience interaction with a cultural group which has different practices and customs from their own  students are then divided into 2 different groups, equal in number and of mixed gender (the Alpha culture should not have more than 50% female participants)  the two groups begin in separate rooms by studying and practicing the customs and traditions of their culture for 15-20 minutes (see copiable handouts #1 and #2)  during this time an "observer" from each culture is appointed or elected. At a time agreed upon by the two facilitators, the observers visit each other's culture for 5 minutes. Their task is to find out as much as they can about the culture they are visiting.  observers then return to their home cultures to describe and attempt to interpret what they have experienced (5 minutes)  the succeeding pattern of interaction between the two cultures is decided by the facilitators  a suggested sequence is for two or three visitors to be exchanged for about 5 minutes, followed by a further period of discussion and reflection on their experiences. Then another exchange of three of four participants and brief discussion take place in home groups before both cultures meet in one room for a final interaction session. One intermediate stage can be left out if time is short, but all participants should eventually have the opportunity to interact with members of the other culture.

Procedure Specific to the ALPHA CULTURE:

 Copiable Handout #1 is displayed so that only Alphas can see it. Using it as a basis, the Alpha facilitator discusses Alpha characteristics and practices with the members of the Alpha culture. The facilitator encourages them to think and feel their way into being Alphas.  After the facilitator has explained the Alpha code of practice, participants elect the Elder. They affix colored dots (badges of their culture) to themselves.  They begin to practice the cultural customs as described above. An observer is appointed by the Elder and briefed for the visit to the Beta culture (see General Procedure above).

Procedure Specific to the BETA CULTURE:

 Copiable Handout #2 is displayed so that only Betas can see it. Using it as a basis, the Beta facilitator discusses Beta characteristics and practices with the members of the Beta culture. The facilitator encourages them to think and feel their way into being Betas.  After the facilitator has explained the Beta code of practice, a Banker is appointed. Participants affix colored dots (badges of their culture) to themselves. They then begin to practice trading as outlined on the rule sheet.  The facilitator should ensure that an observer is appointed and briefed for the visit to the Alpha culture (see General Procedure above).

Procedure for Debriefing:

 Before inviting general discussion, some significant points can be introduced through adopting the following sequence of debriefing:

 a. Betas explain how they perceive the Alpha culture.  b. Alphas explain how they perceive the Beta culture.  c. Betas describe their thoughts and feelings when visiting the Alpha culture.  d. Alphas describe their thoughts and feelings when visiting the Beta culture.  e. An Alpha explains the Alpha culture.  f. A Beta explains the Beta culture.

 Discussion should then be broadened to consider issues to do with perceptions and assumptions. Students relate the experience of the game to real life contemporary and historical situations. For example:

 a. Did the perception of the other culture differ from person to person?  b. How did one's perception shape one's behaviour?  c. What assumptions were made about the practices and behaviour of the other culture, and why? Were these assumptions helpful>  d. Did participants feel exploited or badly treated either in their own, or in the other culture? If so, why and was it intentional on the part of those who gave offence?  e. Did the specific roles given to men and women in the Alpha culture cause any difficulties, either in relations within the culture or in cross- culture relations?  f. Was there a clash between competitive values of the Beta and cooperative values of the Alpha culture?  g. When we go to a foreign country, do we perceive the customs and practices if that country's people the same way they do?  h. Why do we sometimes think new arrivals and visitors to our country "behave oddly"?  i. How important is language to effective communication between people?

Potential:

This is an adaptation of the classic cross-cultural simulation game. Through considerable laughter and enjoyment, it raises some important issues concerning assumptions and behaviours when interacting with members of an unfamiliar culture.

Extension:

Each student is given a copy of the First Encounters sheet (Copiable Handout #3). How do the extracts on the sheet tie in with the activity? In what ways does Bafa Bafa point up the difficulties and misunderstandings that occurred in the period of European expansion when Europeans and peoples of other cultures first encountered each other? Why were the encounters often not on a "level playing field" as they are in Bafa Bafa? (Sometimes larger numbers of Europeans were involved, for example. Europeans were more technologically advanced with respect to ships, weapons and the like.) In what ways did unequal power relationships affect such encounters?

LINKS TO COPIABLE HANDOUTS (Word documents) [Help, I don't have Word]:

Copiable Handout #1 - Alpha Culture

Copiable Handout #2 - Beta Culture

Copiable Handout #3 - First Encounters

Source:

TAKEN FROM: Pike, G. and D. Selby. "Bafa Bafa" in In the Global Classroom 1. Ontario: Pippin Publishing Corporation, 1999. pp.189-195.

ORIGINALLY ADAPTED FROM:

Hicks, D. "Bafa Bafa" in Minorities. London: Heinemann Educational, 1981. pp. 82-85.

Adaptations of Bafa Bafa

(Links to Websites)

 http://www.ruthvilmi.net/hut/Autumn2001/simulation_bafa.html

This is just a simpler version of the Bafa Bafa game. It basically goes along the same premise of the original game, but each group develops their own culture rather than following the outline of the Beta and Alpha cultures.

 http://students.hhsweb.com/z975873/diversity.htm

Another version of the Bafa Bafa game that gives us a variation on what each cultures attributes are. It seems to be more aimed towards younger students since the culture differences are simplified.

 http://www.geocities.com/~newfields/art/naza2.htm#NaZa

This is another culture shock type simulation game called NaZa. This game seems much more in depth and would require quite a bit of preparation and planning in order to play. From what I read on the game, it is used often when teaching English as a second language (ESL), so those who plan to do this in the future may be interested in this particular game.

 http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/pcat6.htm

Another game that kept coming up in my research of Bafa Bafa was called Barnga. This site will bring you to a description of the game, but I could not find a complete outline because its a game played with cards that have to be purchased.

Bafa Bafa Modifications for Students with Special Needs

The game Bafa Bafa is a great way for an entire class to interact with one another, and this includes any students who may have language, mobility and hearing problems. Although the rules dont presently accommodate these various types of learners, with a little thought and a few modifications all will be able to enjoy this game on the same level. Here are a few examples:

Students with Visual Difficulties:  Instead of using the coloured tokens within the Beta culture, an assortment of shapes and/or small objects could be used to accommodate a student with visual problems. Such things as marbles, blocks, pens/pencils or any other small classroom objects could be given specific values and used as different valued tokens during exchanges between cultures.  Rather than making visual motions such as scratching your head to signal the amount of tokens you want, a voice signal or touch to the shoulder could be used instead.  Instead of blinking eyes to indicate you want to trade, snapping, clapping hands or another auditory signal could be used.  In the outline regarding the Beta Culture, it notes that there is to be no physical contact; but this rule can surely be altered to meet the needs of a student with visual difficulty.

Students with Auditory Difficulties:

 As part of the Beta culture, the original game states that communication will be made in the form of various animal sounds. If a student participating should happen to have auditory difficulties, animal actions could be substituted instead.  Perhaps the student could be paired within another member of the same culture which would make things easier to understand and decipher. Their partner could write things down that others were saying, and this would give the student with auditory difficulty a chance to decipher all that is happening.

Students with Mobility Difficulties:

A game of this nature needs quite a bit of open space and room to move freely anyways, so this should be appropriate for any students who may have difficulty with mobility. Just ensure that the room is free of any obstacles that may pose a problem for the student to participate fully in the game.

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