KOKAWA is one of the Ancients sports of Hausa people since from Their ancient time in Nubia and Ancient Egypt, It is a form of folk wrestling that involves two opponents competing against each other to throw the other off balance and pin them down.
The traditional fight, is a popular dual fight practiced in Many part of Hausa land Especially in Niger Republic 🇳🇪.The whole community participates in it with a spirit of conviviality before, during and after, which gives it all its playful, cultural and religious significance. Famous wrestlers nomadize from village to village accompanied by musicians(makaɗan kokawa) marabouts and other buffoons to fight after the harvest.
In history, the wrestlers of the Ancients Time and early 1950s are considered the greatest wrestlers (YAN kokawa)of All time, because of their mystical and physical forces and their techniques, remain living legends.
Traditional wrestling owes its aura to the simplicity of its practice, the accessibility of combat for the rich and the poor, its resistance to modern sports and above all the fact that it remains a rural sport still retaining its playful and cultural aspects. Customary and political powers, marabouts and fetishists, musicians and singers, buffoons and Olympic experts coexist in the psychological preparation of the wrestlers before, during and after the fights in order to build their confidence and increase the chances. The struggle is the framework par excellence of cultural and bodily expression, rites, beliefs, music, oral poetry of the communities. The wrestler who wrestles is the hero of his group, of his region.
🇳🇪🇳🇪CURRENT STATUS
Nowadays in Niger Republic 🇳🇪 kokowa is the national sport of the country it's like Football in England and the ministry of sports use to organized National kokowa competition Each Year in order to Crown the Sarkin kokowa (the king of wrestling), this event attracts millions of viewers both within and outside Of the country with Canal TV being the broadcast partners for the competition, many companies signed a sponsorship deal and it boasts the popularity of the competition.
The winner of the competition is awarded with sword and huge amount of money and he'll remain the King 👑 of wrestlers till the next competition, the current Sarki is Niamey's Wrestler called Abba, he became the king after defeating the favorite of the Competition a 7 times winner Isaka Isaka of Dosso Region.
After the competition Abba Ibrahim who's born in Ƙafur of Katsina state Nigeria 🇳🇬, but Representing Niamey, pay a visit to the current President of Niger and some former presidents and present his Sword to them.
This year competition is currently taking place as usual and many wrestlers are competing against each other in order to get the New King.
Source: Rabee'u Garba Ruwan Godia
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