Wrestling on Independance Day

Note: I would like to apologize for flooding the blog with posts today. It is the first day in over three weeks that the wifi has been working–an unintended consequence of my semester here in Dakar. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my writings!

Last weekend, April 4^th, was the celebration of 50 years of Senegalese independence from French colonial rule. President Wade unveiled the controversial statue of “African Renaissance” to the world. Though there was talk of violent protest by members of the opposition, a prominent marabout took to the television to prohibit the violence. Wade televised a speech like the State of the Union, there was a parade, and 20 African Presidents arrived as guests–as well as some Americans including Reverend Jesse Jackson.

To participate in the Independence Celebration, our program took all the American students to the Grand Combat—the biggest Senegalese wrestling match of the year and the Dakarois equivalent of the US superbowl. Senegalese wrestling is itself a unique phenomenon; no one can be found on the streets during the two or three hours leading up to the match. The program before the match features live music, dancing, and smaller combats. The actual headlining fight generally takes between one and five minutes. There is only one round, which begins with a few minutes of pawing like bears and which ends when one wrestler’s head or stomach touches the ground on the sandy ring.

The Independence match was between two huge berekats—Tyson and Yekini. Tyson is particularly noteworthy because of his tumultuous personal history. Three years ago, Tyson was the biggest and most well-liked Senegalese wrestler; all the girls still say he’s very cute with his baby face. In a huge fight, he lost on a conditional penalty to Yekini—which he contested against the referee and the Senegalese authorities. They upheld the ruling, and Tyson publicly announced that he was retiring from wrestling. Instead, he moved to the United States. There are rumors here that over the past three years, Tyson was friends with Mike Tyson of the US, lived and profited off investments in Chicago, and became a marabout. However, Tyson decided to return to wrestling for the Independence match—amidst speculation of financial woes.

Tyson returned to Senegal a triumphant hero, surrounded by media frenzy and fans. He entered the stadium on Independence to veritable fan fare, with his entourage wearing American flags while he waved from the sun roof of his silver BMW. He even changed his opening dance from his dance of three years ago, a performance which lead to an eruption of cries in the stadium.

Underneath the surface impression, however, lies conflict surrounding Tyson’s image. Wrestling here is analyzed and discussed, and the styles of fighting for each lutteur are assumed to represent their overall character. Tyson is known for his brass aggression, overwhelming his opponents with strength and quickness. Yekini is known for his patience and technical skill. As my sister related to me, in a very serious tone of voice, “Tyson lied to all of us. I used to love Tyson, we all did, but now he cares about nothing but money. He has no pride, he has no honor. He lied to the people who love him. He shouldn’t be coming back,” to which my other sister replied, “Good for him. Get that money. Wrestling is his work. I’d marry him!”

Despite the five hour celebrations preceding Tyson’s return, he was defeated by Yekini in a close and (relatively) long fight –about 6 minutes. The match largely reflected the difference between the two styles—Tyson attacked Yekini first, who waited and then flipped him over. As my sister explained, “Yekini reflected. He had all the keys in his head the whole time. He is smarter even though he is slower.” Nonetheless, Tyson got paid $1.2 million CFA for his presence.