Note: Garry Shirts sent out a request for facilitators
for BaFá BaFá to the NASAGA (North American
Simulation and Games Association) news list. In reponse
to that request
one of the NASAGA members asked, "What is BaFá BaFá?"
This is Barbara Steinwachs' answer. Reprinted by permission
of Barbara Steinwachs.
---
In response to designer Garry
Shirts' request for Northwest facilitators for BaFá BaFá,
someone asks "What is BaFá BaFá?"
First designed in the mid 1970's and recently revised, this
is one of Garry Shirts' (also the designer of the classic
StarPower,
which explores power relationships among haves and have-nots)
most used and wonderful simulation games. Originally developed
for the Navy, for cross-cultural misunderstandings faced by
young sailors (Sandy Fowler was on the original research team),
BaFá BaFá immediately became a generic game for
use in many multicultural settings: international cross-cultural
situations, domestic "diversity" issues, teacher-student, doctor-patient,
& any setting where two groups of different "cultures" engage
with one another.
It sets up two hypothetical cultures, Alpha & Beta, in
two different rooms. The cultures are carefully constructed
to be different from one another but with basics which can be
misinterpreted if you come from the opposite culture-- e.g.
leadership, currency, activities, etc. In a very simple format,
participants visit the other culture in small groups for a few
minutes each. After each visit, each culture briefly discusses
what happened and what was learned during the visit. When everyone
has visited, the game is over. A splendidly designed debriefing
guides players to explore their interpretations (mostly misinterpretations
because they were made based only on the home culture experience
of the one interpreting) and compare them to what actually was
going on, and why.
Even though the visit was short, analogous to first encounters
with a new culture, the insights are many and rich. The game
takes 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, and requires 2 facilitators, and
2 rooms (although the second room can be very small-a large
closet,
or a hallway). It works grandly, in a non-threatening manner,
for any number from 16 up. 20-40 or so is ideal; larger numbers
work fine, but do require careful logistical preparation. It
uses artifacts which require some time to assemble for the
first
run, and about an hour for successive runs.
If you have the time & enough players, this is the cross-cultural
game of choice, bar none. I have run it dozens of times, often
with Sandy Fowler, for such groups as teacher training days,
the Foreign Service Institute for persons about to go abroad,
university international centers, teenage retreats, persons
form other countries coming into the US, race relations retreats,
MBA orientations, etc.
When the time is short or there are few players, I choose
instead to run Thiagi's BARNGA, also a fun and non-threatening
experience which can yield a rich debriefing . . . but given
enough time & players I choose BaFá BaFá because
its more complex fabric and rich internal discussions (after
the visits) make it a reservoir of insights and understandings.
I would be happy to chat further about this game and specific
uses with anyone who wishes.
BaFá BaFá
is available from its designer, R. Garry (2 r's) Shirts, through
his company, Simulation Training
Systems: mitch@simulationtrainingsystems.com As
you probably can tell, I love this game. Each run is different
and magical and loads of fun. The insights that unfold during
play often are thrilling &/or hilarious.
---Barbara Steinwachs (steinwachs@aol.com)
