Banana Island Instead of Boardwalk: African City Gets Own Version of Monopoly

“Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.”

That little nod to the popular board game Monopoly is your first clue for Wednesday’s Geo Quiz.

There are, as you may know, many global versions of the popular board game. But now, for the first time ever, there’s an approved version of the game for an African city.

We’re looking for a port city in Africa’s most populous nation. Close to eight million people call this city home.

The place is renown for its traffic jams and crazy drivers. Crossing the road, in fact, can be hazardous to your health. That’s why there are bridges across some of the roads…not that many people us them.

Maybe that’s why in the Monopoly version, one of the “Chance” cards reads: “For attempting to cross the road using a pedestrian bridge, move three places ahead.”

There’s also a fair bit of corruption in this city. Another “Chance” card reads: “For attempting to bribe a law enforcement agent, pay a fine.”

So, where is it that Boardwalk’s been replaced by glitzy Banana Island, and Mediterranean Avenue has been replaced by a slum on stilts called Makoko?

The answer is Lagos, Nigeria.

BBC correspondent Tomi Oladipo is in Lagos, and walks us through the new version of Monopoly.

By the way, Lagos isn’t the only African version of Monopoly. South Africa and Morocco have their own country versions of the game. Nairobi, Kenya has a version as well, but it’s not officially sanctioned.