Dambe
The boxing of the Hausa people of northern Nigeria. One hand is wrapped and strikes, the other guards; a round ends when a fighter goes down.
Quick Facts
NigeriaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
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About Dambe
Dambe is the boxing of the Hausa people, at home in northern Nigeria and adjoining parts of Niger and Chad. Historically it was tied to the butchers' guild, whose members travelled between villages after the harvest and staged bouts as part of festivities; that link to an occupational group and to the farming calendar still shapes dambe today. Its armament is strikingly asymmetric. The stronger hand, called the kara, is wrapped in cord and cloth and is used for striking; the other hand stays free and serves to guard and to push the opponent away. The lead leg is often wrapped and in some versions bound with a chain, and it may kick. A bout has three rounds, but they are not timed — a round ends when one fighter goes down. Victory is traditionally described as "killing", meaning to put the opponent down so that a hand, knee or the body touches the ground. It all takes place to drumming and singing that introduces and spurs on the fighters, so dambe is as much spectacle as sport. In recent years it has been professionalising, has found a television and internet audience, and organised leagues have begun to appear.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.