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Wesuwa is a popular wrestling sport in mountain ethnic group Bakweri in Cameroon. The wrestling rules are similar to the classical Ancient Greek standing style.
The Bakweri people have lived in the villages scattered around the slopes of Mount Cameroon for over 4000 years. Historically the Bakweri are territorial people and fierce fighters who have always defended their rights, land and culture against surrounding tribes and colonizing powers of Germany and Britain. Although the Bakweri are now completely modernized, some have even converted to Christianity; they are still attached to their ancestral traditions and have retained their ancient tribal organization.
One special sporting event, the Bakweri Traditional Wrestling, encompasses all the qualities the Bakweri have inherited from their ancestors: physical endurance, agility, fierce fighting techniques, and a great sense of competition.
Wrestling is known as wesuwa and it's taken very seriously by all the members of the community. In the past wrestling used to be an important way of determining leadership in the villages.
Fortunately, this behavior now a thing of the past. Today, wrestling is a friendly competition drawing a huge crowd from all over the region. Every Sunday for eight weeks in February and March every village gathers their best wrestlers in a major contest to see who has the best fighters with athletes showing off their fighting prowess. Each village is the host of the wrestling for one day.
Stern traditions and customs of Bakweri have trained Bakweri women to be strong and belligerent, so they also actively participating in the wrestling demonstrating good speed, persistence, strength and skills. They may compete not only to measure strength against each other but also to prove themselves in front of the community and potential mates – strength and endurance are very valuable qualities for wives and mothers.
As classic Ancient Greek wrestling, Wesuwa is mostly a standing style. A contestant wins a bout by throwing an opponent on his/her back or by taking him/her down and then either rolling the opponent on his/her back or forcing to flat on the stomach. To set the atmosphere, drummers on an elevated stage beat intricate rhythms on large log drums throughout the match while the crowds roar and shout encouragement to the wrestlers.
The contest culminates with the announcement of the year's champion wrestler who is then carried among the spectators to loud acclaim accompanied by tradition songs and dances performed by the cheerleaders - the elder tribeswomen.
Bakweri wrestling match. Videoclip
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Bakweri wresling episodes
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