African martial arts

[Eddie]

seems like just another made up style with mixed up terms and cultures, made up by some Idealist African American guy with romantic wishes for his root culture.

I alsways ask these people the same thing. We in Africa did you learn this? Did you live in a shanty while you were in Africa? Do you know, understand, and participate in African culture? Do you know where Africa is on a map?

[golden arhat]

seems like just another made up style with mixed up terms and cultures, made up by some Idealist African American guy with romantic wishes for his root culture.

I alsways ask these people the same thing. We in Africa did you learn this? Did you live in a shanty while you were in Africa? Do you know, understand, and participate in African culture? Do you know where Africa is on a map?

i know what you mean
i can tell you the only real african martial art ur goin to find is in places like stellanbosch or joburg

and that my friends is firearms fu

and even if this guy is for real sonce when did old mean better ?

[Eddie]

no, there are african fighting styles out there, its just not as defined as some of these guys want to make you think.I've had this exact same argument with someone on this forum before.

oh, and africans who would teach a white man their secret? Thats the biggest bunch of cr@ p . Down here there are even white sangomas.

[bodhitree]

I'm certain Africa has MANY diverse fighting arts. Africa is rich with many cultures and languages. My friend from Sudan told me when he was a kid wrestling with pins was very popular, they didn't do submissions though. I've also seen African staff fighting on tv. There were no forms, just beating each other! I'm sure a lot of the people who have a NEED for hand to hand combat are not people who are traveling abroad, thus those arts are probably not easily spread.

[Askari Hodari]

The book:
http://apps.afrikanmartialarts.com/Blog/?e=12524&d=07/21/2008&s=Afrikan%20Martial%20Arts:%20Discovering%20T he%20Warrior%20Within

Preview video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYuJatmCqso

Article about the author:
BALOGUN OYABODE ABEEGUNDE
Author of "Discovering The Warrior Within: Afrikan Martial Arts"

Balogun O. Abeegunde began training in the African martial arts in April 1972, under the tutelage of his father, Adam A. Swan and has since traveled to Africa and throughout the Americas in pursuit of martial arts knowledge.

Balogun is Master Instructor and Director of all branches of the African Martial Arts Institute and Artistic Director of the Roaring Lions Demonstration Team.

Balogun is a regular columnist in the online magazine, Ammo and has written articles for the leading martial arts magazine in the world, Black Belt.

Balogun has lectured, performed demonstrations and taught workshops at conferences, festivals, and educational institutions – from elementary school to the university level – throughout the United States and abroad for the past twenty years.

Balogun and the Full Instructors under his tutelage were recently featured in two documentaries on the African martial arts, an article in Black Belt Magazine, the short film, “The Black Panther: Blood Ties” and will be featured in the upcoming major motion picture, Slums 13. In March of 2008, Balogun’s book, “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” was released and is available for purchase online and in major bookstores around the globe.

In the summer of 2008, Balogun will produce, star in and choreograph a feature film he wrote for Atlanta Filmworks, entitled “Reynolds’ War”, which is a martial arts thriller that showcases incredible acting, dynamic African martial arts and a powerful and intriguing story.

Balogun is an Eleegun (Ancestral Priest), poet, actor, playwright, screenwriter, film producer, journalist, author and Conflict Resolution Specialist. He lives and works in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his wife and his seven children.

Balogun may be contacted at balogun@afrikanmartialarts.com or
for more information www.myspace.com/egbeogun

[GeneChing]

There's always been skepticism with African martial arts. Personally, I feel that styles such as this Kusema Vijiti have a more convincing hold on such claims. Martial arts have been embedded in dance cross-culturally for centuries. In fact, a lot of Chinese martial arts are so.

Talking sticks aren't kung fu fighting
By Dave Newhouse
Oakland Tribune columnist
Posted: 04/14/2011 12:00:00 AM PDT

It was a contorted conflict of events -- contorted being a karate hold that's best avoided. But across the street from where two of the four Oakland police officers were fatally shot March 21, 2009, stands this city's oldest martial arts business.

Bill and Mary Owens own the Cascos Martial Art Academy at 7415 MacArthur Blvd. in East Oakland. They think it's the Bay Area's oldest such active club, with 40 years of instruction in kung fu fighting and other self-defense tactics.

It's also possibly the most innovative martial arts facility in the country.

You see, Bill and Mary teach Kusema Vijiti -- an African term for "talking sticks." Bill devised this unique discipline in Oakland; it's the merging of martial arts and rhythmic dance movements sometimes set to music.

But even with a background of music instruments, the main sound heard is the rhythmic "talking" cadence of 26-inch-long rattan sticks as Bill and Mary "thwack" them on the floor, or against their shoes, or mainly stick on stick.

This isn't Bruce Lee's idea of martial arts.

"The key difference," Bill said, "is an approach from a cultural perspective. So many martial arts are approached from the self-defensive fighting aspect. We're trying to avoid the banging. Anyone can take a roller and paint a wall. Only an artist can paint a picture. Anyone can fight, but art offers enrichment."

However, along with the culture and self-empowerment that's offered, work is involved.

"You have to learn some discipline," Mary said, "before you can move into the talking sticks. It would be very hard without the discipline. It's a centering of yourself, a process where you grow through the art."

To merely say that Bill and Mary are qualified instructors would be to grossly undersell their talents -- or trophies, with more than 100 between them.

Bill, 68, is a 10th-degree black belt, or Grand Master. No higher black belt exists. He once was ranked fifth in the world, and for three years was No. 1 on the West Coast. He now teaches his talking sticks method around the world.

Mary, 61, an eighth-degree black belt, formerly was ranked No. 3 in the United States and No. 1 on the West Coast.

They teach all aspects of martial arts -- not just talking sticks -- to kids and adults. Bill doesn't pull punches from the beginning, even with timid tykes.

"When they walk in," he said, "I tell them, 'You're going to learn to fight.' I do this on purpose right in front of their parents, because some of these kids come in wimpy, scared. What I want from them is to become a great young man or lady by giving them responsibility."

Perhaps not all students possess the natural rhythm to master the talking sticks.

"It is difficult," Bill said. "This is definitely a leg up, but I prove to all of them that they have rhythm. Rhythm is timing. It's just a matter of bringing it out."

The Owens' business' name, Cascos, is a derivative of California and Colorado pluralized. The Colorado part is Bill's way of honoring a former martial arts teacher of his who moved to the Mile High state.

Bill and Mary once had 220 students, but they're down to 60 because of the economy -- and the killings of the four Oakland policemen. Mark Dunakin and John Hege were gunned down directly across the street, and Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai were shot around the block on 74th Avenue.

"All the businesses here have been affected by those shootings except the barber shop," Bill said. "People don't stop as much. They just drive past."

Bill and Mary soldier on, offering classes every day but Sunday. To register, call 510-638-9990.

"We teach self-confidence and self-esteem," Bill said. "That's our mantra."

NOTE: I merged two African-related threads into this one.

[GeneChing]

This is this week's episode's extra reel. I'm not in this episode either but again, you can see me for a millisecond at 0:16 in this extra reel.

Man At Arms: Art of War & African martial arts

[GeneChing]

So much buzz on this film, but know your history - READ BLACK PANTHER: Come out Fighting by Patrick Lugo and Gene Ching

[GeneChing]

HOW SENEGALESE WRESTLING BECAME A MODERN MARTIAL ARTS SENSATION
BY CIKU KIMERIA • APR 16 2018

Why You Should Care
Because this wrestling-boxing combo is bigger than soccer in Senegal.

Senegal
14.497401° N, -14.452362° W
15,411,614 Population
Multiple, including French & Wolof Spoken Languages
$2,678 GDP Per Capita
Dakar Capital City

The crowd is buzzing as the unforgiving Dakar sun beats down and the stadium fills past capacity. The air is thick with tension — one fears to step on anyone’s toes. The drums pound louder in anticipation of the historic match that is about to begin. Two loincloth-clad wrestlers prepare in an expansive ring, their feet deep in the sand. Each grappler is joined by a marabout or two, spiritual guides who lead their men through rituals that, while steeped in traditional culture, also borrow heavily from the mystical Sufi Islamism practiced by most Senegalese.

In the ring is Fodé Doussouba, the 6-foot-2-inch, 330-pound star of traditional Senegalese wrestling sans frappe (without hitting or punching), who has enjoyed an undefeated, 11-year reign. He walks through a wooden loop four times to ward off negative spells.

His opponent is the heavy favorite, Bory Patar, the 6-foot-5-inch, 265-pound champion of wrestling avec frappe (with hitting or punching), the modern, commercial version of the sport that combines elements of wrestling and bare-knuckle boxing. Patar, who is wearing leather charms and amulets, douses himself in an oily liquid handed to him by his marabout — a potion to increase his strength, make him invincible and assure victory.

WRESTLING COMPETITIONS ALSO WERE USED TO PAY HOMAGE TO RESPECTED LEADERS, CELEBRATE INITIATION CEREMONIES AND SHOW OFF MASCULINITY TO POTENTIAL BRIDES.

In the stadium’s seat of honor sits a regal man in a grand boubou — Bassirou Diagne Marème Diop. In a few decades he’ll become Le Grand Serigne de Dakar, the leader of the Lebou people, fishermen who are the original inhabitants of the region. For now, in 1961, he’s a rogue wrestling promoter who has rigged the match between old and new, giving the fighters different contracts that require each to compete in his own style, while filling the stadium with fans hungry to see what type of fight it turns out to be.

4, 3, 2, 1 — wrestle!


Patar lashes out. “He punched me!” yells Doussouba, holding his head in shock.

Diop rushes into the ring and loudly berates Patar. “Why did you hit him? You know this match is meant to be a traditional wrestling match — no punching!” As he walks away, though, he whispers to Patar: “Next time, hit him harder.”

4, 3, 2, 1 — wrestle!

Bam!

This time, realizing he’s been tricked, Doussouba reaches for a big stick and uses it to beat Patar. The event descends into chaos as the fans start fighting in the stands. The match is stopped, but a winner can be declared: the modern style. From that point on, the dominant wrestling in Senegal is avec frappe.

Not that it mattered to Diop, who had covered his bases. “The money had been taken home to the promoter’s wife before the match even began,” says Serigne Mour Diop, a Senegalese wrestling historian, journalist and author of La Lutte Senegalaise. “They knew the drama that would ensue.”

La lutte Senegalaise, or laamb ji as it’s known in the Senegalese language of Wolof, has existed since the 14th century. It was a form of entertainment that usually occurred after the harvest when villages would compete against each other. The wrestling competitions also were used to pay homage to respected leaders, celebrate initiation ceremonies and show off masculinity to potential brides.


Balla Gaye 2 (left) tangles with Eumeu Sene during a Senegalese traditional wrestling match.

SOURCE LI JING/XINHUA/ALAMY

In the early years of the 20th century, French colonial leaders introduced prize money, which gradually changed the sport from a community event into a commercial one. La lutte declined during World War I, when more than 200,000 Senegalese soldiers served France — 30,000 of them perished in the European conflict.

Despite the wartime setback, Senegalese wrestling recovered, its popularity and mysticism intact. A major turning point was in 1924 when Maurice Jacquin, a French film producer and avid boxer, opened a cinema in Dakar and used its grounds to train boxers. Several wrestlers were attracted to the sport, and Jacquin came up with the idea of combining the two martial arts into today’s dominant version of la lutte.

While fame was always there for great wrestlers, fortune only started in the 1970s when the sport was formalized and coordinated under a governing body. Since then, la lutte has become more famous than soccer in Senegal — and it attracts even larger sponsors. The big stars can make as much as $200,000 per match and fight in two to three matches per year, say promoters. And that’s in a country where the annual income per capita is $1,093, according to the World Bank.

Today, in the same way a young boy in a Brazilian favela dreams of becoming the next Ronaldo, in Senegal a young boy dreams of being Falaye Baldé, who grabbed his opponents and demanded of the crowd, “Tell me where to toss him!” Or Mame Gorgui Ndiaye, who after every match, spoke poetically of all the wrestlers he had defeated — driving his fans into a frenzy. Or Doudou Baka Sarr, famous for bringing his own musicians to matches and, after each victory, parading in front of the crowd in a majestic robe decorated with mirrors.

The young Senegalese boy dreams of going down in history, immortalized in songs and stories with the great wrestlers who have gone before him.

I'd love to see this live.

[mawali]

Africa has a strong tribal wrestling tradition but it is being re-invented because the tribes who, and where the tradition has been part of, have been swamped by larger tribes and the formation of the nation/state apparatus. I don't recall the name of the book but a CMA fellow who studied in China profiled many of these wrestling traditions of Africa, as part of a greater martial arts of the world.

I can see how shuaijiao upped 'traditional" styles because of function and utility with a dose of reality! Imagine a bewildered qi fighter coming into contact with one doing spinning kicks, backhanded fists and one 40-60 lbs of energy in a punch, coming at yah....holy mofo

[GeneChing]

Our intrepid reporter travels to the Land of Cush. READ The Rainbow Continent Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 1: Welcome Home to Ethiopia by Gregory Brundage



THREADS
The Silk Road
African Martial Arts
Shaolin Rasta - the 37th Chamber

[GeneChing]

Our intrepid reporter explores Wushu in the Land of Cush. READ The Rainbow Continent Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 2: Ethiopia by Gregory Brundage



THREADS
The Silk Road
African Martial Arts
Shaolin Rasta - the 37th Chamber

[GeneChing]

Centuries-old Zulu tradition of Stick-Fighting is today helping South Africa to curb gang violence. Here’s why
October 23, 2019 at 10:00 am | CULTURE
THEODORA AIDOO | Staff Writer
FULL BIO
Theodora Aidoo is a young woman who is passionate about women-related issues. Her Love: To bring to fore the activities of women making a global impact. This stems from her journalism background from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and Ghana Institute of Journalism.


Pic Credit: Pinterest

Nguni stick-fighting, traditionally called donga, or dlala ‘nduku, is a popular sporting activity among South Africans, especially herdsmen and the youth.

According to SAHO, the origins of this indigenous sport within the Zulu community varies as some trace it to the times of Shaka Zulu and others to Amalandela, the son of Gumede, around 1670.

Nonetheless, it is commonly agreed that during Shaka’s reign this sport was used as a way of training young men for war and self-defense. Participation is restricted to males. Herdsmen also learned the sport to protect their livestock.


Young Xhosa men engaging in traditional stick-fighting. Pic Credit: Pinterest

There are variations of the stick-fighting throughout Southern African tribes, who incorporate shields as part of the stick-fighting weaponry. For instance, Zulu stick-fighting uses an isikhwili or attacking stick, an ubhoko or defending stick and an ihawu or defending shield.

Traditionally, men own their fighting sticks, which are stored in the roofs of their houses.

The indigenous sport requires the use of three different sticks, each with a different purpose. The first is used for striking (Induku), the second for defense (Ubhoko), and there is also a short stick (umsila) accompanied by a small shield (ihawu) to protect the knuckles.

Before the fight begins, two fighters face each other and tap one another’s shield or sticks to show fair sportsmanship.



In modern times stick-fighting has become a part of the wedding ceremony. As a way of both families getting to know each other, warriors from the groom’s household are welcome to contend with warriors from the bride’s side.

They do this by engaging in combat with one another. Other groups of warriors may also be welcome to join in while an “induna” or War Captain / Referee from each group of warriors keeps his crew in check and keeps order between fighters.

The game is a battle of sticks played by two people at a time. Participants can group themselves and take turns till a group emerges as the winner.

Stick-fighting is a martial art that has been practiced in southern Africa for centuries. The game could last for more than five hours and it is often interesting and spectacular to watch. The game could get bloody, however, opponents are warned to ensure fair play.

Injuries sustained from the fight could lead to permanent marks which are viewed as badges of honour with the most highly recognized being a scar on the head which is known as Inkamb’ beyibuza.

“At times, the stick fighters seem to be controlled by unseen forces. Fighting styles become unnatural, uncontrollable and unpredictable. Some believe that supernatural forces are at work and that success depends on how strong a combatant’s muti is,” reports Timeslive.co.za.

South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and former president, Nelson Mandela was said to have practiced Nguni stick-fighting as a child, and was featured on the Discovery and BBC reality TV show Last Man Standing. It has also been featured in Season 1 of the television series Deadliest Warrior.

Over time, the stick-fighting which was used as a way of training young men for war and self-defense evolved into a sporting activity for pleasure, but participants ended up with injuries. Hence, the game was banned in some parts of South Africa.


South African boys practise stick-fighting in a Cape Town township. Pic Credit:: Alex Duval Smith/guardian.co.uk

In several townships around Cape Town, stick-fighting is making a come-back and earning people money. Formerly, a traditional art of Intonga for rural Xhosa boys, today stick-fighting is being used to keep teenagers away from gang violence and drugs.

Film maker SiyaBonga Makhathini has directed the film “We Still are Warriors” which captures the essence of the modern-day Zulu stick-fighter, descendant of the kings of old.

Martial arts teaches respect, etiquette and the results of actions. It's great to raise the youth, not only for health, but as a moral compass.