Post Image
  When we talk about the game of chess and chess championship as a whole, Africa or even Nigeria rarely comes to mind. Chess games and chess players are often associated with people termed as “geniuses” that comes mostly from Russia, the United States, China and other places in Scandinavia. Also, one is quick to associate the game of chess with people in the higher echelon of society. It has been bandied around that chess is the game of the rich and genius.
Read more about Sports
However, today, the narrative is different. The chess game is now being played among children living in the slums of Africa. Movies such as Queen of Katwe has shown that kids in the slums are really smart and can engage in mental tasking games like chess. In 2018, a Lagosian Babatunde Onakoya founded Chess In Slums Africa. Chess In Slums Africa has been empowering hundreds of Nigerian kids that live in poverty-stricken slum areas of Lagos, especially in Ikorodu, Oshodi and Makoko. So far, it has been amazing to note that kids in slums aren’t agents of social vices as the media had interpreted them to be. Of course, for so long we have been used to the narratives that children living in the slums of Lagos are nothing but criminals and street urchins. This is not to say that Lagos is crime-free. However, Lagos slums are places where the good, the bad and the ugly coexist. One of the beauties to have emerged from Lagos slums are the chess champions and geniuses. Onakoya, founder of Chess In Slums Africa, stated that he was motivated by a conviction that Nigerian education is in crisis, with many children either out of school or not learning what he sees as useful survival skills. Chess In Slums Africa, since 2018, has been discovering geniuses in the slums of Lagos through the game. A notable example is a little boy, who goes by the name Ferdinand Maumo from the slums of Makoko in Lagos. He has been identified as a genius because of his brilliance in the game.
7 Things To Know About Ferdinand Maumo - BizWatchNigeria.Ng
BizWatch NG
He had awed everyone with his skill when he emerged as the best in the Chess Competition at the 2021 Makoko Games. unfortunately, Maumo suffers from cerebral palsy and had been mocked by his peers as a result of his ailment, yet it did not place a limitation on his ingenuity and skill.
Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
He was invited by the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu where they had a game that ended in a stalemate. The brilliance of the boy was applauded by the governor and all who witnessed the game.
VIDEO: Sanwo-Olu plays chess with 10-year-old medically challenged champion, Ferdinand Maumo - Punch Newspapers
Punch Newspapers
For his ingenuity, Maumo was given the sum of one million Naira and placed on lifelong scholarship alongside his siblings. This scholarship will last up to their university levels. Furthermore, the governor promised to relocate them from the slum to a government-owned apartment situated in a better part of the city. His gift has truly made a way for him. Similarly, in a recent development, the story of a 19-year-old boy, Adeoye Fawaz, will forever change the story of Lagos slums and what they are capable of. Fawaz who worked as a bus conductor to survive and has been living under the Oshodi bridge all his life has finally had his life transformed for good when he emerged as Oshodi Chess In Slum Champion.
Children In Nigeria's Slum Are Finding Solace Through Chess - HumAngle Media
HumAngle
The turnaround was made possible by Tunde Onakoya, the CEO of Chess in Slum Africa, an organisation that has used the game of chess to give new meanings to many lives. Taking this initiative to the next level, on March 1, 2021, Chess.com announced that it would partner with Chess In Slums Africa. The partnership will incorporate the CIS-A expertise in community outreach with Chess.com’s world-class chess educational content and reach. Moreover, in September 2020, Chess In Slums Africa had partnered with ChessKid.com, the scholastic branch of Chess.com. ChessKid focuses on using chess as an educational tool for classrooms, chess clubs, and parents. The broadened scope of this new cooperation makes ChessKid and Chess.com official content partners in promoting chess as a force for positive social change. Finally, Chess In Slums Africa has completed a two-week programme as part of its project to rehabilitate children living around Oshodi Underbridge within December. Chess In Slums has mentored 500 underprivileged children and helped 100 of them go back to school in Nigeria and Burkina Faso. If one should ask, can anything good come out from Lagos slums? We can certainly respond, Yes, geniuses. Featured Image Source: Reuters
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com
You might also like:
This article was first published on 29th December 2021

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

Comments (432)

432 thoughts on “How An Organisation, Chess In Slums Africa, Is Changing The Narrative For Good”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *