Tayo na sa talipapa / Let us go to the market

This repository contains detailed description on Tayo na sa talipapa (Let us go to the market) game used as a teaching aid for topics on Development and Nutrition and Developent and Health of the International Development and Health module of the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine.

This repository aims to provide as much information as possible to allow anyone to facilitate the game in their own context.

About the game

Tayo na sa talipapa / Let us go to the market is a game that can be used to provide a foundational concept of the state of current market-based structures within a country, between countries, or globally. The game has its origins in the Philippines where it has been used as a method to introduce the topic of structural injustice to new members of various social movements.

Mechanics of the game

1. Each participant are given goods in the form of picture cards with corresponding point-values.

2. The players are grouped into three hierarchical categories defined by their initial point totals.

3. Players are to act like traders trying to barter surplus goods among themselves in exchange for goods they need, thereby increasing their individual total points. As in any normal market situation, each should try to profit from exchange by garnering as many points as possible.

4. Bonus points are given to persons who acquire three or more of a kind.

Game kit

1. Color coded envelopes representing three (3) groups dependent on point values: Taga-bayan (well-to-do); Taga-baryo (average); Taga-bundok (poor). Any other relevant names to the groupings/categories can be used that would be most appropriate to the audience and to the context.

2. Each envelope contains cards representing commodities with corresponding point values. Plan to use 5-6 commodities that are appropriate for the context. In the Philippines context, the following goods/commodities are commonly used for this game with their corresponding point values:

Goods	Points
fruits	5
vegetables	10
fish	15
chicken	20
pig / goat	30
cattle	75

3. Extra card commodities which are to be introduced into the market later on in the game.

Bonus points

The following combination of goods will provide the corresponding bonus points:

Combination	Additional points
three of a kind	5
four of a kind	10
five of a kind	15

Preparation

• Distribute the envelopes to the participants.

• Without making participants reveal their goods to each other, ask participants to tally their points and be categorised into subgroups.

• Post the names of the participants and their starting totals on the board under their predetermined categories.

• Ask participants to group together accordingly.

General Rules

It is important to explain some rules before trading time.

1. Trading can be done with anybody, but only at a given time which lasts for about 2 minutes.

2. Trading done outside the given time will mean confiscation of goods.

3. Only one-on-one trading is allowed.

4. An on-going transaction is signified by the two parties locking arms.

5. Trading partners must agree verbally on trading conditions.

6. Only when they have agreed can they unlock arms.

7. Refusal to trade is signified by crossing the arms.

Starting Play

• The main facilitator invites the participants to trade by saying: “Tayo na sa talipapa!” Participants then commence trading among themselves. The main facilitator warns off and announces the end of the trading session.

• After the trading session, participants go back to their groups and report their points to their respective facilitators who record these on the board.

• The facilitators distribute 3 of the highest point commodity/asset to each group. The members of each group decide how the these additional items will be distributed.

• When the bakas have been distributed, the new points will be reported. The facilitator changes the groupings according to the new points.

• The top n (to be determined based on the number of participants) traders who got the highest scores will now become the taga-bayans or any other appropriate label for this category. Their ceiling and floor scores will be used as range for their categories.

• The next n (to be determined based on the number of participants) highest scorers will be the taga-baryos or any other appropriate label for this category. Again ceiling and scores will determine range of their class. The rest will be the taga-bundoks or any other appropriate label for this category.

• The facilitator grants the taga-bayans the power to amend or make new rules of trading. The other groups must abide by the rules set by them.

• Thereafter, score assessment and re-classification will be done after every trading time. The group with the highest scores is given the power to change the rules after each trading.

• The number of trading sessions will depend on the dynamics of the group.

Processing

1. The following guide questions may be used for discussions and processing:

   1. What were your significant experiences during the trading sessions? How did you feel? Why?

   2. Do you see patterns regarding the following aspects in the game

      • Distribution of goods/grouping of people
      • Mobility between social groupings
      • Decision-making power in setting rules

   3. What parallels with the actual Philippine situation can you draw from the game?

2. The participants are divided into small groups for sharing and discussion.

3. A representative from each group reports the main points in their discussion.

4. The facilitator synthesizes all the group reports.

Further reading and references

1. https://pdfcoffee.com/tayo-na-sa-talipapa-pdf-free.html

2. https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/pdf/asia-s-ed/v04/04soto.pdf

License

All code used in this repository is released under a GPL-3.0 license. All text in this repository is released under a CC-BY-4.0 license.