The thrills and frills of Dambe Fight-Night in Abuja

Saturday, January 5 will certainly remain indelible in the minds of residents of Abuja and its environs, who are lovers of traditional sports, especially the game of Dambe, as they were offered the rare opportunity to be thrilled by some of the best dambe fighters in the country.

The game of dambe is associated with mostly northerners, especially Hausa-Fulani and is said to have originated about two centuries ago from the ancient city of Kano when the then emirs would call for dambe fight in preparations for war. Dambe, which is the conventional sports’ equivalent of boxing, is traditionally played along with kokawa (wrestling) to mark the end of harvest season in many northern communities.

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One fascinating thing about the sport is that every fighter aims to punch “kill” his opponent into total submission. This is achieved more often than not, either through kicks or punches which oftentimes get an opponent knocked out or knocked to the ground.

Going by the physicality and brutal nature of dambe, it is not a sport for the lily-livered. Thus, even fans of the game must be brave and courageous to withstand the sight and sounds of the heavy punching and kicking by the fighters. However, the excitement that comes with victory usually transcends the winners to even their supporters who usually cheer proceedings with traditional musical instruments.

The recently staged Dambe Night-Fight at the Heritage Village Square, Kado Estate in Abuja drew a large crowd that included Europeans, Arabs, Chinese and Indians who thronged the well secured venue to savour the unrelenting display of physical strength and courage by the fighters from the Kano Dambe team under Mazaje Traditional Sports Promotion Limited and their counterparts from Nasarawa State.

So fascinated were the foreigners that apart from cheering on the fighters, they doled out cash rewards as they sprayed them (Warriors) with hard currencies and naira notes in appreciation of their brilliant displays.

Organised by the African Warriors Championship in collaboration with SWA Sports, the event took off with the grueling contest which saw Autan Kudawa from Nasarawa state team knocking out his counterpart Abba Shagon Roget from Kano after three consecutive rounds known in local parlance as ‘turmi’.

Although the Nasarawa State team started on a winning note, it was their counterparts from Kano who laughed last. The Kano team under the tutelage of Nura Muhammed Sulaiman garnered 24 points from eight wins out of the 10 rounds of fierce dambe duels to take the winners cash prize of N250, 000 while Nasarawa team received the sum of N150, 000 as the runners up prize.

Speaking to our reporter during the competition, the coach of Kudawa dambe group, Goni Bulama Bayya, said the traditional sport is gradually undergoing transformation to accommodate modern trends in sports.

For instance, he explained that in modern day dambe contests, the use of all sharp items like debris of glass sewn inside the ‘kara’ (rags fighters tie round their fists as gloves) that might cause grave bodily harm and sometimes death is prohibited.

Bayya also told our reporter that it is hard to disconnect dambe warriors from mystical powers and concoctions as he said based on their beliefs, most of them pierce their palms and insert some amulet, ‘Zarce’ inside. This, he said, could make a warrior punch down his opponent within seconds of a contest.

“We are training to discourage all these things. Those who don’t indulge in these sharp practices that give them undue advantages over others are being trained by good coaches like me,” said Bayya.

“But some engage in fervent prayers to Allah so much that they can sacrifice rams and even cows for God to grant them victory against their opponents,” he added.

He further explained that dambe warriors who practise voodoo or what is known as jazz in local parlance are hard nuts to crack. They hardly bow to the knocks and punches that land on their bodies because it is believed they are immune to pain.

“Those who do not support themselves with charms hardly last long in the fight,” he reiterated.

Speaking on how new warriors are recruited and trained, Nura Muhammad Sulaiman, a dambe trainer with Mazaje Traditional Sports Promotion Limited in Kano said the entry requirements have since changed. It is no longer like in the olden days when an interested warrior would be enlisted into the team once he showed interest.

“We interview anyone who shows interest to join so that we can know his background. Therefore after, he is expected to bring his guarantor. We then issue him a form for him to know our terms and conditions.

“We operate under the Kano State Sports Commission so we are doing everything in line with the laid down rules and regulations,” he said.

Interestingly, there are good plans for the game of dambe as African Warriors Championship, the organisers of the Dambe Fight-Night in Abuja are aiming to make it a global sport that will one day be featured in the Olympics.

According to Maxwell Kalu, the founder and CEO of the African Warriors Championship, the Abuja Dambe Night-Fight was selected and staged because it encompasses the culture and traditions of the people at the grassroots.

“We wanted to bring it to the city for people that may be interested in seeing that kind of action and a unique sport. We just wanted to offer something different that people are not used to,’’ he said.

Kalu also said, though for now, the focus is on Abuja and Lagos, the African warriors Championship intends to roll out more events in the year 2022 and beyond. “And we definitely have plans to carry the Fight-Night brand to other parts of the country but you know everything has to be gradual and done properly. So, this is just the beginning for us,” he stated.

Kalu also said the African Warriors Championship which was founded two years ago was borne out of sheer love for combat sport and his background in kickboxing.

In the same vein, Aisha Shuaibu, the president of SWA Sports, a partner in the Dambe Fight-Night said she is passionate about sports because she is from a sports background. “I grew up watching and playing the game of basketball at home and in secondary school. I have a family who loves sports and athletics.’’

She also said sports in Africa have great potential to promote unity and tourism, enable economic growth and provide employment opportunities among so many other possibilities.

Speaking on the dambe fight-night, Aisha said the Fight Night brand was set out to bring some intense entertainment to lovers of all kinds of combat sports.

“Dambe was selected as our first edition to introduce a wider audience to a sport that started in and is more familiar to grassroots communities. It celebrates Arewa heritage, pride and strength.

“To execute this event professionally, we have partnered up with African Warriors, a company that has worked for years to promote dambe in and outside Nigeria,’’ she added.

Amina Jaafar, an Abuja lover of dambe couldn’t withhold her ecstasy about the game as she said she was excited to attend the maiden edition of Dambe Fight-Night. According to her, she was not disappointed by what she saw that night.

 “The event was unique and novel, something Abuja needed. It also helped highlight traditional fighting while supporting local talents. It was well organized with a variety of fighters and fights.

“I particularly enjoyed the 100kg fight as well as rooting for the red side in all the other fights. The fire performance was an unexpected addition which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was captivating to watch. I would love to attend a similar event in the future. I commend the organizers for a successful Fight-Night

Another Abuja resident, Onochie Esenwah, said the Dambe Fight-Night was a one-of-a-kind experience and he enjoyed the experience and certainly looking forward to more events to come.

“The exhibition had all the thrills and the fighters put on a show. The spirit of the fight was not left out as the production was like an old painting brought to life.  A massive kudos to the organisers, SWA Sports and African Warriors, for bringing the culture right to our doorsteps,’’ he stated.