Senegalese wrestling is a type of Folk wrestling

Folk wrestling

A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...

 traditional performed by the Serer people

Serer people

The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

 and now a national sport in Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 and parts of The Gambia

The Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

, and is part of a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (fr. Lutte Traditionnelle

Lutte Traditionnelle

Lutte Traditionnelle is the name used to describe related styles of West African Folk wrestling, known as Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, Evala in Togo, and KoKowa / Kokawa in Hausa areas of Nigeria and Niger, or simply Lutte Traditionnelle, in Niger and Burkina Faso...

). 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.

History

It takes it roots from the Serer wrestling tradition

Serer people

The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

 a form of preparity exercise for war. It was also the initiation rite for the Serer people

Serer people

The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

.
Transcending ethnic groups, the sport enjoys the status of national sport. Traditionally, young men 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 . Presently, wrestling is arranged by business-promoters who offer prizes for the winners.

Goal

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

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

Black magic

Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...

 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

Wolof language

Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...

 word for "fight" which is borrowed from the Serer people

Serer people

The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....

- the inventors of this ancient art in Senegal. Almost all the top wrestlers are Serer.

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

Yékini

Yékini is the nickname of Yakhya Diop , a popular champion of Senegalese wrestling, the most prominent variant of the Lutte Traditionnelle, a West African folk tradition which has become a major professional sport in the last two decades...

, Tyson and Bombardier (stage names) the best known.

External links

• Traditional Wrestling Photo Gallery
• Contrasto.it Images
• Sénégal LUTTE : 2007, année d’innovations, surprises et sacre. La Sentinelle (Dakar
  Dakar
  Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
  
  ), 27 December 2007