Wrestling continued

The first match takes a while. They are among the smaller of the men, continually struggle to the edges, and the referee needs to recalibrate the match. Finally there is a resolution of sorts....there is no throw but the ref holds one's hand up in victory near what appears to be a scorer's table. Suddenly one of the combatants, perhaps the loser, runs to a clear spot and rolls in the sand---he seems to be in the throes of some kind of seizure. His friends go to him and seem to console to no avail. He continues to cover himself in the fine brown dust. Finally he gets up, clears his head, and flexes almost stubbornly---as if to say, "I am still a powerful man". After this match, there is suddenly an uptick in chanting and drumming. Ousmane enters the rings and dances, then Fallou and Waly Faye. Some members of our contingent are pulled to their feet and dance, if a bit tentatively and awkwardly----some hurriedly sit at the soonest convenience. The crowd surges into the ring too. Meanwhile the future combatants continue to circle malevolently, preening, stepping to the beat---each with his own styles. Each round now ends rather quickly---a head slap, a clench, a brutal dance to the edge, sometimes a leg is grabbed and someone is upended. There are several more tragic performance rolls in the dust. Each is drenched before and during the matches with some kind of water potion. They set sticks with some kind of ribbon in 5 corners of a star at the edges----this is a Seereer ritual, apparently simulating the Islamic crescent. They also (according to Ousmane) writing in the dirt in Arabic. They also always enter the ring with their left foot for some reason.

Incidentally, today is the first day of Ramadan. Last night there was a sliver of moon which has something to do with it. Someone announces it and today Muslims begin to fast.

Back to wrestling. There are several more rounds. Several more cathartic dancing breaks. At one point there is tempo change and scores of boys throng the ring and go into a frenzy. The remaining, now large, sculpted  men continue to circle. Finally, around 11pm, the final. it is over in seconds, the loser spitting dirt. The winner gets a bag of rice and 1,000 CFAs. This a quite a haul since Ramadan is coming and many, many people can be fed with a bag of rice.

Ousmane Sene is our featured lecturer the next morning and describes wrestling a an important ritual for the expending of aggressive energy and the beginnings of courtship. These guys probably have their share of admirers.