Senegalese wrestling (''Njom'' in
Serer, ''Lutte sénégalaise'' or simply ''Lutte avec frappe'' in
French, ''Laamb'' in
Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
, ''Siɲɛta'' in
Bambara) is a type of
folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is any traditional style of wrestling, which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most cultures have developed regional forms of grappling.
Europe
Britain
Traditionally wrestling has two main centres in Great ...
traditionally performed by the
Serer people and now a national sport in
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
and parts of
The Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
,
and is part of a larger
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...
n form of traditional wrestling (fr. ''
Lutte Traditionnelle
Lutte Traditionnelle (fr. for ''Traditional Wrestling'') is a style 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 Tradi ...
''). The Senegalese form traditionally allows blows with the hands (''frappe''), the only one 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 its root from the wrestling tradition of the
Serer people - formally a preparatory 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
The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog ...
), meaning heart or honour in the
Serer language
Serer, often broken into differing regional dialects such as Serer-Sine and Serer saloum, is a language of the kingdoms of Sine and Saloum branch of Niger–Congo spoken by 1.2 million people in Senegal and 30,000 in the Gambia as of 2009. It i ...
.
[ Gravrand, Henry ]
''"L’HERITAGE SPIRITUEL SEREER : VALEUR TRADITIONNELLE D’HIER, D’AUJOURD’HUI ET DE DEMAIN"''
nEthiopiques, numéro 31, révue socialiste de culture négro-africaine, 3e trimestre 1982 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 present-day Senegal was
Boukar Djilak Faye (a Serer) who lived in the 14th century in the
Kingdom of Sine
The Kingdom of Sine (also: ''Sin, Siine'' or Siin in the Serer-Sine language) was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. The inhabitants are called ''Siin-Siin'' or ''Sine-Sine'' (a Se ...
. He was the ancestor of the
Faye Paternal Dynasty of Sine and
Saloum
The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer language: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer/ Wolof kingdom in present-day Senegal. Its kings may have been of Mandinka/Kaabu origin. The capital of Saloum was the city of Kahone. It was a sister kingdom of Si ...
(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
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
word for wrestling - ''Laamb'', derives from the Serer language ''Fara-Lamb Siin'' (''Fara'' of
Mandinka origin whilst ''Lamb'' of Serer origin) the chief
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
who used to beat the ''
tam-tam
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
'' 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
The Njuup tradition is a Serer style of music rooted in the Ndut initiation rite, which is a rite of passage that young Serers must go through once in their lifetime as commanded in the Serer religion. The Culture trip "Youssou N'Dour: An Unli ...
'' tradition (a conservative Serer music repertoire, the
progenitor of
Mbalax
Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...
).
Transcending ethnic groups, the sport enjoys the status of national sport. 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 bàkk before the start of the combat.
In general, ''bàkk'' (which could also be spelled as baku, bakku, bakkous) is an oral art performance that is used to boast about oneself in order to instill a sense of fear or reverence in the audience or rivals.
Bàkk is not only used in the context of wrestling but can also be used in political speeches or other encounters in which someone feels the need to brag about his accomplishments to receive admiration.
Not only is bàkk used to brag about oneself, but it can also be used to offer respect to one's elders. The performance of bàkk can be in narratives, praise songs, or poems. Bàkk is used to complement the wrestler's physical presence by adding artistic elegance and verbal cleverness. Wolof wrestlers use the bàakk to present themselves as exceptional and impressive.
The oral art of the bàkk, used by the Senegalese wrestlers, has its history in ''
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
s''. Historically, Wolof griots and griottes were singers tasked with relaying the eulogies of heroes and heroines who overcame hardships.
Griots were used to sing praises to kings, wrestlers, and nobles in general. Griots usually came from lower castes and their task of singing praise was unique. They would accompany wrestlers, who usually came from upper castes, to the arenas. In more contemporary times, Wolof wrestlers will now sing their own praises, which challenges the societal norm of praises only being sung by griots.
