NIGERIA: Africa's first city edition of the popular board game Monopoly launched. The Lagos-themed game consists of the city's landmarks like Makoko slum along with fictional locations such as Banana Island

Record ID: 235904

  • Title: NIGERIA: Africa's first city edition of the popular board game Monopoly launched. The Lagos-themed game consists of the city's landmarks like Makoko slum along with fictional locations such as Banana Island
  • Date: 13th December 2012
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (DECEMBER 11, 2012) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** GUESTS AT MONOPOLY LAUNCH IN LAGOS CITY HALL VARIOUS OF GUESTS LISTENING TO SPEECH LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR, BABATUNDE FASHOLA, THROWING THE MONOPOLY DICE ONTO BOARD AS DIGNITARIES WATCH GUESTS CLAPPING DIGNITARIES ROUND THE MONOPOLY BOARD MAKOKO SECTION ON THE MONOPOLY BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) BABATUNDE FASHOLA, GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE SAYING: "In a bid to become Africa's model mega city, we will consider any old idea that we can re-make to suit our needs, as indeed we will embrace new ones. The monopoly board game is one such old idea now made new to suit Lagos." VARIOUS OF GOVERNOR FASHOLA AND GUESTS WALKING ROUND THE MONOPOLY BOARD VARIOUS SECTIONS ON THE MONOPOLY BOARD READING: "INCOME TAX", "IDDO TERMINUS", "OPEBI, FIRST MONIE AGENT" (SOUNDBITE) (English) ODEIN AJUMOGOBIA, CHAIRMAN OF BESTMAN GAMES SAYING: "It brings to life Lagos, the city of Lagos with all it's landmarks and all its features with all its iconic symbols and it opens it up to people who are outside Nigeria by playing Monopoly, just as we did when we were growing up, playing Monopoly with Mayfair and London and Palm mall and Leicester Square, we knew all these names and these symbols, we had never been there." VARIOUS OF GUESTS BUYING THE MONOPOLY GAME AFTER THE LAUNCH VARIOUS OF MONOPOLY GAME IN PACKAGES LAGOS, NIGERIA (DECEMBER 12, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FRIENDS PLAYING THE LAGOS EDITION OF MONOPOLY INSCRIPTION ON THE WALL READING: "EAT+DRINK+PLAY" VARIOUS OF GAME IN PROGRESS MONOPOLY DOLLAR ON THE BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADEYEMI ADEFEHINTI, ARCHITECT SAYING: "I think it's interesting and it's interesting because you understand monopoly to be a property game and being a property game, when you now have like settings and places you can refer to, I think that makes it much more interesting, I mean Shoprite (Shopping mall), more like a run through of what Lagos is, the beauty of Lagos, the spaces, from Island to mainland, to the terminus, I think it's cool, very cool, I enjoyed it." VARIOUS OF LAGOS STREETS
  • Embargoed: 28th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Entertainment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA2ACUJNWRWPJ03S6D5BM32E9Z5
  • Story Text: The Lagos version of the Monopoly board game was launched on Tuesday (December 11) in Nigeria. This is Africa's first city edition of the popular board game.
    The game consists of the city's landmarks like Makoko, a floating slum built on stilts, along with fictional locations like the Banana Island.
    Sectors of the economy such as financial institutions, real estate, insurance among others are also portrayed in the Lagos version while some of the original details of the game are also present.
    Monopoly was first developed in America in the 20th century and was later produced for London in 1935. The board game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity.
    According to the Lagos layout, Banana Island is the most popular place to live, equivalent of "Mayfair" in the London version, and property sells for up to 8 million US dollars, while Makoko is the cheapest.
    This Lagos model comes at a time when Nigeria's largest city is working to upgrade itself into a mega city.

    "In a bid to become Africa's model mega city, we will consider any old idea that we can re-make to suit our needs, as indeed we will embrace new ones. The monopoly board game is one such old idea now made new to suit Lagos," said Babatunde Fashola, the Governor of Lagos.
    The game which comes in either a rectangular or square board, was sold at the launch for between 35 to 41 US dollars.
    The Lagos-themed Monopoly is the brainchild of Bestman Games, a Nigeria based company that hopes it will create a positve image of the city.

    "It brings to life Lagos, the city of Lagos with all it's landmarks and all its features with all its iconic symbols and it opens it up to people who are outside Nigeria by playing Monopoly, just as we did when we were growing up, playing Monopoly with Mayfair and London and Palm mall and Leicester Square, we knew all these names and these symbols, we had never been there," said Odein Ajumogobia, chairman of Bestman Games.
    Many Nigerians have been playing Monopoly for years and some like Adeyemi Adefehinti, an architect went to a game shop to have a feel of the new release.

    "I think it's interesting and it's interesting because you understand monopoly to be a property game and being a property game, when you now have like settings and places you can refer to, I think that makes it much more interesting, I mean Shoprite (Shopping mall), more like a run through of what Lagos is, the beauty of Lagos, the spaces, from Island to mainland, to the terminus, I think it's cool, very cool, I enjoyed it, "said Adefehinti.
    Lagos state government also wants to use the board game to educate people about the city's laws and promote general knowledge about the metropolis.
    Morocco and South Africa are the only other countries in Africa that have customized editions of Monopoly.
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