Prime Magazine August 2023

culture
A true fist sport, Moraingy is close to Diamanga,
another traditional martial art from the high plateaus of
Madagascar, as well as to the Brazilian sport of Caporeria
and Moraing in Reunion Island.
Moraingy, which arrived in Madagascar in the 15th
century, is a leisure activity and a spectacular, highly
physical sport. For a few years now, women have also been
participating. Ideas concerning the origin of Moraingy
are many and varied: a way of seducing women, a way
of solving conflicts between clans or simply a form of
training. As for the name Moraingy, the discipline is
named after the drum which accompanied the combat.
This traditional sport is not yet listed as an official
discipline, even though it is very often practised in the
towns and villages along the west coast of Madagascar,
from the north down to the south. It is possible to
observe Moraingy combats in Mahajanga, Morondava,
Nosy Be, Ambilobe, Antsiranana, Sambava and many
villages. In all these places, there are combats organised
every week, mainly on Sunday afternoons, with a large
number of spectators. The sound equipment is set up,
then the fighting begins.
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