Dambe
Traditional boxing of the Hausa people of northern Nigeria, striking with one wrapped fist, the head and kicks. Historically practised by butchers, it now has leagues and a YouTube audience.
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.
About Dambe
According to Thomas Green, dambe is a traditional fist-fighting game of the Hausa people of the Saharan regions of West Africa. Al Jazeera reports it in northern Nigeria, southern Niger and southwestern Chad. Historically, according to Green, it was held at village level at festivals and was the domain of butchers' guild members. Of the two hands, only the stronger, called the spear, attacks, and it is wrapped in a strip of cloth called kara, over which a cord called zare is tied. The weaker hand, called the shield, is extended towards the opponent, deflects blows and may grab the opponent. Fist, head or foot may strike anywhere on the body. The aim is a single decisive blow, after which the opponent touches the ground with a hand or knee, called killing the opponent. According to Al Jazeera in 2018, Dambe Warriors broadcast bouts on YouTube from 2017. In 2023 the BBC reported that the organiser African Warriors introduced three three-minute rounds and scoring.
History
In a 2005 article, Thomas Green describes dambe as a traditional fist-fighting game of the Hausa people of the Saharan regions of West Africa. Historically it was a combat sport of the Hausa at village level, bouts were held at festivals, and the art was the special domain of butchers' guild members. According to Green, its origin is lost in antiquity. Edward Powe, he notes, points out that the single wrapped fist and the salute in dambe strikingly resemble depictions of Egyptian boxers of the classical period. According to Green, dambe was originally a way of training military skills, and today guild members use it to display manliness, gain personal prestige and bring honour to their family and village. In 2023 the BBC reported that dambe apparently arose among the Hausa more than a thousand years ago and was traditionally practised by butchers and craftsmen, and because some Nigerians looked down on these occupations, a social stigma stuck to it. In 2018 Al Jazeera wrote that dambe began when groups of itinerant Hausa butchers held tournaments with local communities, and that at first it was more of a bout called Hausa kokowa.
Technique
According to Green, in dambe only the stronger hand, called the spear, is used to attack, while the weaker hand, called the shield, is extended towards the opponent, deflects blows and may grab the opponent. The striking fist is wrapped in a strip of cloth called kara, over which a knotted cord called zare is tied. The front leg was traditionally wrapped from ankle to knee in a chain called akayau, which could serve as a weapon when kicking, though either leg could be used to kick. According to coach Carambe, whom Green quotes, the chain is no longer used in amateur or professional bouts. A boxer may strike with fist, head or foot anywhere on the body. The aim is a single decisive blow (kwab daya), after which the opponent touches the ground with a hand or knee, or falls flat, called killing the opponent. The damben karfe variant, iron boxing, uses a hand-held striking tool called mazagi and, according to Green, is still practised, though illegally. According to the BBC, some fighters used to put shards of glass into the striking arm, which is now banned.
Training
In 2005 Green described training at the Carambe Afromartial Club in Kano, where people trained twice a day, five days a week. Training included push-ups supported on the head to strengthen the head and neck, and push-ups on one finger of one hand.
Competition
According to Green, competitions are held between groups called armies, whose members meet in pairs on a symbolic battlefield, a cleared space called dandali in the middle of a village, surrounded by spectators. Bouts run to three rounds, and a round ends after long inactivity, when a boxer's wrapping comes loose, or when one of the opponents voluntarily leaves the fighting stance. According to Green (2005), there were no weight categories, opponents were by custom evenly matched, but in the professional bouts of that time a light fighter could be matched against a heavy one. In 2018 Al Jazeera wrote that winners receive prizes such as money, cattle, gifts from fans, motorcycles or cars, but fighters are not paid fairly, because irregular payments are controlled by chiefs. According to the BBC, the organisation African Warriors introduced new rules, among them three three-minute rounds, which did not exist before, and scoring of fighting style.
Today
According to coach Carambe, whom Green quotes in 2005, the Nigerian federation of traditional sports banned head strikes in amateur bouts (they remained allowed in professional ones), allowed only kara cloth on the hands and banned glass and zare cord. Green indicates that dambe and kokawa wrestling appeared at the All-Africa Games in 2003 in Nigeria. According to Al Jazeera, Anthony Okeleke and Chidi Anyina launched the Dambe Warriors channel on YouTube in January 2017. According to Daily Trust, Nigerian sports minister Sunday Dare promised in 2019 a national dambe league and cooperation with the Dambe Sport Association on creating a federation. In 2023 the BBC reported on the first Emir Ado Bayero Dambe Championship at the Dorayi palace in Kano, where teams called houses competed and House of Arewa won on points. According to the BBC, one of the most watched dambe videos on YouTube had over 25 million views in 2023, and fighters came to Nigeria from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Niger.
Did you know
Dambe is accompanied by Hausa drums, mainly the hourglass-shaped kalangu drum and the smaller kuntuku. They play the call take, which summons the boxers, and accompany kirari praise songs before and after bouts. According to Green, the bouts themselves are not accompanied by music. Green names Shaga as the most famous dambe fighter of all time. According to him, dambe is known for supernatural means, mostly amulets, whose kinds are named after where they are worn, for example laaya on the neck, kambu on the arm and guru at the waist.
Frequently asked questions
Which hand is used to attack in dambe?
According to Thomas Green, only the stronger hand attacks, the spear, wrapped in kara cloth and zare cord. The weaker one, the shield, is extended toward the opponent, deflects blows and may grab the opponent.
How is dambe won?
According to Green, the aim is a single decisive blow after which the opponent touches the ground with a hand or knee, called killing the opponent. Bouts are three rounds, and today, according to the BBC, African Warriors also awards points.
Where can dambe be watched?
Since January 2017, Dambe Warriors has broadcast bouts on YouTube. In 2023 the BBC wrote that one of the most watched videos had over 25 million views, and about the first Emir Ado Bayero Dambe Championship in Kano.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.