The Oware Society (OWS) is an organization set up to promote the playing of Oware in all its forms worldwide.

The OWS was founded in 1995 in the United Kingdom. These formative years have been spent establishing links with other groups or individuals around the world who have an interest in promoting the playing of Oware. In this respect great strides have been made with relationships being made in the Africa, Caribbean and Europe.

The OWS organizes at least one International Tournament every year in Europe as well promoting and supporting others in the Caribbean and Africa. A National Schools Tournament is organized every year in London for schools in the UK.

The OWS a membership organization applies its revenue to programs benefiting its members and promoting Oware worldwide.

OWS supports players in travelling abroad for Oware competitions. This has especially applied to junior players travelling to the South of France for the junior International Tournaments and sponsoring Grandmasters from abroad.

The OWS can be contacted at 6 Kiloh Court, Meyrick Road, London, SW11 2EE. We can be reached by phone on (0044) 20 7801 0318. Membership can be obtained and orders taken by calling the number given. Otherwise you can e-mail using admin@oware.org

The OWS is a membership organization whose mission is to bring the worlds oldest game to contemporary society.

It is the aim of The OWS to re-establish the prominence Oware once had in the ancient world as a social, educational and leadership tool used to benefit the global village that we now live in. By promoting the playing of Oware we will imbue those principles of life that produce well balanced individuals and make better decision makers.

In support of these ends, the OWS produces an annual Newsletter highlighting Oware news from all over the world. It will organize, support and encourage International, National, Regional, District, Local and School tournaments as well as organize promotional activities worldwide. The society also strives for government recognition in those countries where Oware has traditionally been played and seek for the registration of Clubs and the establishment of Associations and Federations in those countries. OWS will also conduct workshops in Schools, Libraries, Museums and Community groups. We encourage and promote the exhibition of Oware board collections that various Museums have all over the world educating people of the rich history Oware has in all its forms.

Ongoing programs:

Promoting the use of the Abapa version of Oware for all tournaments and promotional activities. This will address one of the main reasons why Oware has not gained international prominence on the worldwide scene.

There are several reasons as to why Oware has been in decline for so long. Some are still in place others no longer hold but the effects still linger. One of these is the flotilla of versions that exist in all there are over 300 versions of pit and pebble games, each with its own rules and usually its own name, depending on the people who play and the language spoken. However this statement itself is an over simplification, for there may be far fewer versions and unless authoritative studies are conducted we shall not be in a better position to know exactly how many exist. The confusion has come about because of the different languages spoken by the many different communities that play Oware, or versions of it. An example of this duplication is Oware, a generic name given to three or more versions of the game (Abapa, Nam-nam, Tampuodo,) by the Akan speaking people of Ghana. These three versions are played in most West African and the Caribbean countries although known by different names. For instance the Yoruba of Nigeria call the game Ayo, which is also a generic name for the same three versions but called Ayoayo, Jerin-Jerin and Ayo J'udo. It must be mentioned that in some parts of West Africa local variations of these versions have developed which at times are played along side the original version in the same community. In Antigua in the Caribbean, Abapa or Ayoayo is known as Warri, Nam-nam or Jerin-Jerin is known as Round & round.

Organizing international tournaments between Grandmasters from the Caribbean (Antigua) and Africa (Ghana) etc. on a regular basis will put the whole Oware fraternity in a better position to establish an authorative worldwide ranking system. Currently OWS is raising funds to sponsor Ibrahim Abubakar, (a Ghanaian Grandmaster player) to participate in the International Awele Tournament being held in Cannes (South of France).

Establishing Annual Open Tournaments in those countries where there has always been a strong tradition of Oware being played for e.g. Barbados, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cape-Verde etc.

Support local tournaments in countries where there has not been a long tradition of Oware being played mostly European and American countries Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Holland etc. Once this has been achieved then to develop Open International Tournaments annually.

Support school leagues and The National Schools' Tournaments in as many countries as possible starting with Britain, Antigua and Ghana.

Organize n Oware World Championship, one of the criteria's for holding such a championship is that there must be players' from several African, Caribbean & European countries.