These are no Laambs!

New African - July 2011 - Traditional wrestling in Senegal, popularly known as Laamb has now become the nation’s number one sport, overtaking football which used to be the main national game. As Sheriff Bojang Jnr reports from Dakar, Laamb brings excitement and unity to the people.

From the rearview mirrors of taxis to street corner shops, portraits of wrestlers are the easiest you can find in Senegal, a country where until recently, wrestling was too primitive for many people’s liking.

Interestingly, wrestling started in Senegal in small villages where farmers wrestled for honour, masculinity and respect during the dry or ‘idle’ season. There was no financial reward. Today, wrestling is a fast growing career in the country. Wrestlers have become celebrities and in fact some attract thousands of fans. Sometimes, fans camp out their houses for hours either to have a glimpse of them or have their photos taken with them.


Top wrestlers such as Yekini, Tyson and Balla Gueye II earn an average of $200,000 per match, most of which last less than three minutes. In March, Yekini, the national champion, fought with another top wrestler, Bombardier, for CFA 100m ($217,000). On the night of 4 April, two big wrestlers (not among the Top Ten) fought for CFA 75m, which is more than $162,000. The minimum that the Top Ten wrestlers can earn per match is CFA 50m ($103,500).

As a result, top wrestlers such as Yekini, Tyson and Balla Gueye II earn an average of $200,000 per match. . A few years ago, the wrestlers used local football fields and abandoned schools as training ground. But today, most of them go to the US where they hire professional trainers to help them improve physically.

Most of them are from poor backgrounds with no education or financial opportunities as youngsters. But today, some of them are swimming in money as wrestling has become the event that brings people together.

On big wrestling days, the only issue of discussion is how one wrestler will beat the other. Tens of thousands of fans will fill a stadium, dancing to popular tunes, chanting the names of their champions, blowing horns and waving portraits and placards of the wrestlers.

Outside the stadium, hundreds more will troop along the streets waving at and singing for the wrestlers who are always driven to the stadium in their fancy vehicles, flanked by trainers and dozens of muscular aides.
As soon as the wrestlers enter the stadium, loud noise and chanting reverberate to welcome them

Two hours before the fight, the streets are as empty as ghost town's. Shops close and taxi drivers stop work and head for nearest restaurant to watch the fight on TV or join roadside groups following the fight on live radio broadcasts.

The most prominent aspect of Laamb is the issue of black magic. Fortune tellers and spiritual leaders are as important as the wrestlers they serve. Senegal is a country known for its strong religious and traditional values.

Wrestlers turn to fortune tellers and other religious leaders collectively known locally as marabouts. They consult these marabouts for advice, and what to do and what not to do before and during the fights.
The wrestlers perform pre-match rituals to the last second before the referee blows whistle for the commencement of a fight.

Most of them bring several dozen bottles and jars of different spiritual liquids from their marabouts to the pitch, while others release white bird infront of the crowd for luck and wisdom. They also cover their bodies with knots of Koranic scripts which are supposed to empower them against the ‘enemy’. The top wrestlers pay the marabouts up to $10,000. After fights, fans the blow horns and sing and dance throughout the night as they escort the champion to his house.

Laamb is booming thanks to promoters, advertisers and TV rights.

Today, Dakar boasts several hundred wrestling schools where young men take wrestling courses. They all want to be rich, and become celebrities, like big name wrestlers.

Copyright 2011 By New African. All Rights Reserved.