CANDACE FEIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Tyson vs. 50 cent

Traditional West African Wrestling

What began as a sport practied throughout the villages of West Africa has now boomed into a big business for wrestlers and sponsors alike. The biggest stars today have stage names like "Tyson" and "50 cent" and draw crowds of tens of thousands of spectators. Purses are huge and instead of winning a bag of rice or a goat as in the old days, big time wrestlers are now fighting for prizes of over 250,000 Euro.

All over Dakar, Senegal, wrestling schools train these up-and-comers hundreds at a time -- all of them trying to make their mark as wrestlings next star. For many of these young men, it is one hope to out of poverty. These images chornicle the struggle of wrestlers to achieve the dream of being the one rising star who makes it.

Daily training at the wrestling school in Guediawaye, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal. There are dozens of schools such as this one which train anywhere from 50-100 wrestlers -- all of whom hope to become the next wrestling super-star.
   
Wrestlers spend long hours sparring as part of their training regimen. Wrestling has been a popular sport in West Africa for centuries, but how now become a lucrative business, drawing thousands of fans and huge purses for popular competitors.
   
Wrestling is found all over West Africa, with each country having its own, slightly different style. Wrestling style and rules have been standardized as the popularity of the sport grows throughout the region.
     
  
Each evening wrestlers train with a wide range of calisthenics followed by sparring matches with one another.
   
What was once a traditional sport has become, for many, their only hope for success.
   
Traditionally, men in villages used wrestling to prove their manliness - winning honor and purses of goats and rice.
     
  
Even relatively small matches draw thousands of spectators.
   
Fans cheer sduring a competiton between wrestling teams from all over West Africa.
   
Before matches, wrestlers perform various magic rituals. Many douse themselves with potions that are said to have magical properties and often wear small leather pouches with verses from the koran tied to themselves.
     
  
Two men are locked in combat during a match. The wrestler's goal is to pin his opponent to the ground or push him out of the ring.
   
A policeman tries to control the crowd entering the stadium during a match. Matches always draw a large crowd - sometimes filling stadiums of 40,000.
   
The wrestlers are dressed in the pagne, a strip of fabric around the waist and then rolled up and around the legs to form a pair of small shorts which the opponent can then grab during a match.
     
  
A wrestler is comforted after a loss. Along with the blow to the ego, each loss lessens the wrestlers chances of graduating to more lucrative matches.