Senegalese wrestling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Senegalese wrestling (
Njom in
Serer, fr.
Lutte sénégalaise,
Laamb in
Wolof) is a type of
Folk wrestling traditional performed by the
Serer people and now a national sport in
Senegal and parts of
The Gambia, and is part of a larger
West African form of traditional wrestling (fr.
Lutte Traditionnelle).
[1] The Senegalese form traditionally allows blows with the hands (
frappe),
the only of the West African traditions to do so. As a larger
confederation and championship around Lutte Traditionnelle has developed
since the 1990s, Senegalese fighters now practice both forms, called
officially
Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (for the international version) and
Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe for the striking version.
[2]
History
It takes its root from the wrestling tradition of the
Serer people - formally a preparity exercise for war among the warrior classes depending on the technique.
In Serer tradition, wrestling is divided into different techniques with
mbapate being one of them. It was also an initiation rite among the Serers, the word
Njom derives from the
Serer principle of Jom (from
Serer religion), meaning heart or honour in the
Serer language.
[5][6] The
Jom
principle covers a huge range of values and beliefs including economic,
ecological, personal and social values. Wrestling stems from the branch
of
personal values of the Jom principle.
One of the oldest known and recorded wrestler in
Senegambia was
Boukar Djilak Faye (a Serer) who lived in the 14th century in the
Kingdom of Sine. He was the ancestor of the Faye Paternal Dynasty of Sine and
Saloum (both Kingdoms in present-day Senegal).
The
njom wrestling spectacle was usually accompanied by the
kim njom - the chants made by young Serer women in order to reveal their gift of
"poetry" (
ciid in Serer
). The
Wolof word for wrestling -
Laamb, derives from the Serer language
Fara-Lamb Siin (
Fara of
Mandinka origin whilst
Lamb of Serer origin) the chief
griot who used to beat the
tam-tam of Sine called
Lamb or
Laamb in Serer.
The
lamb was part of the music accompaniment of wrestling in
pre-colonial times as well as after Senegal's independence. It was also part of the
Njuup tradition (a conservative Serer music repertoire, the
progenitor of
Mbalax[10][11][12]).
Transcending ethnic groups, the sport enjoys the status of national sport.
[13]
Traditionally, young men also used to fight as a distraction, to court
wives, prove their manliness, and bring honor to their villages. Usually
each wrestler (called mbër) performed a particular dance (called a
bàkk) before the start of the combat.
Today it is very popular in the country as an indication of male athletic strength and ability.
[14] Presently, wrestling is arranged by business-promoters who offer prizes for the winners.
Goal
Champion wrestler
Yékini (Yakhya Diop).
One of the main objectives is to throw the opponent to the ground by lifting him up and over, usually outside a given area.
Training
A "false lion" (
simb) dancer who participates in the ceremony prior to matches.
Senegalese wrestlers train extremely hard and may perform press ups
and various difficult physical exercises throughout the day to build up
their strength. However whilst they believe strength is important they
also believe that there is an element of luck in the winner, and may
perform
black magic
rituals before a match to increase their chances. Common to Senegalese
wrestlers is rubbing a foot on a stone or rubbing themselves with
lotions or oils to increase good luck.
Media
In April 2008 a BBC documentary entitled
Last Man Standing covered the lives of a group of British and American hopefuls at a boot camp in Senegal who took on Senegalese opponents.
Laamb was featured in the 2005 film
L'Appel des arènes (English title
Wrestling Grounds).
Etymology
Laamb is the
Wolof word for wrestling which is borrowed from
Serer Fara-Lamb Siin.
The Serer word for wrestling is
njom which derives from the Serer word
jom (
heart or
honour).
Champions
Since the 1950s, Senegalese Wrestling, like its counterparts in other
areas of West Africa, has become a major spectator sport and cultural
event. The champions of traditional wrestling events are celebrities in
Senegal, with fighters such as
Yékini (Yakhya Diop), Tyson (Mohamed Ndao), and Bombardier (Serigne Ousmane Dia) the best known.
SENEGAL-SPAIN-WRESTLING-ESPINO
Spanish wrestler Juan Francisco Espino (C) gestures at supporters as he
enters the arena for a match against Senegalese wrestler Keur Diene, at
the Iba Mar Diop Stadium in Dakar on June 30, 2012. Espino, who
originally discovered his passion for the sport at home with his father
and family on the Canary Islands, went on to learn about a variety of
forms of wrestling, in Brazil and South Korea, before developing a
specific interest in Senegalese wrestling. Espino is the first foreigner
to brave his way into Senegalese wrestling arenas, where fans are very
excited about the sport and Espino earned the nickname 'White Lion'
after winning several matches. AFP Photo
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