In this wrestling culture installment, we’ll be discussing what is known as Njom in Serer, Lutte sengalaise, or Lutte avec in French, or Laamb in Wolof, but in English is simply called Senegalese wrestling.
The Senegalese form of the sport is a type of folk wrestling performed by the Serer people, and is now a national sport in Senegal and parts of the Gambia, and is part of a larger West African form of tradition wrestling.
History of Senegalese Wrestling
Senegalese wrestling takes it’s root form from the tradition of the Serer people, a West African ethno-religious group. It formally began as a preparatory exercise for war among the warrior classes. In Serer tradition, the sport is divided into different techniques. It was also an initiation rite among the Serers people, and it’s Serer name is derived from the Serer principle of Jom, meaning heart or honor in their language.
The principle of Jom covers a range of values and beliefs including economic, ecological, persona, and social values. The wrestling stems from the branch of the person values of the principle.
One of the oldest known and recorded wrestlers in the West African confederation of Senegambia was Boukar Djilak Faye who lived in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Sine. The njom spectacle was usually accompanied by kim njom, the chants made by young serer women during the ceremony.
Senegalese wrestling traditionally took place between villages following the rainy season, after the fights, the winner would win part of the recent harvest or livestock.
The Rules
The rules of Senegalese wrestling are straightforward and brutal. The combat arena is a large circle, and the first man to have all four limbs touch the ground, to be lying on his back, or to fall out of the circle loses. One big difference is that the wrestlers are allowed to deliver blows with their fists, which sets it aside from many other types of wrestling. In some ways it is not too dissimilar from a combined wrestling and MMA fight. A good fight is a short fight. Even though wrestlers hit each other, spectators aren’t out to see blood. The goal is never to hurt your opponent, but to throw him down, and athletes that overuse punching are disliked, as it’s seen more as a way to help initiate the grappling.
The fights are very ceremonial. The baccou, a chorus of women, introduces each fighter into the arena, praising his strength in order to both intimidate his opponent and get the spectators on his side. The fighter is flanked by several holy men that pray for him and cover him with magic charms.
The wrestlers are organist in to teams and the National Wrestling Organization (CNG) hosts a countrywide competition.
