When you think of countries that represent the martial arts you will typically think of places like China and Japan, but what you may not be aware of is that Africa has its own subset of martial art systems, so let’s take a quick look at three of the best.
3) Dambe
Dambe is a boxing based martial art originating from the the Hausa people of West Africa. The art was mainly practiced by the Hausa butcher caste groups to prepare themselves for war fare, however over the course of a century evolved the art into a form of entertainment for harvest festivals where they would issue challenges to other fighters.
The primary striking technique is known as the strong-side fist also known as the spear, which is wrapped in cloth and tightly knitted cord to protect the hand, although some boxers will supplement it with resin and broken glass which would eventually become outlawed. Their lead hand serves as the shield which is held toward their opponent with an open palm which can be used for grabbing and holding techniques.
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2) Nuba Wrestling
Nuba Wrestling is a popular style of wrestling practiced by the Nuba people of South Sudan. Having been practiced for centuries it is similar the goal in this case is to slam your opponent onto their back from the standing position. Traditionally wrestlers would compete against each other completely naked but now it is common place for competitors to wear shirts and shorts. Former champions are in charge of training the next generation of wrestlers. Most of the tournaments are held during the planting and harvesting festivals.
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1) Musangwe
Musangwe refers to a bare knuckled boxing style contest that is practiced in the Limpopo province of northern South Africa and has been held there since the 1800’s by the Venda tribe, who seek to pit the bravest men against each other. The rules of the contest permit a fight to be stopped if a competitor bleeds, is knocked out or opts out of the contest. Although most bouts are fought without hand protection, some competitors opt to wrap their hands.
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[Sources: wikipedia.com, dailymail.co.uk]
