Pinoys sow seeds of understanding with sungka

MANILA, Philippines - In a bid to “sow seeds of understanding" with other countries, sixteen competitors from Filipino, Southeast Asian, and Austrian communities played in the first-ever sungka tournament in Vienna, Austria. A report posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs website quoted the Philippine Ambassador to Austria as saying that aside from being a traditional Filipino pastime and a common tradition among several nations, sungka is also an avenue for mutual understanding. The tournament was held last Sunday at the Vienna Museum of Ethnology (Museum für Völkerkunde, Neue Burg A-1010 Vienna). The tournament opened with a ceremonial game played by Ambassador Linglingay Lacanlaleand Ambassador Grace Tsitsi Mutandiro of Zimbabwe, one of the several African countries that have a tradition of playing sungka. Also playing were Ambassador Julius Kandie of Kenya and Jojie Samuel, deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Malaysia. Charmeylia Tamba of Indonesia emerged as champion of the tournament while Filipina players Myrna Patricio and Mary Anne Baliao took second and third place, respectively. The tournament was part of the autumn program of the Vienna Museum of Ethnology and was organized in cooperation with the Philippine-Austrian Society led by the University of Vienna’s Dr. Johann Stockinger and the Philippine Embassy. Traditional Philippine sungka rules, which include opening each game with simultaneous “sowing." were used during the tournament. Sungka came from the “mancala" family of “sowing" or “count-and-capture" board games that are played in Asia, Africa and Latin America. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV