Uganda’s soft-ground wrestling or Ekigwo Kya Bumbash is as much theater as it is a sport. Cushioned by muddy training grounds the sport emulates both traditional Ugandan wrestling and the US-based World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The 77 Percent meets a female star of the arena, who is hoping to make it to the international wrestling scene.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00We're here in the outskirts of Kampala to bring you mud fighting like you've never seen
00:12it before.
00:13Echigwa chabumba is what they call it, a kind of traditional fighting and wrestling
00:17that integrates Hollywood entertainment.
00:20It's absolutely crazy and the best part is the women seem to be leading the pack.
00:25I can't wait to find out what it's all about.
00:27Why don't we do this together?
00:30This is Hope Nabwire.
00:32She's 18 years old and one of the stars of Echigwa Chabumba, soft ground wrestling in
00:38Kampala.
00:39My name is Nabwire Hope, a.k.a Hope Mikeson.
00:46Hope Mikeson?
00:47Yes.
00:48Like Mike Tyson?
00:49Yes.
00:50Okay, Hope Tyson.
00:51I was in school.
00:52My story started when I was at school and I liked to fight with other children.
00:57And each time we fought, we got a suspension and my mum told me to stop fighting.
01:06We were at home, then I watched Bumbash on TikTok.
01:12I saw kids fighting with each other in Echigwa Chabumba and I thought, I also like this sport.
01:21Hope wants to become a famous wrestling star in Kampala.
01:25Although these fights look frightening, it's all staged.
01:28It might look violent, but these fighters don't hurt each other.
01:34Uganda's one and only wrestling school was founded by this guy, Daniel Bumba, just one
01:40year ago.
01:41In Uganda, apparently, we had Echigwa Gumbia, the one for the tradition, the kings, whereby
01:47you could fight before the king and you've given respect.
01:50Then I was like, okay, this is Echigwa Gumbia.
01:53It doesn't have the grappling techniques.
01:56Let me create an athletical form of theatre.
01:58Let me call it Echigwa Chabumba.
02:00Let me kind of conglomerate the skills of Americans into the local ones so that it becomes
02:05more entertaining.
02:06All I think about is wrestling, when sleeping, wrestling, when eating, wrestling.
02:14After nine months of training, Hope gets her first fight.
02:24To fight, I have to approve you, me, myself.
02:28Not everyone here fights.
02:30You only have to train every day, every day, every day, while eating and training, eating
02:34and training, until I'm like, okay, you man, you're ready to rumble.
02:40For now, their fierce fighting skills earn them just enough to keep a roof over their
02:44heads and food on the table for their growing muscles.
02:48But Hope, Daniel and their fellow wrestlers dream of more, craving the spotlight, big
02:53fame and a fortune.
02:58One day I will become a big wrestler.
03:01I'll go abroad to America to the wrestling leagues.
03:05And I will meet The Rock, Sasha Banks, Eos Kai and Bayley.
03:13Just like that, the match is over and Hope has wrestled her way to a fine win.
03:21This victorious win is more motivation for the young wrestler to keep going.
03:25And she also has a message for her peers.
03:27Stay strong, independent and never be afraid to fight for your own dreams.
03:32Go get them, Hope.