To mark Commonwealth Day: National scrabble champion organises inter-school contest, drums peace.

The competition took place recently at the National Museum in Yaounde. 

According to the organiser, the event was organised by the Cameroon Scrabble Federation in partnership with the Commonwealth Department of the Ministry of External Relations, MINREX. 

The initiative, he said, forms part of prelude activities to the commemoration of Commonwealth Day, which was celebrated yesterday under the theme: “Unlocking Opportunities Together for a Prosperous Commonwealth”.

Shofola revealed that he first proposed the initiative to the Commonwealth Department of MINREX in 2023 in his capacity as national champion. 

He added that he has been involved in training students in the game over the past three years. In preparation for the tournament, Shofola said he organised training sessions in ten secondary schools to introduce students to the rules and strategies of Scrabble.

“I took the initiative in my capacity as the English National Champion to train students in ten secondary schools on how to play the game, to help them improve their English vocabulary and trigger their thinking capacities with this mind game,” he said.

According to him, the competition also offered students opportunities to interact with their peers from other schools. He said participants faced opponents from different institutions during the tournament. Such encounters, he added, created occasions for exchange beyond the classroom.

“The key message is that Scrabble, apart from improving the vocabularies of students, is a friendly game with many opportunities to be unlocked. Playing against opponents from other schools, they make new friends and it is always fun watching new friends who started as opponents analysing their game at the end,” Shofola noted. 

He furthered that the board game can also serve as a tool to encourage social cohesion.

“Scrabble therefore is a game that can be used as an instrument of peace in Cameroon,” he stated.

According to the organiser, the competition follows a selection process carried out in the schools through Scrabble clubs established as part of the programme. 

Over the past three years, these clubs have organised internal contests to identify students who qualify for the final championship.

Shofola indicated that the clubs will continue to operate in the participating schools after the competition. He added that he will continue supervising activities in the clubs.

According to Shofola, the championship is expected to remain part of activities organised annually in Cameroon to mark Commonwealth Day while promoting educational games among students.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3727 of Tuesday March 10, 2026