Le Donga is a traditional African wrestling found among the Surma peoples of Ethiopia. One of the principles of this fight, described as the martial art of the black samurai, is that no one loses, no one is ever defeated, no one is the winner. Only the fight, the game between the two fighters counts. The scars received say that the man who displays them is ready to give his life for his people, for his people.
During this game at the wooden perch in which the opponents are face to face, two by two, the violence of the confrontations forces participants to protect their head and joints with plant fibers specially braided for this purpose. Strength, skill and elegance are in order, and very often these fights serve as a pretext to settle old quarrels. After a while, the excitement due to the sight of blood and absorbed alcohol reaches its climax, and the climate often becomes electric.
The Dongas traditionally mark the end of the harvest. The granaries filled and the existence of the clan assured for a year, the young men are thinking of getting married. So they gather between villages to compete with each other and seduce neighborhood girls of childbearing age.
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