Balla Gaye (left) grapples with the bulky frame of Eumeu Sene at Dakar’s Demba Diop stadium during ‘Le Choc.’ Credit: (Xinhua/Li Jing)
Senegalese Wrestling
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This sporting activity originates from Senegal among the Serer traditional people. It is known as Laamb in the Wolof language and as Njom among the Serer speaking people. This sport comes from the initiation rite in the Serer tradition which is built around the Serer Principle of Jom. It involves a lot of principles, teaches the importance of strength and instils discipline into the lives of participants. The folk wrestling sport was a means of training for the warriors and later became a sporting activity that the people organize. The sport has grown to become a national sporting activity in Senegal and Gambia.
