Lesson Plans

A.1.05 – BARNGA Game

60 minutes

  • BARNGA places people in a situation where they experience the shock of realizing that in spite of many similarities, people from another culture have differences in the way they do things.
  • Players learn that they must understand and reconsile these differences.
  • To play BARNGA, divide the group into smaller teams of 3 or 4 learners.
  • Each table secretly has a different set of rules – similar to how different cultures have different customers.
  • Volunteers switch tables, but are not allowed to talk during the game - of course there will be a lot of misunderstandings.
  • Tutor should ensure that volunteers are not communicating verbally (speaking/writing). But they are allowed to draw!
  • Play the game for 5 rounds at 5 minutes a round.

 

Discussion

  • Ask volunteers about their experiences during the game.
  • Did they see through the trick?
  • Why do they think you chose this exercise in the context of intercultural awareness?

What is their take away?


Playing Cards according to the instructions; Instruction sheets for every table (collect them before the game starts!); Flipchart and marker for discussion and feedback Copies of worksheet R.1.5 for learners