African Nguni or Intonga stick fighting paints an impressive image. Men dance around each other, kicking up dust, a stick in each hand. They tap one against the other, creating rhythm and music. They swirl their thin long wooden weapons round with dexterous fingers.
In a flash, they lunge towards each other with fierce, hard-hitting strikes. The rapid “tack-tack-tack” of parried attacks and whipping-sound of body-blows counter-point against the crowd’s cheer and whistle. In South Africa, people call it intonga or Nguni stick fighting. This African stick fighting has been part of rural tradition for centuries. Today, however, you are just as likely to find urban men in Cape Town practicing a version of this martial art as they prepare for a weekend tournament.
A Time-Honored Martial Art
At traditional ceremonies occurring in the urban centers of the country, the ritualistic display of traditional stick fighting is part pageantry and part heritage.
Rural communities on the coast and in the countryside teach stick fighting to young boys as a martial art. From the age of nine, boys learn to spar as a rite of passage and proof of masculinity as they grow older. Under Xhosa rules, each fighter carries two sticks, both roughly 4ft long. The first stick serves as defense.
A cloth or blanket binds it to the hand and wraps around the knuckles for protection. In contrast, the Zulu style of fighting includes a small animal-hide shield, called an izoliHauw, mounted on the defensive stick.
The other stick is for offense, usually aimed with intensity at the head, knees, wrists, or ankles. Strikes to the groin or ears are out of bounds, and bouts last about 15 minutes or until one fighter lands the first serious blow. In its traditional form, it is a high-energy and often violent sport that is known to draw blood.
Traditional Stick Fighting as a Modern Martial Art
In the decade after 2010, the Nguni stick fighting tradition saw a grassroots revival as a recreational and competitive martial art in and around the South African city of Cape Town.
That revival began when Vuyisile Dyolatana founded the Qula Kwedini Stick Fighting Federation (QKSFF) in 2010. It works in the impoverished townships around the city of Cape Town.
In 2011, Jacques Sibomana created the Ultimate Stick Fighting Championships (USFC), leaning on the popularizing conventions and practices of Mixed Martial Arts tournaments. One goal of these organizations was to host monthly league competitions in the Western Cape Province. Cash prizes gave fighters a reason to take the art professional. As a result of the tournaments, local clubs sprang up around Cape Town. Social media promotion also helped stick fighting enter the techno-cultural area.
Stick fighting gained legitimacy as a possible professional sport, helped by adopting the conventions of competitive martial arts. “In the past, they used to play raw,” said Vuyisile in an interview with Fighting Arts Health Lab, “but I discovered that it would be too dangerous.” After all, traditional stick fighting often leaves fighters walking away with ugly gashes and bloodied faces.
Consequently, Vuyisile started using bicycle helmets as protective gear, and later upgraded to skateboard helmets custom fit with grilled visors taken off cricket helmets. Other practitioners also adopted different forms of protection. Some even made synthetic fiber sticks to turn traditional stick-fighting into a safe and practicable sport.
Tradition Broke With The Inclusion Of Women
Part of Jacques Sibomana’s practice let young girls take part in training. This broke from stick fighting’s original patriarchal cultural setting. This expansion speaks to the heart of stick fighting as a martial art: this practice offers much more than a rite of passage for men.
Since its rural beginnings, people have seen stick fighting as a way to learn the virtues linked with martial arts worldwide: discipline, hard work, perseverance, and how to handle confrontation and accept defeat.
This is part of why Vuyisile sees the practice’s promotion and growth in urban and township communities as particularly important.
As he stated in an interview with the Mail & Guardian in the young days of his organization: “In the rural areas intonga fulfills important social and cultural functions.
It teaches discipline and focus. I wish all South African, southern African and African cultures would revive stick fighting”.
For Vuyisile, stick-fighting can help uplift unemployed youth, diverting them away from street violence, drugs, and other social problems. “My main interest is innovation” he says, “To change the lives of the unemployed men so that they can benefit from the sport and make a profession out of it and earn a living.”
Strengthening National Pride
In addition to social development, an urban revival of traditional martial arts is a way to re-enliven and reaffirm national heritage, especially as South Africa is a country marred by a history of cultural repression under erstwhile apartheid law.
However, many of the initiatives and organizations that sprang up after the founding of the QKSFF and USFC struggled to sustain themselves. The USFC itself stopped its efforts in 2016. When we spoke with him, Vuyisile Dyolatana was carrying the torch for Nguni stick fighting as a recreational and competitive martial art in the Western Cape.
He no longer taught often at the Warrior Training Centre. Instead, he was developing a full curriculum and formalized convention for stick fighting. “I’m working out the curriculum now,” he said, “I have rules of engagement, point-scoring, protection gear.”
He wanted to divide the curriculum into a year-by-year system, specifically set to accommodate the lifestyles of those from impoverished townships.
“From January, we will gather in Wynberg for training sessions,” said Vuyisile. Wynberg is a central area that people from surrounding townships such as Khayelitsha, Langa, Muizenberg, and Fish Hoek can reach. But funding remained a big obstacle for growth.
“It’s not easy,” Vuyisile sighed before continuing to recount his big plans.
At the time, Vuyisile was preparing his organization for the coming season and looking for additional funding to take Nguni stick fighting to the next level. You can find out more about, follow, and get in contact with the Qula Kwedini Stick Fighting Federation on their Facebook page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Nguni Stick Fighting?
Nguni stick fighting, also called intonga, is a traditional African martial art from South Africa. Two fighters dance around each other with a stick in each hand, then lunge in with fast, hard-hitting strikes. In rural communities, boys learn it from the age of nine as a rite of passage.
What Are the Rules of Zulu and Xhosa Stick Fighting?
Under Xhosa rules, each fighter carries two sticks, both roughly 4ft long: one bound to the hand for defense, and one for striking the head, knees, wrists, or ankles. The Zulu style adds a small animal-hide shield, called an izoliHauw, to the defensive stick. Strikes to the groin or ears are out of bounds. Bouts last about 15 minutes or until one fighter lands the first serious blow.
How Did Stick Fighting Become a Modern Sport in Cape Town?
Vuyisile Dyolatana founded the Qula Kwedini Stick Fighting Federation in 2010 in the townships around Cape Town, and Jacques Sibomana started the Ultimate Stick Fighting Championships in 2011. They ran league competitions with cash prizes. To make bouts safer, Vuyisile added helmets with grilled visors.
