African martial arts...

We've been bombarded by international cultures in Africa so much that we often forget we have our own arts & creations. We know of kung fu, muay thai, karate, fencing etc. but our arts are often left in the shadows. So here are a three African combat sports / arts that we can learn & study, maybe create our own competitions & dojos...

1) Capoeira: From my knowledge & research, capoeira was an Angolan combat-dance that was popularized by Brazilian slaves. It's more a dance than a martial art but I believe capoeiristas do learn a few combat skills from being in capoeira.

2) Laamb: Laamb is Wolof / Bambara (Senegalese) wrestling... I'm not sure how it's done but here's a Wikipedia article.

3) Zulu / Nguni stick-fighting: Also known as ukucwiya is a typical Zulu past time among umlabalaba & others. I believe it was used to train youths for combat.

Comments

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Ponderings of the Man from Mpofana...

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