It takes its root from the wrestling tradition of the
Serer people – formally a preparatory exercise for war among the warrior classes depending on the technique. In Serer tradition, wrestling is divided into different techniques with
mbapate being one of them. It was also an initiation rite among the Serers, the word ''
derives from the Serer principle of Jom (from Serer religion), meaning heart or honour in the Serer language. The Jom
principle covers a huge range of values and beliefs including economic, ecological, personal and social values. Wrestling stems from the branch of personal values
of the Jom principle. was Boukar Djilak Faye (a Serer) who lived in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Sine. He was the ancestor of the Faye Paternal Dynasty of Sine and Saloum (both Kingdoms in present-day Senegal). The njom
wrestling spectacle was usually accompanied by the kim njom
– the chants made by young Serer women in order to reveal their gift of "poetry"
(ciid'' in Serer). The
Wolof word for wrestling, '
, derives from the Serer language ' (
Fara of
Mandinka origin whilst ''
of Serer origin) the chief griot who used to beat the tam-tam of Sine called Lamb
or Laamb
in Serer. The lamb'' was part of the music accompaniment of wrestling in
pre-colonial times as well as after Senegal's independence. It was also part of the
Njuup tradition (a conservative Serer music repertoire, the
progenitor of
Mbalax). Transcending ethnic groups, the sport enjoys the status of national sport. Traditionally, young men also used to fight as a distraction, to court wives, prove their manliness, and bring honor to their villages. Usually each wrestler (called mbër) performed a bàkk before the start of the combat. In general,
bàkk (which could also be spelled as baku, bakku, bakkous) is an oral art performance that is used to boast about oneself in order to instill a sense of fear or reverence in the audience or rivals. Bàkk is not only used in the context of wrestling but can also be used in political speeches or other encounters in which someone feels the need to brag about his accomplishments to receive admiration. Presently, wrestling is arranged by business-promoters who offer prizes for the winners. The 20,000-capacity Arene Nationale de Lutte in Dakar is the largest wrestling stadium by capacity in Senegal. The popularity of Senegalese wrestling has grown that the top, most popular, wrestlers have been able to have television acting opportunities. But, despite the growing popularity the money from
mixed martial arts (MMA), Senegalese wrestling has come under threat of having their top stars purged by the lure of bigger money.{{cite web|url=https://boxscorenews.com/senegalese-wrestling-under-threat-from-mma-p156236-68.htm|title=Senegalese Wrestling Under Threat From MMA ==Goal==