The National Museums of Kenya in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization launched an open digital library for indigenous games funded by the Chinese firm Tencent Holdings Ltd on Monday.

Kenyan officials say digitization of traditional games is part of a broader strategy to preserve the country's rich cultural heritage and disseminate it to future generations in an efficient way.

"This country has a huge repository of traditional games, which should be preserved in a digital format for easier reference by the next generation," says Mzalendo Kibunjia, director-general of the National Museums of Kenya.

The East African nation is the first on the continent to launch the Tencent-funded open digital library on traditional games project that has been successfully implemented in Brazil, Bangladesh, Greece and Mongolia. The project seeks to harness modern technology to preserve and showcase indigenous games that were integral to local communities' cultures.

"This crucial partnership with Tencent will help reverse loss of valuable information on traditional games. They are part of our cultural heritage and are key in promoting cohesion, inclusivity and intergenerational learning," says Kibunjia.