In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wrestling is a popular sport, providing an outlet and entertainment to the city and surrounding town’s inhabitants.
Featuring two distinct types of wrestling and heavily influenced by wrestling on American TV in the 1970’s, the Congolese adaptations of wrestling are a little more Hogwarts and a little less World Wrestling Federation.
The WWF style of wrestling is predominantly villain versus villain, spandex, masks and choreographed fights. The wrestlers train every day and employ the smack down style that is WWF.
But the other adaptation to popular wrestling is a lot more voodoo and body paint. Welcome to fetish wrestling. Drawing huge crowds and beginning with a motorized parade to the fighting venue, fetish wrestling employs antelope horns and fake machetes buried in skulls as part of the costume.
The fight itself consists of dancing, casting spells and witchcraft. More of less fixed the fight goes on until the final spell is cast and a winner announced.
Colin Delfosse, a documentary photographer and founding member of Out of Focus was on hand in Kinshasa to photograph and document the unique style of wrestling favoured by the locals.
See more of Colin Delfosse’s work HERE