In the 1980s Senegalese wrestler, Mame Gorgui (called “The Darling Child of Dakar”) performed a notable bàkk, which made him popular among the Senegalese people.
This famous bàkk was repeated often by children in Senegal and sang on the national radio on weekends during which combats took place.
Today bàkk 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. The 20,000-capacity
Arene Nationale de Lutte in Dakar is the largest wrestling stadium by capacity in Senegal.
The popularity of Senegalese wrestling has grown so big that TV stations have started picking up popular athletes to act in series due to their massive popularity.
Goal
![Yekini3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Yekini3.jpg)
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
![Dakar-Marabout](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Dakar-Marabout.jpg)
Senegalese wrestlers train extremely hard and may perform press ups and various difficult physical exercises throughout the day to build up their strength. However, while they believe strength is important they also believe that there is an element of luck in the winner, and may perform 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".
Senegalese wrestlers, youth in specific, struggle with dropping out of school to pursue wrestling as well, prompting notable names in the sport to speak out against the issue saying their education is more important.
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''). The documentary ''
Laamb
Senegalese wrestling (''Njom'' in Serer, ''Lutte sénégalaise'' or simply ''Lutte avec frappe'' in French, ''Laamb'' in Wolof, ''Siɲɛta'' in Bambara) is a type of folk wrestling traditionally performed by the Serer people and now a natio ...
'' directed by Kristoffer Hegnsvad follows young wrestlers in Dakar during a major tournament, the film was narrated by
Jørgen Leth
Jørgen Leth (; born 14 June 1937) is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his documentary ''A Sunday in Hell'' (1977) and his surrealistic short film '' Th ...
and premiered at
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival - CPH:DOX in 2013.
Etymology
Laamb is the
Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
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 Balla Gaye 2,
Yékini
Yékini is the nickname of Yakhya Diop (26 February 1974 in Joal), 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 ...
(Yakhya Diop), Tyson (Mohamed Ndao), and Bombardier (Serigne Ousmane Dia) the best known.
[For example, see this article on the private life of Yekini]
LUTTE TRADITIONNELLE - 15e ANNIVERSAIRE DE YEKINI : Mbagnick, digne fils de Mohamed Ndiaye Robert Diouf
Le Soleil
, 3 March 2008.
Pathe Mbeurou Askanewi Boye, also known as Big Pato, is the first ever Senegalese wrestler who is also a police officer.
References
Bibliography
*
Senghor, Léopold Sédar, Brunel, Pierre, ''"Poésie complète,"'' CNRS éditions, 2007,
*Tang, Patricia, ''Masters of the sabar: Wolof griot percussionists of Senegal,'' p144. Temple University Press, 2007.
*
Gravrand, Henry : ''"L’HERITAGE SPIRITUEL SEREER : VALEUR TRADITIONNELLE D’HIER, D’AUJOURD’HUI ET DE DEMAIN"''
nEthiopiques, numéro 31, révue socialiste de culture négro-africaine, 3e trimestre 1982
*Gravrand, Henry, ''"La Civilisation Sereer, Pangool.'"' Les Nouvelles Edition Africaines. 1990.
*Diouf, Niokhobaye. ''"Chronique du royaume du Sine."'' Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin. (1972). Bulletin de l'Ifan, Tome 34, Série B, n° 4, (1972)
*
Faye, Louis Diène, ''"Mort et Naissance Le Monde Sereer,"'' Les Nouvelles Edition Africaines (1983),
*Geels, Jolijn. Niger. Bradt London and Globe Pequot New York (2006).
External links
*
www.arenebi.comSenegalese wrestling news
Sénégal LUTTE : 2007, année d’innovations, surprises et sacre La Sentinelle (
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
), 27 December 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senegalese Wrestling
Senegalese culture
Serer culture
Sport in Serer country
Wrestling in Africa
Sports originating in Senegal
Folk wrestling styles
African martial arts
Martial arts in Senegal