The ‘Culture’ of Martial Arts

Part III

In the last and final addition of this series we will focus on the little known but widely influential African martial arts.

The African continent is infinitely rich in history. It is not surprising that it boasts one of the oldest martial arts in existence. Some of the earliest evidence of martial arts in Africa were discovered in the Beni Hasan tombs in ancient Egypt, dating back to 2,040 and 1,785 BCE. Archaeologists found paintings of fighters displaying techniques such as punching, kicking, throwing, and locking the opponents’ joints. (It is important to note that Egypt is in Africa, and that many years of racial intermingling have transformed the population of ancient Egypt into its current and modern inhabitants). The Nuba people of Sudan already performed a form of martial arts around 2,800 BCE. This form of martial arts included empty-hand combat along with weapons training. There are no records in the world that can claim a documented martial arts tradition older then the fighting arts of the Nuba. Read More