Laamb: the art of defense

Venture into the depths of Africa and you will discover mystery. Unravel the mysteries and you will stand before a priceless cultural treasure. A blaze of wonders, cultures and traditions to know and understand. That is the condition for becoming an initiate. 

In the Ultimes Griots universe, the arts vie with one another in richness. The art of defense, laamb, tells us more in this story.

More than a sport, laamb is a fundamental practice of KAMA’s cultural heritage. It is a form of wrestling, an art shared by every age group and every caste of the eloko of KAMA. 

It is a powerful way to learn, to have fun, to defend oneself and to prepare an attack. As is customary in the Kurufuga, laamb tournaments are held every year in all the lands and vassal cities. 

The pledge of peace

Beyond its cultural character, laamb is now the central pillar of a peace agreement: the DISSONGO (the price of honey – in the Bambara language). A compromise signed after several years of war, which grants the winner of a laamb tournament the privilege of winning, for their city, the annual tribute of all the others. 

The arena and its surroundings

Before each wrestler enters the arena, the crowd witnesses all kinds of theatrics. Each fighter is accompanied by a physical trainer and by his mentor in juju attacks, who gives him a bath of leaves meant to revitalize him before the fight.

After that, it’s time for intimidation. Laamb is not only physical, it is also psychological. To this end, each wrestler sets out the arguments for his superiority. Each has his own story and exploits, and the griots are on hand to sing his praises.

As if to confirm the Jeli’s words of praise, the wrestler sketches out a war dance. Chest puffed out, eyes bulging, every step he takes is planted with firmness and strength. It is the sign of terror… 

While physical strength and ancient techniques help a wrestler match his opponent during laamb, the juju are no less useful. For now, remember that juju are talismans that give a wrestler an advantage in his physical abilities (strength, weight, double, etc.). We will come back to this in a future article. 

The rules and variants of laamb

Like any fight, laamb has rules. They are complex and are sometimes at the heart of heated debates during tournaments. Remember the following rules:

• Do not step out of the circle marking the fighting area;
• All physical blows are allowed;
• Juju attacks are allowed;
• The fighter who falls (touching the ground with the knees, all four limbs or the back) loses the fight;
• The fighter whose opponent is physically in a bad way during the bout wins the fight.

Several variants of this wrestling exist, from the gentlest arena to the most dangerous. There is wrestling with or without strikes, juju attacks, or the riskiest arena of all: “the kroobata”.  

In the kroubata, no mercy is allowed. Every blow is welcome. The opponent can be caught in the cadenas (a choke hold), the sagbali (a deadly sweep) and many other lethal techniques.

We did warn you… In the Ultimes Griots universe, you will know the least just when you think you know it all. We’ll stop here for now. Surakata!