The brutality and beauty of the West African martial art of ‘dambe’

Dambe is an ancestral martial art practised by the Hausa ethnic group in Nigeria. During matches, competitors strike – with a single arm wrapped tightly in cloth, as well as with their legs – to knock their opponents to the ground. The lyrical short documentary Elephant Food Is for the Strongest Teeth profiles two rival fighters in Kano, Nigeria, highlighting how violence and spiritual practice exist side by side within dambe, a tradition among butchers and fishermen. Throughout the film, the threats that the sport has faced over the centuries in Kano – including, most recently, a series of deadly insurgent attacks by the militant jihadist group Boko Haram – linger in the background. Although they’re outsiders, the London-based directors Michael Kinsella Perks and Will McBain lend their portrait of dambe a sense of authenticity through intimate cinematography and an original drum-and-voice score provided by local Hausa musicians.

Via Short of the Week